[Narrator]
Joseph's coat annoyed his brothers

[Brothers]
But what makes us mad
Are the things that Joseph tells us of the
Dream's he often had

[Joseph]
I dreamed that in the fields one day,
The corn gave me sign
Your eleven sheaves of corn
All turned and bowed to mine
My sheaf was was quite a sight to see
A golden sheaf and tall
Yours were green and second-rate
And really rather small

[Brothers]
This is not the kind of thing
We brothers like to hear
It seems to us that Joseph and his
Dreams should disappear

[Joseph]
I dreamed I saw eleven stars,
The sun the moon and sky
Bowing down before my star,
It made me wonder why
Could it be that I was born
For higgher thing than you?
A post in someone's government,
A ministry or two

[Brothers]
The dreams of our dear brother are
The decade's biggest yawn
His talk of stars and goldens sheaves
Is just a load of corn
Not only is he tactless but
He's also rather dim
For there's eleven of us and
There's only one of him
The dreams of course will not come true
That is, we think they won't come true
That is, we hope they won't come true
What if he's right all along?

The dreams are more than crystal clear,
The writing on the wall
Means that Joseph some day soon
Will rise above us all
The accuracy of the dreams
We brothers do not know
But one thing we are sure about
The dreamer
Has to go

Overall Meaning

The song "Joseph's Dreams" from the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" tells the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who is known for his colorful coat and for having the gift of interpreting dreams. In this song, Joseph shares two of his dreams with his brothers who, jealous of him, are planning to get rid of him. The first dream is about sheaves of corn where Joseph's sheaf stands tall over his brothers' sheaves, and the second dream is about stars, sun, moon, and sky where they all bow down to Joseph's star. The brothers find Joseph's dreams annoying, and they hope that they won't come true. However, Joseph believes that his dreams are more than just dreams, and they mean that he's destined for greatness.

The lyrics of "Joseph's Dreams" are rich in metaphors and symbolism. The golden sheaf that represents Joseph's dream in the first verse is a symbol of abundance, prosperity, and prominence, while the green sheaves of his brothers represent the opposite. Similarly, the stars and the sun and moon in the second verse are symbols of power, authority, and influence. Joseph's dreams hint at his future as a leader who will rise above his brothers, which makes them resent him even more. The song also shows the contrast between Joseph's faith in his dreams and his brothers' skepticism and jealousy, which creates tension and drama.

Line by Line Meaning

Joseph's coat annoyed his brothers
The sight of Joseph wearing his coat makes his brothers unhappy

But what makes us mad Are the things that Joseph tells us of the Dream's he often had
The brothers are angry at Joseph's frequent sharing of his dreams

I dreamed that in the fields one day, The corn gave me sign Your eleven sheaves of corn All turned and bowed to mine My sheaf was was quite a sight to see A golden sheaf and tall Yours were green and second-rate And really rather small
Joseph had a dream where his brothers’ sheaves of corn bowed down to his golden, taller sheaf

This is not the kind of thing We brothers like to hear It seems to us that Joseph and his Dreams should disappear
The brothers do not want to hear Joseph's dreams and wish he would stop sharing them

I dreamed I saw eleven stars, The sun the moon and sky Bowing down before my star, It made me wonder why Could it be that I was born For higgher thing than you? A post in someone's government, A ministry or two
Joseph had another dream where eleven celestial bodies bowed to him and he contemplated if he was destined for a higher calling than his brothers

The dreams of our dear brother are The decade's biggest yawn His talk of stars and goldens sheaves Is just a load of corn Not only is he tactless but He's also rather dim For there's eleven of us and There's only one of him
The brothers find Joseph's dreams incredibly dull and think him foolish for thinking highly of himself

The dreams of course will not come true That is, we think they won't come true That is, we hope they won't come true What if he's right all along?
The brothers are convinced that Joseph's dreams will not come true, but are fearful that they might actually be accurate

The dreams are more than crystal clear, The writing on the wall Means that Joseph some day soon Will rise above us all The accuracy of the dreams We brothers do not know But one thing we are sure about The dreamer Has to go
The brothers believe that Joseph's dreams are a sign he will one day be more successful than them and that he must be removed from their lives

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