The duo gained attention with the release of a 1996 concert "Live at Luther College". VH1 recorded a 1999 performance to air as part of the program "Storytellers."
During the Dave Matthews & Friends tours, Dave and Tim opened with an acoustic set; however, they have played midset at some more recent shows.
Recently, the duo embarked on their first tour of Europe, marking their first tour outside of the States, as well as their first extended tour since the Winter 2003 tour.
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds have most recently released "Live at Radio City", a 2DVD/2CD album on August 14th, 2007 recorded in April of the same year.
Dreamed I Killed God
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreamed I killed God, and woke up
He's begging, "Please, please, please."
"No, don't..."
Dreamed I killed God and woke up
Time dries, time dries my mind
Oh, I'll survive, no one can save us
I want you to follow
Yes, follow...
It's only, it's only a dream, only
Dreamed I killed God and woke up
He was lying, bleeding, wishing
It's passing
It's passing
Dreamed I killed God
Dreamed I killed God
Is he dead?
And then I dreamt of Him
The lyrics of "Dreamed I Killed God" by Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds is a song that explores the theme of either an individual's or humanity's loss of faith in a higher power. The lyrics follow the singer's dream where he killed God and faced the aftermath of his actions. The repetition of "Dreamed I killed God and woke up" emphasized the surreal experience of the dream and how it has real-life implications. God in the song seems to plead with the singer, but it is too late, and the damage is already done. The motif of time serves as a reminder that time heals all wounds, but it does not erase the trauma of what happened.
The theme of the song is existential and asks the question of the purpose of life in the absence of God. The singer's dialogue with his soul and the desire to have others follow him may indicate a search for meaning and a way to make sense of the world without religion's comfort. The ambiguity of the last line "and then I dreamt of Him" raises further questions about how the dream has affected the singer and if it has any impact on his beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
Dreamed I killed God, and woke up
In my dream, I killed God, but when I woke up, it was just a dream.
Dreamed I killed God and woke up
I had a dream where I killed God, but it was only a dream when I woke up.
He's begging, "Please, please, please."
In my dream, God was begging me to spare his life.
"No, don't..."
Despite his pleas, I proceeded to kill God in my dream.
Time dries, time dries my mind
As time passes, my memory of the dream becomes fainter.
Oh, I'll survive, no one can save us
Despite the disturbing nature of my dream, I will be okay and no one can protect us from our own thoughts.
Talk to myself, talk to my soul
I try to rationalize and process the emotions brought about by my dream by talking to myself and my inner self.
I want you to follow
I want you to trust me and follow my thoughts on this matter.
Yes, follow...
Please follow what I'm saying because it's important to me.
It's only, it's only a dream, only
The dream of killing God was just a figment of my imagination and nothing more.
He was lying, bleeding, wishing
In my dream, I saw God lying on the ground, bleeding and wishing for mercy.
It's passing
The emotions and thoughts brought about by my dream are slowly fading away.
It's passing
The disturbing images and feelings brought about by my dream are slowly dissipating.
Dreamed I killed God
I had a vivid dream where I killed the concept of God.
Dreamed I killed God
My subconscious mind conjured up a dream where I killed the deity I believed in.
Is he dead?
Even though it was just a dream, I am left wondering if I actually killed God.
And then I dreamt of Him
After I killed God in my dream, I had another dream about Him.
Contributed by Grace R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@67Chumlee
http://dmbalmanac.com/TourShowSet.aspx?id=453054954
Dave & Tim (2/22/1997)
Dreamed I killed God
Woke up.
Dreamed we killed Love,
Woke up.
He will lie on the ground,
Bleeding,
Bleeding,
Bleeding,
Bleeding.
And say
Stop,
Stop,
Stop,
It’s enough now.
Only,
Only
Woke up.
Listen to my heart
When I cause
Spinning around
Beating,
Beating,
Beating,
Beating,
Beating,
Beating,
Like,
Diamond,
Like a diamond ring,
Away
Carry it to Heaven,
Carry it to Heaven,
Leave your light behind
Leave it
Lying
Lover
Diamond
My whole life
Done
Dreamed I killed God,
And woke up.
He was wearing
Jane
Torn
Thin
Then tumbling loose,
And bleeding,
Pleading to me
He said
Oh stop,
Stop,
Stop,
It’s enough
I lean over
Killed God
I woke up
@ModfathersGunMoll
A friend played this one for me back in 2004, and my jaw hit the floor! Thanks SO MUCH for posting this rare gem!
@DMBVR4
Ive been to 49 Dave shows....my last one a few days ago in CO. Anyway, my life basically revolves around the band and somehow I have never ever heard this before now....thank you for opening my eyes to this amazing song!
@tannergibson1066
Hope you're closing in on 100 shows by now, hit 30 myself this summer been going since 10'
@cwilbur21
This song blows my mind. Its amazing he would be so brave as to write a song that could upset so many people. Dave himself is agnostic and has said so in a few interviews."I use the word 'God' in my songs all the time, because I don’t know what the hell is going on. So that’s God – everything I don’t know." I love it!
@FieldTripChaperone
theres a book by Carl Jung that explains this song. if you dig deep enough into your unconscious you will see
@user-np3gu9kc4w
theres a book by Hitlor if you dig deep enough too lol@@FieldTripChaperone
@kpierre221
i wish the band would revisit this song, with all of them behind on the song. It could be sooooooooooo powerful.
@1hockeyski
This is remarkable. Just runs shivers down my spine. You can feel his passion. One would only wonder if how he forgets a song like this.
@thedillman516
this is the greatest song we will never hear again from dave, luckily this video exists
@powermatt9001
why won't he play it ever again?