The track is notable for the line “antisocialites watch a wilting flower” – which is where the title of ALVVAYS' sophomore album (which the track is featured on) was taken from.
Dreams Tonite
Alvvays Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you're one of us
It was magic hour
Counting motorbikes
On the turnpike
One of Eisenhower's
Live your life on a merry-go-round
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight?
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
On the weird guitar
Said you wrote a while
In the waking hour
In fluorescent light
Antisocialites
Watch a wilting flower
Live your life on a merry-go-round
Who builds a wall just to let it fall down?
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight?
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
Don't sit by the phone for me
Wait at home for me, all alone for me
Your face was supposed to be
Hanging over me like a rosary
So morose for me, seeing ghosts of me
Writing oaths to me, is it so naive to wonder
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
The lyrics of Alvvays's song Dreams Tonite depict a sense of longing and wonder about a past relationship. The first verse talks about how the singer arrived at a place via bus and now feels like they belong there. They reminisce about counting motorbikes on the turnpike during magic hour, which is considered the most beautiful time of day. The reference to “Eisenhower’s” is a nod to the past, as it refers to former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was responsible for the construction of the interstate highway system. The song’s reference to this past era sets a nostalgic and wistful tone.
The chorus focuses on the main theme of the song, which is wondering whether the singer would dream of their past lover if they saw them on the street. The second verse refers to the person’s music, which they played on a “weird” guitar, and how they wrote it down during the fluorescent light of the waking hour. The final verse intensifies the sense of longing, talking about how the singer's ex was supposed to be present in their life, yet they now feel morose and are seeing ghosts of them. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus’s central idea with a final emphasis on the word “tonight.”
Overall, Dreams Tonite is a melancholic and introspective song that explores themes of lost love, nostalgia, and wondering about the roads not taken.
Line by Line Meaning
Rode here on the bus
Now you're one of us
It was magic hour
Counting motorbikes
On the turnpike
One of Eisenhower's
We met while traveling on the bus, and now you're a part of my world. It was a magical time and we counted motorbikes on the turnpike, reminiscing about the past.
Live your life on a merry-go-round
Who starts a fire just to let it go out?
Live life to the fullest and don't hold back. Don't start something if you're not willing to see it through to the end.
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight?
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
I wonder if you would still be in my dreams, even if we were to randomly bump into each other on the street. Would I still be thinking about you tonight?
On the weird guitar
Said you wrote a while
In the waking hour
In fluorescent light
Antisocialites
Watch a wilting flower
You played a strange guitar and mentioned that you wrote a song a while ago. It was late at night under fluorescent lights, a time when antisocial people thrive. We watched a plant slowly wither away.
Live your life on a merry-go-round
Who builds a wall just to let it fall down?
Don't manufacture obstacles for yourself just to watch them fall apart. Live your life without creating unnecessary problems.
Don't sit by the phone for me
Wait at home for me, all alone for me
Your face was supposed to be
Hanging over me like a rosary
So morose for me, seeing ghosts of me
Writing oaths to me, is it so naive to wonder
Don't wait for me to call, don't sit around alone pining for me. Your face was supposed to be a constant reminder of me, like a rosary. It's sad to think that you may still be holding onto something that's long gone. Is it silly for me to keep wondering?
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
If I saw you on the street
Would I have you in my dreams tonight? Tonight
Again, I can't stop thinking about whether or not I would still dream about you if we saw each other randomly on the street. Would you still haunt me tonight, even if we just passed by each other?
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Written by: Alec O'Hanley, Molly Margaret Rankin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ystian2133
[Verse 1]
Rode here on the bus
Now you're one of us
It was magic hour
Counting motorbikes on the turnpike
One of Eisenhower's
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Live your life on a merry-go-round
Who starts a fire just to let it go out?
[Chorus]
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight?
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
[Verse 2]
On the lead guitar
Said you'd go to work
In the waking hour
In fluorescent light
Antisocialites watch a wilting flower
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Live your life on a merry-go-round
Who builds a wall just to let it fall down?
[Chorus]
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight?
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
[Bridge]
Don't sit by the phone for me
Wait at home for me, all alone for me
Your face was supposed to be hanging over me like a rosary
So morose for me; seeing ghosts of me; writing oaths to me
Is it so naive to wonder...
[Chorus]
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
If I saw you on the street, would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?
@omercanakin
This track is like the first hapiness after a depression
@BluRaykay
more like momentary break of depression
@rhcubd
@@BluRaykay "Who starts a fire just to let it go out?" Don't give up.
@marilynmarilyn3588
Or feel okay for a while... 😊
@abhay6445
like when you start feeling like yourself after a breakup.
@wkenneth7916
Thank you for writing that. That is a beautiful way of summarizing it. I am now listening to the song for the second time, and I will probably play for a third time.
@PolyvinylRecords
I WANT TO LIVE INSIDE THIS VIDEO
@user-nh3jd2wz6f
Same here
@mr.blckmth8040
Me too.
@subbitz
I did. For two separate days in 1967.
Expo 67. Montreal.
Amazing experience for a kid.