Matt Hyde - Vocals
Clayton Anderson - Guitar
James Woods - Bass
Nathan Hickey - Drums
The Sleeper
Beastwars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Across the cold bay
Wraith upon the throne
In the state of sleep
But you hear it in the trees
And the birds scream
The land is old
Let the souls awaken
Let them raise up like mountains
Let them become like rocks
Falling over the cliff
But you hear it in the trees
And the birds screaming
Let them become like mountains
Let the rocks fall the earth
To awaken the sea
To call the land
Let the soul awaken
Let them raise the mountains
Let the rock call you
Awake from your nightmare
Oh, the children scream
Oh, the land is old
Scarred
"The Sleeper" by Beastwars is a powerful song that speaks of awakening and transformation. The first stanza sets the stage with images of white ships of light, a wraith on a throne in a state of sleep, and the cold bay. While the scene seems peaceful and quiet, the trees and birds are restless with a sense of urgency. The second stanza talks about the ancientness of the land and how some say it's scarred. The call to action begins in the third stanza with a plea to let the souls awaken and become like mountains, rocks, and falling cliffs. The urgency in the trees and birds' voices grow louder as the fourth stanza repeats the same refrain. In the final stanza, the children scream and the land is old and scarred, pointing to a need for change and transformation.
The meaning behind the song is open to interpretation but one possible reading is a call for change in the face of stagnation or oppression. The wraith on the throne and the state of sleep could represent a leader or a system that is resistant to change. The call for the souls to awaken and become like mountains and rocks could represent people rising up to create a new reality. The reference to the land being old and scarred could signify the consequences of inaction or complacency. The urgency in the trees and the birds' voices could represent the collective voice of those calling for change.
Line by Line Meaning
White ships of light
Bright lights from somewhere out draw the attention of the listener.
Across the cold bay
The bay is completely still, everyone was sleeping except the listener who was awaken by the lights.
Wraith upon the throne
A ghost sits atop his throne, like a king of some sort. All probably symbolic, just to add weight to the song.
In the state of sleep
This wraith is sleeping, possibly dead, for all we know, acting like the guardian of the sleeping souls.
But you hear it in the trees
The listener hears of the wraith's story told by the trees around him.
And the birds scream
The birds are warning the listener of an event, something bad that would affect those sleeping around him.
The land is old
Time has passed and everything around him hasn't changed, everything still the same.
Some say scarred
People speculated that the land was damaged, relatively speaking, not as it once was.
Let the souls awaken
The listener asks for the Guardian wraith to let the souls awaken from their slumber.
Let them raise up like mountains
The souls' energy gets awakened and slowly builds up, like a mountain starting to rise.
Let them become like rocks
Now to solidify, the souls form into solid rocks.
Falling over the cliff
These rocks now release the energy they built up and fall to the ground.
Let them become like mountains
The souls are once again asked to become like mountains, possibly signifying that the process will happen again.
Let the rocks fall the earth
Like previously, the rocks formed by the newly awakened souls fall to the ground, releasing accumulated energy.
To awaken the sea
The process of awakening the nearby sleeping souls was so powerful that it managed to wake the sea as well, probably a metaphor.
To call the land
Besides the sea, the entire land reverberated, sending a call to all those sleeping.
Let the soul awaken
Again, the listener asks for the souls to be awaken.
Let them raise the mountains
The newly awakened souls begin the mountain-building process once again.
Let the rock call you
The rocks formed by the souls releasing their energy call out to the listener, signifying that they are now awake.
Awake from your nightmare
By the end of the song, the listener is urged to also wake up from his dream, probably everything was just part of a dream.
Oh, the children scream
The screams from earlier is mentioned once again, probably the lyrics' form of an ominous warning.
Oh, the land is old
The song ends with the same lyrics as in the start - the land is old.
Scarred
Again, this last word ends the song, probably the remnants of the soul's previous awakenings were still present.
Contributed by Andrew N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Two Headed Dog
White ships of light
Across the cold bay
Wraith upon the throne
In the state of sleep
But you hear it in the trees
And the birds scream
The land is old
Some say scarred
Let the souls awaken
Let them raise up like mountains
Let them become like rocks
Falling over the cliff
But you hear it in the trees
And the birds screaming
Let them become like mountains
Let the rocks fall the earth
To awaken the sea
To call the land
Let the soul awaken
Let them raise the mountains
Let the rock call you
Awake from your nightmare
Oh, the children scream
Oh, the land is old
Scarred
Two Headed Dog
White ships of light
Across the cold bay
Wraith upon the throne
In the state of sleep
But you hear it in the trees
And the birds scream
The land is old
Some say scarred
Let the souls awaken
Let them raise up like mountains
Let them become like rocks
Falling over the cliff
But you hear it in the trees
And the birds screaming
Let them become like mountains
Let the rocks fall the earth
To awaken the sea
To call the land
Let the soul awaken
Let them raise the mountains
Let the rock call you
Awake from your nightmare
Oh, the children scream
Oh, the land is old
Scarred
berserkur19
The sound is massive!
Ryan Crawford
Really looking forward to the new album! Great work guys!
Aaron McGrouther
Awesome Guys ... LOVE IT !!!!!
Florian Schmidt
i love Beastwars
BustleInMyHedgerow
Outstanding ! Still obey the riff !
Conrad Turzynski
I FUCKING LOVE THIS FUCKING SHIT, OH FUCK
Chris Colman
Beastwars epic-ness!!
scratchingkelpie
They just get better and better.....gooood shit lads let the world know who KIWIS are
Benoit
Sa déchire !!