In 1979 Crutchfield left DNA to pursue a series of musical projects under the name Dark Day. The first Dark Day single, "Hands In The Dark/Invisible Man" on the Lust/Unlust label, featured Robin's singing and modified electric piano backed by Nina Canal (of the Gynecologists and more recently, UT) and Nancy Arlen (of Mars).
By the time of Dark Day's first album, "Exterminating Angel" (Lust/Unlust, 1980), the group consisted of Robin, Phil Kline, Barry Friar and a revolving lineup of artists which included Steven Brown and Peter Principle of Tuxedomoon, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, Nina Canal and David Rosenbloom. During this period Dark Day performed at the Mudd Club, CGBG's and Max's Kansas City. After a tour of Europe, Robin re-formed Dark Day in 1981 as a synthesizer duo with Bill Sack and released the album "Window" (Plexus, 1982).
Over the next few years Robin resumed his work as a performance artist at such venues as Club 57 and Joseph Papp's Public Theatre. In 1985 he recreated Dark Day as an acoustic chamber ensemble performing atmospheric music in a medieval vein and released his "Darkest Before Dawn" disc in 1989.
For most of the 1990's, Robin concentrated on his work in graphic design and performance art while editing the music newsletter "Quirky". In 1999 Robin utilized the new technology available to musicians and returned to the ambient and techno genres that he helped pioneer, on his disc "Strange Clockwork".
In August of 2000, Dark Day releases its 5th album of orignial music -- "Loon" ('the mental health project') featuring 7 short instrumental works to exorcise the demons of the mind.
Sleepwalking
Dark Day Lyrics
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Still I'm sleepwalking my way through this age
I know it must be lonely, I don't want to be this bored again
For I could dance, I could dance, I could dance this night away
Take me somewhere else and make me feel okay
Drifting different ways to a place where all words must end
Won't you come a bit closer and I'll push you back again
In a trance, in a trance, I could dance this night away
Still I'm sleepwalking my way through this haze
And I've been down on my knees for every tease
That looked like a friend, would you look at me now?
I've got every reason to pretend
The lyrics of Dark Dayās song Sleepwalking convey a sense of detachment and disorientation. The repetition of the phrase āin a trance, in a tranceā reinforces this feeling of being stuck in a state of half-consciousness, of being present but not fully engaged. The singer imagines dancing the night away, but cannot shake the sense of sleepwalking, of going through the motions without really being present.
The sense of isolation and loneliness is palpable in the lines āI know it must be lonely, I donāt want to be this bored again,ā as though the singer is addressing someone who shares this same sense of emptiness. There is a desire to escape this state of mind, to ātake me somewhere else and make me feel okay,ā but even this desire is tempered by a sense of resignation ā ādrifting different ways to a place where all words must end.ā
The final lines of the verse, āAnd Iāve been down on my knees for every tease that looked like a friend, would you look at me now? Iāve got every reason to pretend,ā further underscore the sense of emptiness and disillusionment. The singer suggests that they have been let down and taken advantage of by people who they thought were friends, and now they feel as though pretending to be okay is their only option.
Overall, the lyrics of Sleepwalking suggest a sense of dislocation and existential ennui, painting a picture of someone who is struggling to find meaning and connection in a world that seems indifferent to their plight.
Line by Line Meaning
In a trance, in a trance, I could dance this night away
I am so caught up in my own thoughts and emotions that I feel like I am in a trance, and even though I could dance and enjoy the night, I am still stuck in a haze of sleepwalking.
Still I'm sleepwalking my way through this age
Despite my desire to live fully and experience everything that life has to offer, I am simply going through the motions and not fully present in my own life.
I know it must be lonely, I don't want to be this bored again
I can see how being stuck in this sleepwalking state of mind can leave one feeling lonely and bored, and I do not want to continue down this path.
For I could dance, I could dance, I could dance this night away
Even though I am stuck in this sleepwalking state, I know that I have the potential to enjoy life and dance through the night with abandon.
Take me somewhere else and make me feel okay
I am longing for a change of scenery or experience that will help awaken me from my sleepwalking state and make me feel alive again.
Drifting different ways to a place where all words must end
I am aimlessly drifting through life, searching for something that will lead me to a place where all of my worries and cares will fade away and I can simply exist.
Won't you come a bit closer and I'll push you back again
Even though I crave connection and intimacy with others, when someone does come close to me, I push them away, preferring to stay in my sleepwalking state rather than risk feeling vulnerable.
And I've been down on my knees for every tease
I have been overly trusting and hopeful in the past, believing in things that ultimately let me down and leaving me feeling disappointed and vulnerable.
That looked like a friend, would you look at me now?
I am questioning my ability to differentiate between true friends and people who are only pretending to care, leaving me feeling lost and disconnected.
I've got every reason to pretend
I find myself pretending to be something that I am not, hiding my true emotions and feelings from others in an attempt to protect myself from being hurt or seen as weak.
Lyrics Ā© BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADNE MEISFJORD, ARNE KVALVIK, JONAS DAHL, KJETIL OVESEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind