In 1969, Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans (Reuben Gosfield) co-founded Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and soon after they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna in Washington, DC.[1] A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. After being mentioned in Rolling Stone magazine by Van Morrison, they landed a record deal with United Artists. In 1973, their debut album, Comin' Right At Ya was released by United Artists. At the request of Willie Nelson, they left Oakland for Austin in 1974.
Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have been presented numerous awards throughout their career. Most recently, the 16th Annual Midsouth Regional Emmy Award for the making of "A Ride With Bob", recognition by Mayor Kirk Watson of Austin, Texas, and the Darrel K. Royal Music Patron Award by The Texas Heritage Songwriters' Association. In 2007, The Austin Chronicle recognized Asleep at the Wheel for Band of the Year, Best Country Band, and into their Hall of Fame. Benson was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2002, was given The Texas Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, and recognized as an Outstanding Producer by the National Academy of Recording Arts in 1988. He has also been given numerous Citations of Achievement by Broadcast Music, Inc. for his work in the country music field. Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have been one of the strongest names in Country Music for the last forty years.
Keepin' Me Up Nights
Asleep at the Wheel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My boss wants to know, am I getting enough sleep
Well I just smile and said to him
Hey boss man everything is alright
′Cause I don't want to tell him
You′re keeping me up nights, keeping me up nights
There ain't enough caffeine in this little coffee cup
I grab 40 wings at lunch and I forget my appetite
Oh, man I′m just not hungry, ′cause I will get no rest at home
Keeping me up nights, keeping me up nights
Keeping me up nights, your love feels so right
I forget you're my rose another day
I ain′t complaining, 'cause my heart keeps saying
It′s worthy a million sleepless nights to be with you this way
Keeping me up nights, keeping me up nights
You look so good, I don't want you to stop
But if I don′t get some rest, baby, I just might lose my job
And now the assembly line rose by
One piece at a time
I pretend I am captain
Keeping me up nights, keeping me up nights
Keeping me up nights, your love feels so right
I forget you're my rose another day
I ain't complaining, ′cause my heart keeps saying
It′s worthy a million sleepless nights to be with you this way
Keeping me up nights
Oh, keep it up
You're keeping me up nights
You′re keeping me up nights
You're keeping me up nights
Asleep at the Wheel's song "Keepin' Me Up Nights" is a humorous take on the struggle of balancing a romantic relationship and work. The singer of the song is tired and on his feet from work but can't tell his boss the truth about his exhaustion. He's struggling to keep up with work due to a lack of sleep caused by his lover. The repetition of the line "Keeping me up nights" emphasizes the strain the singer feels from the situation, but he also conveys deep affection for his lover. The singer knows that his lover is worth the sleepless nights and doesn't want the relationship to end despite the work struggle.
The song's lyrics are relatable to many people, as it details the difficulty of balancing work and relationships. By including humor, the song conveys a lighthearted approach to this struggle, making it an enjoyable listen. The song also features upbeat instrumentals and catchy lyrics, which adds to its appeal.
Overall, "Keepin' Me Up Nights" by Asleep at the Wheel is a playful song that sheds light on the challenges of balancing work and romantic relationships, and how despite the struggles, people are often willing to endure sleepless nights for the ones they love.
Line by Line Meaning
I drag in to work, to be on my feet
I reluctantly go to work and spend my entire day standing
My boss wants to know, am I getting enough sleep
My boss is concerned about my health and wants to know if I'm getting enough rest
Well I just smile and said to him
I put on a fake smile and responded to him
Hey boss man everything is alright
I lied to my boss that everything is fine
′Cause I don't want to tell him
Because I don't want to admit it to him
You′re keeping me up nights, keeping me up nights
You are the reason I cannot sleep at night
The assembly line is moving and I'm trying to be up
The assembly line is moving and I'm struggling to keep up
There ain't enough caffeine in this little coffee cup
This small cup of coffee is not enough to keep me awake
I grab 40 wings at lunch and I forget my appetite
I ate 40 wings at lunch to make up for the lack of sleep and lost my appetite
Oh, man I′m just not hungry, ′cause I will get no rest at home
I cannot eat because I know I won't be able to rest at home
Your love feels so right
I love you so much
I forget you're my rose another day
I sometimes forget how much you mean to me because of my exhaustion
I ain't complaining, 'cause my heart keeps saying
I'm not complaining because my heart knows it's worth it
It′s worthy a million sleepless nights to be with you this way
It's worth a million sleepless nights to be with you
You look so good, I don't want you to stop
You look amazing and I don't want to stop being with you
But if I don′t get some rest, baby, I just might lose my job
If I don't get some rest, I could lose my job
And now the assembly line rose by
I managed to keep up with the assembly line
One piece at a time
One piece at a time
I pretend I am captain
I pretend to be in control
Oh, keep it up
Keep up the good work
You're keeping me up nights
You're the reason I can't sleep at night
Writer(s): James Dean Hicks, George Hill Iii
Contributed by Peyton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ben - Moderator
The issue with search on Firefox is now resolved.
Ben - Moderator
Sorry about that Eddie - we will resolve this very soon. In the meantime you should still be able to paste a search into the search box. I'll update you here.
Eddie
With the new setup my firefox browser will not allow typing in the search area.