The lyrics are full of metaphors of distortion and unreliability – common experiences in dreams. However this is paired with imagery of prestidigitation (jokes, tricks, magic) eliciting a more jovial atmosphere which can detract from other sinister lyrical elements.
"“Go As A Dream” was first written as a piano ballad before Pang even took shape, in the spring of 2017. I sketched lyrics for it in LA with Robin Hannibal but quickly lost interest and abandoned it. When I rediscovered it last year I was struck by how Japanese the melody in the verses felt- it triggered some of my earliest memories of growing up in Tokyo, specifically a children’s book with a illustration of a tree branch hung with ice crystals. Something clicked; was a song about how memories fracture and dissolve [“𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕞𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜”]🎴"
"I took the song to Dan Carey in London, where we rebuilt it as that very brittle, icy branch held together by Danny L Harle‘s gorgeous fretless bass performance. I tracked the vocal one evening after dinner, with Dan and Dan sitting on either side of me…the room was almost completely dark. I wanted the vocal to feel as crystalline as the music, as blank as forgetting. I sang so quietly, the boys sat totally still. 🎴"
Polachek via Instagram
Go as a Dream
Caroline Polachek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I must have drifted off
And it's just your kind of trick
To leave me empty handed
Leave me with a riddle unsolved
Ah, ah, hmm
I don't know if I can do this
And you're almost like that card
Played by the magician
But this time you're not coming back
And it's slipping through my fist
Blurry at the edges
Leaving only legend
You go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Ah, ah, hmm
I don't know if I can do this
I don't know if I can make this piece
And it hit me like a brick
A joke without a punchline
A script that nobody read
If you saw me lying here
Through my bedroom ceiling
You would have me pick up my head
And go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Ah, ah, hmm
Ah, ah, hmm
Caroline Polachek's "Go as a Dream" is a heartfelt song that talks about the feeling of being empty-handed and alone. The opening lines of the song create a sense of disorientation, as if time and space have been altered - "Someone changed the clock and left the window open / When I must have drifted off." This feeling of confusion is intensified by the realization that the singer's partner has left her without answers or explanations. The line "leave me with a riddle unsolved" suggests that there is something myserious or unexplained about their departure.
The chorus of "Go as a Dream" is the most poignant part of the song, as it captures the deep sense of loss and sadness that the singer is feeling. She compares her partner to a magician who has played a trick on her, but this time they won't be coming back. The chorus is a repetition of the phrase "you go as a dream," which suggests that the singer's partner has left in a way that feels unreal or dreamlike. The song ends with a sense of resignation and acceptance, as the singer realizes that her partner is gone for good.
The lyrics to "Go as a Dream" are both poetic and poignant, and the slow, dreamy melody of the song perfectly matches its wistful mood. The song is a beautiful exploration of loss and heartbreak, and it is sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced the pain of a relationship ending.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone changed the clock and left the window open
Something happened while she was asleep that she didn't expect
When I must have drifted off
She fell asleep during a certain event
And it's just your kind of trick
She's seen this behavior before from the person she's addressing
To leave me empty handed
She feels like she's been let down with no resolution or answer
Leave me with a riddle unsolved
She's been left with an confusing or unresolved situation
And you're almost like that card
The person she's addressing has a pattern of being mysterious
Played by the magician
They're playing her with their tricks or act
But this time you're not coming back
The person she's addressing has done something that they're not able to undo
And it's slipping through my fist
She's losing grasp on the situation
Blurry at the edges
The situation is unclear or uncertain
Leaving only legend
All she's left with is a sensationalized story or memory
You go as a dream
The person she's addressing is leaving her in a surreal state
And it hit me like a brick
She just realized something important
A joke without a punchline
Something that's not funny or enjoyable
A script that nobody read
Something that's meant to be read or acted out, but has not been
If you saw me lying here
Someone else witnessing her in her current state
Through my bedroom ceiling
A sense of distance or disorientation from reality
You would have me pick up my head
They would want her to snap out of it and move on
And go as a dream
Reiterating that she's left in a surreal state
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Caroline Polachek, Danny Harle, Robin Hannibal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Abi Márquez
Someone changed the clock and left the window open
When I must have drifted off
And it's just your kind of trick
To leave me empty handed
Leave me with a riddle unsolved
Ah, ah, hmm
I don't know if I can do this
I don't know if I can make this piece
And you're almost like that card
Played by the magician
But this time you're not coming back
And it's slipping through my fist
Blurry at the edges
Leaving only legend
You go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Ah, ah, hmm
I don't know if I can do this
I don't know if I can make this piece
And it hit me like a brick
A joke without a punchline
A script that nobody read
If you saw me lying here
Through my bedroom ceiling
You would have me pick up my head
And go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Ah, ah, hmm
Ah, ah, hmm
Pablo Olcelli
definitely my new obsession during apocalypse
paramorphosi
Samesies
rrricardo
we want a piano version of PANG, miss Caroline
David S. Kruse
Please!
Chad
This hit me like a brick but in a good way. TY, such an amazing power and finesse in her style. What a moving song.
Hannah Lennert Kristiansen
this makes me cry, especially when loss of someone really hits us hard.
Julio Montes
I can listen to this song in the background of my darkest moments
melinda kingsley
Imma need her to release this version as a single ❤️
Francesco Faustino
Such a wonderful performance.
Abi Márquez
Someone changed the clock and left the window open
When I must have drifted off
And it's just your kind of trick
To leave me empty handed
Leave me with a riddle unsolved
Ah, ah, hmm
I don't know if I can do this
I don't know if I can make this piece
And you're almost like that card
Played by the magician
But this time you're not coming back
And it's slipping through my fist
Blurry at the edges
Leaving only legend
You go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Ah, ah, hmm
I don't know if I can do this
I don't know if I can make this piece
And it hit me like a brick
A joke without a punchline
A script that nobody read
If you saw me lying here
Through my bedroom ceiling
You would have me pick up my head
And go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Go as a dream
Ah, ah, hmm
Ah, ah, hmm