Cursed Sleep
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I slept sweetly unpretending
That the night was always ending
She breathed lightly right next to me
And I dreamed of her inside of me

And in my dream she sang so sweetly
A melody I hope to sing
So enslaved by her sweet wonder
It cut my legs and fingered hunger

She sang my name and so engulfed

I cried and felt my legs fail
In her arms I trembled electric
Oh and she let me and she held me

Then waking she was older still
And holds my love against its will
In spell cast with her palms extended
Cursed love is never ending

Cursed eyes are never closing
Cursed arm are never closing
Cursed children never rising
And cursed me never despising

Oh I am loving always holding
While she sleeps her song enfolding
Epic song it tells of how
She and I are living now





Dawn: cursed love (repeat)

Overall Meaning

The song Cursed Sleep by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy explores the themes of love, dreams, and the agony of desire. The opening lines of the song describe a peaceful and idyllic night where the singer sleeps alongside his lover, feeling content and untroubled. However, this state of bliss is quickly disturbed as the singer is transported into a vivid dream where his lover's singing and beauty captivates him to an intense degree. He becomes enslaved by her charms and falls deeply under her spell, craving her love and attention.


The second half of the song contrasts starkly with the first; the singer awakens to the reality that his love remains unrequited, and he is left longing for her. The woman in question is depicted as older and wiser than he, casting a spell over him that forever binds him to her. The imagery of cursed love is constantly reinforced throughout the song - with the cursed eyes, arms, and children - emphasizing the idea that love is both a blessing and a curse. In the final moments of the song, the singer resigns himself to his fate, pledging to love and hold his lover always, even as he remains bound to her in this inescapable curse.


Line by Line Meaning

I slept sweetly unpretending
I slept soundly without any worries


That the night was always ending
I felt as if the night could never end


She breathed lightly right next to me
The person next to me was breathing softly


And I dreamed of her inside of me
I had a dream where I felt intimately close to her


She sang my name and so engulfed
She sang my name and I felt completely consumed by her


I cried and felt my legs fail
I broke down and felt weak in the knees


In her arms I trembled electric
I felt an intense and exhilarating tremble in her embrace


Then waking she was older still
When I woke up, she was noticeably older than me


And holds my love against its will
She possesses my love without my consent


In spell cast with her palms extended
She cast a spell using her open hands


Cursed love is never ending
Our cursed love will never come to an end


Cursed eyes are never closing
Our cursed eyes will never be able to rest


Cursed arm are never closing
Our cursed arms will never be able to embrace one another


Cursed children never rising
Our cursed offspring will never come to be


And cursed me never despising
In this curse, I will never be hated


Oh I am loving always holding
I'm always holding on to the love I have


While she sleeps her song enfolding
While she sleeps, her song surrounds her


Epic song it tells of how
Her song is a long and impressive story of our relationship


She and I are living now
She and I are living out the story in her song


Dawn: cursed love (repeat)
As the dawn breaks, our cursed love continues




Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@IDisposable

I slept sweetly unpretending
That the night was always ending
She breathed lightly right next to me
And I dreamed of her inside of me

And in my dream she sang so sweetly
A melody I hope to sing
So enslaved by her sweet wonder
It cut my legs and fingered hunger

She sang my name and so engulfed

I cried and felt my legs fail
In her arms I trembled electric
Oh and she let me and she held me

Then waking she was older still
And holds my love against its will
In spell cast with her palms extended
Cursed love is never ending

Cursed eyes are never closing
Cursed arm are never closing
Cursed children never rising
And cursed me never despising

Oh I am loving always holding
While she sleeps her song enfolding
Epic song it tells of how
She and I are living now

Dawn: cursed love (repeat)



All comments from YouTube:

@t-turbo7833

Damn i love this song. Every so often, i come back ans listen to it. This violin has been haunting me for years, it pops in my mind sometimes

@brunocfer2

good definition, its a haunting song.

@johnbarr350

One of the greatest songs ever written hauntingly beautiful

@TheIkaraCult

I listened to this the day my friend Samantha died. I still miss you Sam

@NAIVADA

A really beautiful one.. touching, along with the beautiful video. yet they remain all so poor in likes
soul is rare

@goodboyconformist

She sang my name, and so engulfed.... In her arms I trembled electric... Cursed love is never ending... And holds my love against its will.... Cursed me, never despising!

I am loving, always holding, while she sleeps, her song unfolding.

Cursed love
Cursed love
Cursed love

@senatorkennedy3450

Fucking awesome

@ScottPilgrimXK

Why the heck this hasn't millions of views

@IDisposable

I slept sweetly unpretending
That the night was always ending
She breathed lightly right next to me
And I dreamed of her inside of me

And in my dream she sang so sweetly
A melody I hope to sing
So enslaved by her sweet wonder
It cut my legs and fingered hunger

She sang my name and so engulfed

I cried and felt my legs fail
In her arms I trembled electric
Oh and she let me and she held me

Then waking she was older still
And holds my love against its will
In spell cast with her palms extended
Cursed love is never ending

Cursed eyes are never closing
Cursed arm are never closing
Cursed children never rising
And cursed me never despising

Oh I am loving always holding
While she sleeps her song enfolding
Epic song it tells of how
She and I are living now

Dawn: cursed love (repeat)

@KingUke

Beautiful!

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