Sleeping Beauty

Buddhists commonly refer to unenlightened individuals as "sleeping"

Maynard is somewhat of an enlightened individual.

When you are an unenlightened person, you identify yourself with your body, with your brain, with your ego. When you see the truth, you are free and "awake."

He probably fell in love with a woman, and desperately tried to show her his beliefs and it simply didn't work. She was far too "poisoned" and "deluded" for him to bring her into a higher state of awareness.

... of course everything maynard writes is meant to be open and relative to each individuals life. However, when he wrote this song, he was coming from a place of spirituality and enlightenment. I'm surprised so many people have so much trouble interpreting many of these (seemingly easy) songs.

personally i think that this song is about how people often blame them selves when someone close to them dies, like they think that if they had've done one thing different it never would have happened like the line: truly thought I could make it right if I Kissed you one more time. I think this is this person realizing that there was nothing they could do and that they they couldn't have done n e thing to change the outcome. but people often tend to blame them sleves for things that happen to other people, thats what i got from the song at least.

Well here's my tuppence worth (I'm English, I don't own 2 cents ;))...

Basically I think it almost draws parralells with 3 libras. Its about loving someone indefinately who is to scarred and dead ('Sleeping Beauty') inside to feel he/she can love you back. Then some event, or realisation occurs to make you realise that they are far to gone or poisoned for you to heal, and you and them both realise that it is 'hopeless' to expect anything to come of this. I'm unsure, but I've chosen to think that the 'Far beyond a visible sign of your awakening' could mean that only time (a lot of time) could ever heal the scars and you feel that you don't think you will be there to see it.

Though I do like divineblindclown's take on it

In my persepective this song is about someone who is "alseep" on themselves; they've been poisoned into a state of affectation. No matter what you do, you cannot wake them to who they are. They are so absorbed by how easy it has become to lead their life that they are beyond help. It is easier for them to hide their real self in the past. The sad part though, is that they were beautiful in your eyes, so much that you foolishly tried to "kiss" them (not literally). They were important to you, not necessarily because you were in love with them, but because of the connection, the feeling of ka-tet, and your instinct was to "cure" them.

I had a slightly different interpretation of this song....I thought of it as he is at a hospital and the woman he loves has just died from cancer or something (which is the poison) and he kisses her but feels stupid, like how could i be so stupid as to think i could magically heal her with a kiss!

This song is better lyrically than musically, but still good. I can relate because i have a friend thats pretty messed up, and whenever I try to help, I end up hurting myself.

somone trying to help somone and then giving up on them. could be helping them with anything; drugs, depression or whatever it doesn't really matter, the point is that they give up - which is kind of sad, because even if somone completely rejects help, they often still want it, to know that the person cares

to me this song is about a girl who is suffering from depression, anorexia, or bulimia. and she doesn't see the beauty that this man who loves her sees. he believes that by showing her love and support he could help her fight the disease. but he soon realized that it she had to want to fight it

Maybe a different angle, It's been a while. Here goes: When we chose to live, we chose the pain as well as the joy. Our souls desire both. This song was written originally in pain, not at the 'why me, please, please, please' stage, but at the awakening and rebirth. The writer awakens(Delusional) and moves on, its his painful choice. Maybe he stayed because the word soulmate was going through his head, over and over. Perhaps he felt a sense of cosmic responsibilty. He truly loved her. In the awakening, however, he sees that he did not love all of her, he loved the potential her from his perspective. We all have heard the old axiom about our not having the ability to change the unwilling, but, "what if she sees how I love her without limits, and that 'inspires' her to change"(Ego). Well that may be a possibilty, but you-know-who crapped out. She hurt him, I'd say infidelity was involved. This went on for a while. Then he chose to grow and move on. Touching on the 3 libras parallel, there is 1 thing lacking from this song that 3 libras has. It is Serene. It lacks the the sarcasm, anger and raw pain. Just listen to it. Two different angles, both of personal expression and perhaps one last attempt to wake her up. I'm sure she didn't, despite the shoddy fascade of 'lies'. He remains compassionate though, due to the type of awakening. He realizes on some small level why we are here, he aligns his purpose with what small slice of true he sees. He loves her in a larger more powerful way, knows she wont awaken, sings her one last pretty song, and lives on, elsewhere. No need to tell her hurtful things like 'appearantly nothing' anymore (however true that may be). The purpose of love and relationships does not always concern forever. The point of life is to feel, and to love, and to be (aware). There are those we bring into our lives that we recprocate subconcious lessons with, and then move on. That is actually beautiful. It's hard to see, but when we do, it clears the fog, it strengthens the soul. It allows you to see her beauty despite your dark memories, and be calm once again. The storm has passed, the sky is clear, embrace who you are now, sleeping beauty was there for you all along, you were just confused about the roles, you had to be.

i think that it is about his mom. she has fallen into a deep 'sleep' so to speak because of her paralysis and any other medical condition. being bound to a wheelchair unable to walk is almost like a poison because of how much Maynard cares about her he probably feels he should also be bound. her 'demons' are all of the struggles she faces tryin to cope with her disability. i favor this song on this album because though his lyrics might be simple they have a strong meaning behind them. Maynard is a great artist.