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When You Awake Lyrics
Ollie told me I'm a fool.
So I walked on down the road a mile,
Went to the house that brings a smile
Sat upon my grandpa's knee,
And what do you think he said to me?
[Chorus:]
When you awake you will remember ev'rything,
You will be hangin' on a string from your...
When you believe,
You will relieve the only soul that you were born with
To grow old and never know
Ollie showed me the fork in the road.
You can take to the left or go straight to the right,
Use your days and save your nights,
Be careful where you step, and watch wha-cha eat,
Sleep with the light on and you got it beat.
[Chorus]
Ollie warned me it's a mean old world,
The street don't greet ya, yes, it's true;
But what am I supposed to do:
Read the writing on the wall,
I heard it when I was very small.
[Chorus]
Wash my hand in lye water,
I got a date with the captain's daughter.
You can go and tell your brother.
We sure gonna love one another,
Oh! You may be right and ya might be wrong,
I ain't gonna worry all day long.
Snow's gonna come and the frost gonna bite,
My old car froze up last night.
Ain't no reason to hang my head
I could wake up in the mornin' dead.
Oh! And if I thought it would do any good,
I'd stand on the rock where Moses stood.
So I walked on down the road a mile,
Went to the house that brings a smile
Sat upon my grandpa's knee,
And what do you think he said to me?
When you awake you will remember ev'rything,
You will be hangin' on a string from your...
When you believe,
You will relieve the only soul that you were born with
To grow old and never know
You can take to the left or go straight to the right,
Use your days and save your nights,
Be careful where you step, and watch wha-cha eat,
Sleep with the light on and you got it beat.
The street don't greet ya, yes, it's true;
But what am I supposed to do:
Read the writing on the wall,
I heard it when I was very small.
I got a date with the captain's daughter.
You can go and tell your brother.
We sure gonna love one another,
Oh! You may be right and ya might be wrong,
I ain't gonna worry all day long.
My old car froze up last night.
Ain't no reason to hang my head
I could wake up in the mornin' dead.
Oh! And if I thought it would do any good,
I'd stand on the rock where Moses stood.
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how has nobody commented on this. fucking incredible lyrics/song
I love this song and so on and so on.
Seems like he's getting advice from his grandpa who is near death. I think "awaking" here is death. When you die you "relieve your soul" which you were born with, and unfortunately, you'll never really get to know yourself, spiritually or something.
The thing with the hanging by a string, I'm not sure I get that one, is he talking about literally being hanged?
But from the last verse, I think the message is pretty clearly to live every day like it could be your last, etc., and the last line about Moses, I thinking he's saying he doesn't really care about religion. I think that's kinda cool, since it's a pretty gospel chorus; the juxtaposition is interesting.
@DRO1539 I agree with all you've written [even the lack of understanding of "hanging on a string"], but want to offer this modified understanding: awakening regards letting go of one's attachment to the mortal world; and, thereby, freeing oneself from its grip--this requires belief in something more significant
@DRO1539 I agree with all you've written [even the lack of understanding of "hanging on a string"], but want to offer this modified understanding: awakening regards letting go of one's attachment to the mortal world; and, thereby, freeing oneself from its grip--this requires belief in something more significant
@DRO1539 I agree with this, except the line about Moses sounds to me like the author saying that one can't change God's will no matter what they do. The "hanging on a string" always makes me think of a person's soul leaving their body, like when a person dies on the operating table and they can see everything that's going on from above their own body.
@DRO1539 I agree with this, except the line about Moses sounds to me like the author saying that one can't change God's will no matter what they do. The "hanging on a string" always makes me think of a person's soul leaving their body, like when a person dies on the operating table and they can see everything that's going on from above their own body.
A very existential song. I love the biblical reference to Moses and the rock, but what it really preaches is acceptance of life's uncertainties and the need to find happiness in life by loving others. The lines "Ain't no reason to hang my head I could wake up in the mornin' dead" have been stuck in my brain since I first heard them 55 years ago.
[Edit: typo]
amen to that, somethingphishy. no surprise though, people have no taste in music.
Wish i knew exactly what this songs all about.
@AlkalineTrioFan Interesting, "AlkalineTrioFan" thinks that people have no taste in music.
@AlkalineTrioFan Interesting, "AlkalineTrioFan" thinks that people have no taste in music.