The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
"Lies everywhere"
Said the Father to the son
You're peppermint breath
Gonna choke him to death
Daddy, watch your little black sheep run
He's got knives in his back
Every time he opens up
You say "He gotta be strong if wou want to be a man"
Mr. I don't know how you can have
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Land land of Liberty we're run
By a constipated man
When you live in the past
You refuse to see
When your daughter comes home nine months pregnant
With five billion points of light
Gonna shine them on the face of your friends
They've got the earth in a sling
The world on her knees
They've even got your zipper
Between their teeth
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
You say you have 'em
I say that you're a liar
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Go on and dream
Your house is on fire
Well well summer wind
Been catching up with me
"Elephant mind missy you don't have
You're forgettin
To fly darlin' when you sleep"
I got hazy lazy susan
Takin turns all over my dreams
I got lizards and snakes
Runnin' through my body
Funny how they all have my face
Sweet dreams
You say you have 'em
I say that you're a liar
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Go on and dream
Your house is on fire
Sweet dreams
Said the Father to the son
You're peppermint breath
Gonna choke him to death
Daddy, watch your little black sheep run
He's got knives in his back
Every time he opens up
You say "He gotta be strong if wou want to be a man"
Mr. I don't know how you can have
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Land land of Liberty we're run
By a constipated man
When you live in the past
You refuse to see
When your daughter comes home nine months pregnant
With five billion points of light
Gonna shine them on the face of your friends
They've got the earth in a sling
The world on her knees
They've even got your zipper
Between their teeth
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
You say you have 'em
I say that you're a liar
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Go on and dream
Your house is on fire
Well well summer wind
Been catching up with me
"Elephant mind missy you don't have
You're forgettin
To fly darlin' when you sleep"
I got hazy lazy susan
Takin turns all over my dreams
I got lizards and snakes
Runnin' through my body
Funny how they all have my face
Sweet dreams
You say you have 'em
I say that you're a liar
Sweet dreams
Sweet dreams
Go on and dream
Your house is on fire
Sweet dreams
Lyrics submitted by merchantpierce
Sweet Dreams Lyrics as written by Tori Amos
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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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.
Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
What lovely lyrics! ^^ She rocks.!
I've always found this song to be talking about the corruption in the world, and how baffled one can be at how others go through life blissfully unaware of it.
The lyrics at the end, "I got lizards and snakes running through my body, funny how they all have my face" remind me of Neil Gaiman's Sandman one-shot, Endless Nights (specifically, the chapter on Delirium). In that chapter, a woman feels as if she's been lied to by men, and that her babies aren't babies at all but lizards, snakes and fish running through her womb. Tori hinted at having read Sandman in 'Tear in Your Hand' ("Neil and me will be hanging out with the Dream King"), so this connection may be intentional.
Interestingly, both the song and the Sandman chapter feature corruption (Endless Nights deals with corruption both of the mind and world). It would be interesting to know if the two were paralells - however, I'm not sure when Endless Nights came out.
Well, Lisa ... you're partially right ...
Tori wrote this song about George H. W. Bush ... take a closer look at the lyrics and think republican, and it should come to you (especially at "Elephant mind, missy you don't have you forgettin' to fly, darlin', when you sleep").
Fits nicely with our current president..
Well, Delirium was based on Tori, and she and Neil are very good friends, so I'd think that she would have read Sandman. :)
delirium wasn't based on tori, though neil has acknowledged they are a lot alike. neil and tori met , back in 1991, shortly before little earthquakes was released. at this time a game of you had been published, as well as a few other shorts that included del, and her character had already been established and developed.
the story, according to how tori told it: she had read the doll's house and loved it, wanted to incorporated in a song, so she wrote in ''tear in your hand." a mutual friend had given the demo to neil saying something to the effect of ''this is from a friend of mine, it's really good. don't sue her." neil loved the demo and gave tori a call, saying she should take it to a record company, which was interesting timing since she had actually been wrapping up the album. and thus they met. in ''brief lives" neil made the addition of the song in the comic before publication, and they've been bouncing ideas off each other since.
neil, however, did base the tree in his novel ''stardust" off of tori (hence the line in horses ''will you find me if neil makes me a tree") and there's some speculation that door from ''neverwhere" is based on tori as well (though as far as i know that's never been confirmed). endless nights was penned after the sandman series ended, and i wouldn't doubt that neil did use a couple tori songs for inspiration.
as for ''sweet dreams" i love the song. i always took it as corruption as well as putting someone in their place i.e. someone who sees the world with judgmental eyes whilst denying the ugliness within themselves. i also love the alternate version as well (2nd verse is different) and it would go along with urbangriever's interpretation.
--john jim joe hanging on to the politician jane's a pretty thing but so is the rap about the dream you got for the american but the lie lie lie you tell for the bigger businessman-- they got the earth in a sling they got the world on her knees they even got the zipper between their teeth