SWEET DREAMS
Elvis Costello & The Attractions Lyrics


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Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through
I should hate you girl the whole night through
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you

You don't love me it's plain
I should have known you'd never share my name
Why can't I forget you girl, start loving someone new?
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you

Why can't I forget my past, start loving someone new?
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you

Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through




I should hate you girl the whole night through
Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Sweet Dreams" by Elvis Costello & The Attractions are about unrequited love and the struggle to move on. The singer admits that the person they love doesn't love them back and that they should hate them for it, but instead they find themselves constantly thinking about them and dreaming of them every night. The line "I should hate you girl the whole night through" suggests that the singer is aware they should have negative feelings towards them but their heart won't allow it.


The singer pleads with themselves to forget their past and move on, but they can't seem to shake the hold that this person has on them. They end up questioning why they can't move on and find someone new to love. The repetition of the line "Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you" emphasizes the singer's inability to let go of their feelings, even though it's causing them pain.


Overall, the song is a poignant portrayal of the pain that comes with unrequited love and the internal conflict that arises when trying to move on. The bittersweet quality of the melody helps to convey the sense of longing and sadness in the lyrics.


Line by Line Meaning

Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through
Every night, my mind is filled with dreams of you.


I should hate you girl the whole night through
Based on your actions, I should hate you and think of it all night long.


Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
In spite of your actions, I cannot help but have sweet dreams of you.


You don't love me it's plain
It's clear that you do not love me.


I should have known you'd never share my name
I should have realized that you would never want to be associated with me.


Why can't I forget you girl, start loving someone new?
Why am I unable to forget about you and move on to someone else?


Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
However, even though I should move on, my dreams are filled with thoughts of you.


Why can't I forget my past, start loving someone new?
Why am I unable to let go of my past and start loving someone else?


Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
Despite my efforts to move on, you continue to consume my thoughts and dreams.


Sweet dreams of you, every night I go through
Despite everything, every night I am filled with sweet dreams of you.


I should hate you girl the whole night through
Once again, based on how you've treated me, I should hate you all night long.


Instead I'm having sweet dreams all about you
But for some reason, I cannot help but dream sweetly of you.




Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Don Gibson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

ClarityWellness Coaching

Absolutely love their version. And best break up album ever!

wpollock1

I love this song and love this album!

theselector

Generally speaking I don't really listen to C & W music but Elvis brings to it a new sensibility and makes it more accessible to a Pop audience.

Nadia Lorigiola

Sweet sweet voice πŸ’ŸπŸŽΆπŸ’•

aclassmedicine

Yes, love whatever EC puts his heart into.

Dave Johnson

Elvis has a terrific country voice,so emotional.This sounds like a Patsy Cline song(but may not be,just saying).Certainly one for the relationship gone wrong times.Brilliant,love this,and the Almost Blue album

OKHomoRose

Roy Orbison also did an excellent cover of "Sweet Dreams".

Brian Curtis

You might also want to check out instrumental by Roy Buchanan. Truly epic!

Coop68

I take that back. Though Faron did an early version of it, this song was originally covered by its author: Don Gibson.

Coop68

I think originally it was Faron Young's song, but Patsy did in fact make a popular version of this song.

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