![Cover art for Dream Operator [DVD] lyrics by Talking Heads](https://images.songmeanings.com/7ef80fb3-e862-4b58-840c-89f5545b850c.webp)
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Dream Operator [DVD] Lyrics
When you were little
You dreamed you were big
You must have been something
A real tiny kid
You wish you were me
I wish I was you
Now don't you wake up
The dream will come true
Every dream has a name
And names tell your story
This song is your dream
You're the dream operator
It's bigger than life
You know it's all me
My face is a book
But it's not what it seems
Three angels above
The whole human race
They dream us to life
They dream me a face
And every dream tells it all
And this dream is your story
You dreamed me a heart
You're the dream operator
Shake-it-up dream
Hi-di-ho dream
Fix-it-up dream
Look at me dream
I've been waiting so long
Now I am your dream
Hard to forget
Hard to go on
When you fall asleep
You're out on your own
Let go of your life
Grab on to my hand
Here in the clouds
Where we'll understand
And you dreamed it all
And this is your story
Do you know who you are?
You're the dream operator
And you dreamed it all
And this is your story
Do you know who you are?
You're the dream operator
You dreamed you were big
You must have been something
A real tiny kid
I wish I was you
Now don't you wake up
The dream will come true
And names tell your story
This song is your dream
You're the dream operator
You know it's all me
My face is a book
But it's not what it seems
The whole human race
They dream us to life
They dream me a face
And this dream is your story
You dreamed me a heart
You're the dream operator
Hi-di-ho dream
Fix-it-up dream
Look at me dream
I've been waiting so long
Now I am your dream
Hard to go on
When you fall asleep
You're out on your own
Grab on to my hand
Here in the clouds
Where we'll understand
And this is your story
Do you know who you are?
You're the dream operator
And this is your story
Do you know who you are?
You're the dream operator
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I've loved this song for years. Been meaning to explain what it means to me for a long time. I think the song illustrates something Alan Watts, the British philosopher-mystic said in his myriad talks and wonderful books. He opined that at the moment of death, the ego illusion of being a separate being in a bag of skin and bones, falls away, and we realize that Who we really are is one with God.
The songwriter (David Byrne) is taking the viewpoint of God throughout the song. I don't know what every phrase means, e.g., "shake it up, dream, hidi-ho dream," etc., but in essence it is God talking to a dying person (which is every one of us), offering Her Hand and the grace of faith to "let go of your life" in the knowledge that Understanding will follow in the afterlife.
Our life itself, as ego-identified beings, has often been likened to a dream, throughout literature, e.g., Wordsworth, Shakespeare, et al. The song posits that death is an awakening from this dream.