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Asleep
The Smiths Lyrics


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Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I'm tired and I
I want to go to bed

Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
And then leave me alone
Don't try to wake me in the morning
'Cause I will be gone

Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I will feel so glad to go

Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I don't want to wake up on my own anymore

Sing to me
Sing to me
I don't want to wake up on my own anymore

Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I really want to go

There is another world
There is a better world
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Bye

Bye
Bye
Bye, hmm

Overall Meaning

The Smiths's song "Asleep" is a haunting and melancholic track that features Morrissey's distinct voice, accompanied by Johnny Marr's melancholic guitar playing. The song is essentially a lullaby, with Morrissey asking to be sung to sleep, but it's what the lyrics suggest that makes the song so powerful. The lyrics have a deep sense of sadness and despair, and Morrissey seems to be contemplating suicide.


The opening lines, "Sing me to sleep, I'm tired and I want to go to bed," sets the tone for the rest of the song. Morrissey is tired of life and wants to escape it. He goes on to say, "Don't try to wake me in the morning 'cause I will be gone." These lines suggest that Morrissey is contemplating suicide and wants to be put to sleep forever.


However, Morrissey doesn't want anyone to feel bad for him. He says, "Deep in the cell of my heart, I will feel so glad to go." This line suggests that Morrissey is not scared of death and would rather die than continue living in his current state.


The last few lines of the song are particularly chilling, where Morrissey sings about a "better world" and says goodbye multiple times. The song is a stark portrayal of depression and suicidal thoughts and is one of The Smiths's most powerful and emotive tracks.


Line by Line Meaning

Sing me to sleep
Please help me go to sleep


I'm tired and I
I am exhausted


I want to go to bed
I want to rest


And then leave me alone
Let me be


Don't try to wake me in the morning
Don't bother waking me up


'Cause I will be gone
I will be gone


Don't feel bad for me
Don't pity me


Deep in the cell of my heart
Deep inside my heart


I will feel so glad to go
I will be happy to leave


I don't want to wake up on my own anymore
I don't want to wake up alone anymore


Sing to me
Please sing to me


There is another world
There is another world


There is a better world
There is a better world


Well, there must be
It must exist


Bye
Goodbye


Bye
Goodbye


Bye, hmm
Goodbye, hmm




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Steven Morrissey, Johnny Marr

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Leticia Alves

Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I'm tired and I
I want to go to bed
Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
And then leave me alone
Don't try to wake me in the morning
'Cause I will be gone
Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I will feel so glad to go
Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I don't want to wake up on my own anymore
Sing to me
Sing to me
I don't want to wake up on my own anymore
Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I really want to go
There is another world
There is a better world
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Bye
Bye
Bye
Bye, hmm



Henrique Marques

For the Portuguese speakers, I made a translation of the lyrics trying to convey something similar (although I think it's impossible to achieve the same results):
Embala-me no sono
Exausto estou, ansiando pelo meu descanso

Acalma-me, concede-me a solidão
Resiste à súplica da manhã, Pois eu já terei partido
Não te compadeças da minha situação, Quero que compreendas
Enterrado nos recantos do meu coração
Encontrarei consolo no fim

Não quero mais acordar
Não tenhas pena da minha situação, quero que compreendas
No fundo do meu coração
Anseio sinceramente por partir

I'm not a native English speaker so feel free to correct the translation if something is off, I appreciate.



subZero Electronics

Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it “Chops”
because that was the name of his dog
And that’s what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door
and read it to his aunts
That was the year Father Tracy
took all the kids to the zoo
And he let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born
with tiny toenails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the girl around the corner sent him a
Valentine signed with a row of X’s
and he had to ask his father what the X’s meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it

Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it “Autumn”
because that was the name of the season
And that’s what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because of its new paint
And the kids told him
that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
And sometimes they would burn holes
That was the year his sister got glasses
with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed
when he asked he to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why
his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never tucked him in bed at night
And his father got mad
when he cried for him to do it

Once on a piece of paper torn from his notebook
he wrote a poem
And he called it “Innocence: A Question”
because that was the question about his girl
And that’s what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A
and a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end
of the Apostle’s Creed went
And he caught his sister
making out on the back porch
And his mother and father never kissed
or even talked
And the girl around the corner
wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her
but he kissed her anyway
because that was the right thing to do
And at three A.M. he tucked himself into bed
his father snoring soundly

That’s why on the back of a brown paper bag
he tried another poem
And he called it “Absolutely Nothing”
Because that’s what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A
and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door
because this time he didn’t think
he could make it to the kitchen.



All comments from YouTube:

Suki La Hood

We accept the love we think we deserve

like we use 2

listen to this song faceless humming by the impures
it reminds me of this

Toni Fewster

Perks of being a wallflower

tix

came to this song bacause of the book, reading it now

X

It's probably my favorite quote of all time

m

don't do this to me please, i am halfway trough the book and i am already shattered

5 More Replies...

Mohsin Butt

When he say "There's another world, There's a better world"
I felt it

like we use 2

fr btw check out this song - faceless humming by the impures
its underrated

K Steps

There has to be.

Katie Anderson

When he says "I don't want to wake up on my own anymore" for me

More Comments

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