Destiny turned her face
Nightmares and violent shapes
State of dreaming
Has left me numb

Blue eyes and wandering lips
True lies with fingertips
Hidden tales of forbidden
Love

You've left me miserable
Miserable
Miserable
Mis-er-a-ble

Love

You've left me miserable
Miserable
Miserable
Mis-er-a-ble

Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking

Visions of better times
Kingdoms and lilac wine
Why did God fail
To improve us

Teardrops of acid rain
Burning down through my veins
Can't I just sleep for now

Now
Despite my fears
I dance for you
And did what others knew

I
Would care
Would wait
And live again
More desperate
Desperate
Yeah

Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking

Yeah

Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
(Now despite my fears I dance for you)
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
(Oh would care would wait and live again)
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking


Lyrics submitted by Perfeksion, edited by smittymc

Sleepwalking Lyrics as written by Karimi Mohager Kamtin James Bailey

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Sleepwalking song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

6 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I believe the song is about how cruel the world is becoming. I think the singer is hoping that it's all just one big dream. "Maybe we're just sleepwalking". This game was featured in Grand Theft Auto V, in which the theme (SPOILERS) is to not betray the ones you care about for your own personal gain. This relates to how selfish and awful people could be.

    nshed87on March 18, 2014   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    Im in love with the song and if it was specifically made for this game it confirms my interpretation of it is it's about the world and how its changing for the worse. Listen the tV shows and the radio talk shows they're speaking sarcastically and making fun of world today .. its heartbreaking I.feel the same way and this song beautiful touches me and the singer is Amazing..my god he nailed it I want more

    missvicious510on April 28, 2016   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    Before discussing the song's meaning three things must be understood...

    FIRST:

    The lyrics in the bridge that currently are listed on this page are incorrect. The incorrect lyrics are:

    "I Would care Would wait And live again More desperate Desperate Yeah"

    These lyrics should actually be:

    Why Why can't I wake And live again? I'm desperate Desperate Yeah!

    Listen to the song with these words in mind and you will hear that I am right. The former lyrics not only make no sense at all, but they don't even match the sounds of the words being sung. These correct lyrics both make perfect sense within the context of the song AND match the sounds being sung.

    SECOND:

    While I realize most of you discovered this song while playing the game Grand Theft Auto, the subject of the song itself has literally zero to do with the game. Set the game side in your mind and truly listen to the song lyrics. Let the song tell you what it's about instead of trying to force it to somehow fit GTA.

    THIRD:

    Don't start by trying to woodenly interpret the meaning of every line of the song. This won't work. First, listen to the song in its entirety, letting its overall message and major themes sink in, as well as the raw emotion. This is a work of art, not a term paper. Haha!

    SONG MEANING (OVERVIEW):

    The song is telling the story of a person (let's assume a man, based on the singer/songwriter) who is in an illicit relationship with (let's assume) a woman, and the pain that comes with this relationship and the way he is living his life, overall.

    Being in this relationship of forbidden love (likely an affair) has been like a dream to him. He's been seduced by her eyes, her lips, and the touch of her fingertips. Although fearful of this relationship and his feelings, he engaged in it with her, seeking to please her ("Despite my fears, I danced for you...").

    However, over time this dream has turned into a nightmare from which he cannot wake. Affairs are like this. They may feel sweet for a time, but the secrets, betrayals, and inability to be together openly eventually cause great pain. And, yet, however much he may want to be free, he is still bound to her by his feelings and the hold they have on each other.

    Now, he has even become numb and hopeless in the situation. He doesn't feel like he's in control of himself or his reality anymore. It's like he's...

    (wait for it...)

    Sleepwalking! (Hahaha!) and can't wake himself up.

    And this has left him... "miserable." Yes.

    You should be able to get all of this from the first verse and the chorus.

    The second verse is expressing his frustration with himself and God in this predicament.

    At the start of the relationship, he had visions of happiness (of course he did!). But now, his hopes have turned to tears - not just tears, but tears of burning acid in his veins. He's in emotional agony. And he blames God for the choice he made by getting into this relationship. Why didn't God make us better than this? Better originally, but even improve upon us over time, so that we (and actually the singer) wouldn't make poor choices like this and so would be spared all this pain.

    "Can't I just sleep for now?"

    Anyone who has experienced serious depression knows that it usually makes a person just want to sleep - to escape the pain, and also because it's emotionally exhausting. This is almost certainly part of the meaning of this.

    However, at the same time, remember the context. The dream is his illicit relationship. Staying asleep is also a way of avoiding having to face the painful reality of where all of this is going. He wants to just pretend that part isn't happening - to ignore it... "for now," and stay with her in the dream, as if that's all there is.

    Now, we come to the bridge - the most powerful part of the song. And now you see why having the correct lyrics for this part is essential to understanding not only these particular lines, but the entire song.

    He's crying out to the same God he blamed earlier... He's begging for God to "wake" him up from the nightmare, so that he can "wake, and live again." He's Desperate! And you hear his primal scream in the song at this point - his cry of despair.

    "But you just said he wants to stay asleep, too. Which one is it?"

    It's both. That's the nature of our conflicted souls. He's simultaneously in love with her and addicted to what the relationship gives him, not wanting to give it up, AND recognizing that he's trapped and needs to wake up from the nightmare, so he can "live again" in the "real world," but finds he can't do it on his own.

    And this is where we leave him... crying out to be awakened from this sleepwalking through life, numb, because he's cut off from reality. He wants his life back. Let's all hope he gets it.

    It's an amazing song and the emotions are raw and real. Kamtin was inspired when he wrote this. It's brilliant.

    (Now, hopefully, you appreciate this song even more, and see why trying to restrict or force its meaning to be about the game GTA V is far too limiting, and results in so much richness being lost.)

    smittymcon October 28, 2022   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    "Destiny turned her face" = When time passed, you saw an other side of "her" Nightmares and violent shapes = this can be what side her face turned 9 State of dreaming Has left me numb = you are seeing everything in "positive"way, while you dont see reality, you are blinded by something

    Blue eyes and wandering lips= Something that is beautiful to you True lies with fingertips = but the true lies in your brain (mind) Hidden tales of forbidden Love = Nobody knows about it, that it exist in your life

    You've left me miserable Miserable Miserable Mis-er-a-ble = "love" left you sick, you dont know how to act , etc

    Visions of better times = you hope on better times with your problem Kingdoms and lilac wine = not sure about this one Why did God fail To improve us = why do we have to suffer, why didn't got make us that we dont have to

    Teardrops of acid rain = your tears feel like acid rain Burning down through my veins = it burns , you are very upset about it Can't I just sleep for now = so upset you cant sleep because of that problem

    Now = now Despite my fears = while i had fear , and i tryed it I dance for you = i always was there for you (this you refers to "her" ) And did what others knew= you always did what other people expected you to do

    I Would care Would wait And live again More desperate Desperate Yeah = if i had could wait for a 2nd chance, i would do it. Live it again , and dont think about everthing you do

    Maybe we're just sleepwalking Maybe we're just sleepwalking = We are guided by emotions, we need to see the real world.

    To be clear Love is the problem , you can replace love for everyproblem ,and we are guided by emotions and not by our mind.

    draak1400on December 03, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I believe that by sleepwalking that the fact in the game where they commit crimes and such they are sleepwalking

    Joewillo28on May 23, 2015   Link
  • -2
    General Comment

    I can't make much sense out of the lyrics myself, however, I do know that this song was recorded specially for Grand Theft Auto V. In fact, the song plays at the end of the game, spoiler alert if you decide to kill Michael. spoiler end Might that have anything to do with the meaning? Nine Is God by Wavves was also recorded specially for GTA V, and it's meaning seems to be influenced by it's usage at the end of the game spoiler alert if you decide to kill Trevor. spoiler end Odds are that Sleepwalking's meaning is similarly tied to it's character, however I've made no leeway by attempting to draw comparisons between this song and Michael's saga. Anyone else have any ideas?

    KaKashiGoLeanon November 29, 2015   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.