It is played in E minor and has a very calm feeling to it, in syntony with the lyrics theme, a woman trying to deal with her fears as she waits to fall asleep. The song was written about a friend of Kevin's who was going through a hard time and doubting her faith.
The song's lyrics are the source of the album's title, Images and Words:
She shuts the doors and lights
And lays her body on the bed
Where images and words are running deep
==ANALYSIS==
The song begins with Kevin introducing the main theme on a piano sound, most likely from the Roland JD-800. Beneath this there is an overdubbed synthesizer string sound, probably the Roland D-50. The piano motif gets more complex as Kevin adds counterpoint with his left hand. The piano part simplifies as LaBrie's vocals enter in the first verse.
The piano part changes to a jazzy progression (the synth strings double this) with matching rootnotes to fit under the second verse. The piano motif returns with some added flourishes and introduces the third verse. The jazzy progression returns again for the next verse.
The piano part next moves to an arpeggio of the E power chord. This builds up and is resolved in an octaved D to introduce the closing middle 8.
Moore doubles up the melody line with some unusual chords. The theme returns again, playing solely on its own with only the string part backing it. The theme gets progressively slower and finally Moore plays an ascending set of thirds and fourths, before ending the song on a massive chord with a displaced E in the bass. The string part doubles this and fades into the next track, "Learning to Live".
==LIVE PERFORMANCES==
On the Images and Words tour, the band some times played a full band arrangement of the song, with Mike Portnoy playing crash cymbals and John Petrucci playing clean guitar over the end part of the song. This version usually contains some improvised chords from Moore.
The song was played on the 2008 Chaos in Motion tour, with Jordan Rudess taking over Moore's part. He usually led into the song from a massive extemporization on the main theme.
Wait for Sleep
Dream Theater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eyes upon the moon
Hoping that the memory
Will leave her spirit soon
She shuts the doors and lights and lays her body on the bed
Where images and words are running deep
She has too much pride to pull the sheets above her head
She stares at the ceiling and tries not to think
And pictures the chain she's been trying to link again
But the feeling is gone
And water can't cover her memory
And ashes can't answer her pain
God give me the power to take breath from a breeze
And call life from a cold metal frame
In with the ashes
Or up with the smoke from the fire
With wings up in heaven
Or here, lying in bed
Palm of her hand to my head
Now and forever curled
In my heart and the heart of the world
The song “Wait for Sleep” by Dream Theater is a poignant ballad that speaks about the difficult process of healing and moving on after a painful experience. The lyrics describe a woman who is haunted by memories that she wishes to forget. She stands by the window, looking at the moon, and hoping that the memories will leave her spirit soon. She then lies on the bed, where she is bombarded by images and words that run deep, and waits for sleep to take over.
The woman in the song has too much pride to pull the sheets over her head, and instead, lays quietly while staring at the ceiling, trying not to think. She pictures the chain she’s been trying to link again, but the feeling is gone. She realizes that nothing can cover up her pain or answer her questions. In the end, the woman prays to God for the power to take breath from a breeze and call life from a cold metal frame, indicating that she wants to let go of her past and start anew.
The song Wait for Sleep is a powerful and emotional work of art. The lyrics are deeply moving and evoke feelings of empathy and compassion for the woman in the song. It speaks to the human experience of dealing with personal pain and the struggle to find a way to heal and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing by the window
She's standing by the window, lost in thought.
Eyes upon the moon
She's staring at the moon, hoping to find peace.
Hoping that the memory
She's hoping to forget her painful past and move on.
Will leave her spirit soon
She's waiting for the memory to disappear so she can find inner peace.
She shuts the doors and lights and lays her body on the bed
She's trying to create a calm environment to ease her mind and soul.
Where images and words are running deep
Her thoughts and memories are haunting her, affecting her deeply.
She has too much pride to pull the sheets above her head
She does not want to admit to herself that she is vulnerable and needs help.
So quietly she lays and waits for sleep
She's hoping to find relief and solace in sleep.
She stares at the ceiling and tries not to think
She's actively trying to avoid reliving her painful memories.
And pictures the chain she's been trying to link again
She's revisiting her efforts of reconnecting with someone or something that's now lost.
But the feeling is gone
Her efforts have been fruitless as she can't regain what's lost.
And water can't cover her memory
Time can't wash away her memories because these are deeply engraved in her mind.
And ashes can't answer her pain
Smoking away the pain or burning mementos will not provide relief.
God give me the power to take breath from a breeze
She wishes to have control over something that's almost impossible to manipulate.
And call life from a cold metal frame
She wishes to resurrect what's lost or revive something that's close to her heart.
In with the ashes
Referring to death, where ashes are typically what remains after cremation.
Or up with the smoke from the fire
Referring to leaving behind memories and moving on.
With wings up in heaven
Referring to the afterlife where heaven is a place where the soul is at peace.
Or here, lying in bed
Referring to present life, where she is lying in bed waiting for sleep.
Palm of her hand to my head
A comforting gesture someone close to her made.
Now and forever curled
A cherished memory she'll never forget.
In my heart and the heart of the world
Her memory is forever etched in her heart, and what she felt is something that we all can relate to.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN MYUNG, JOHN PETRUCCI, JOHN RO MYUNG, KEVIN F. MOORE, KEVIN JAMES LABRIE, KEVIN JAMES LA BRIE, MICHAEL PORTNOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind