About Jónsi & Alex
Known primarily for his falsetto as the singer in Sigur Rós, Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson has – together with his partner Alex Somers – been exhibiting artwork and staging exhibitions under the name Riceboy Sleeps for two or three years now. A couple of months back the early fruits of the musical side of this collaboration surfaced in physical form for the first time, with the track ‘Happiness’, on the exemplary ‘Dark Was The Night’ Red Hot compilation.
Among such company as Antony Hegarty, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens and many more names besides, it says something that Jónsi & Alex’s instrumental contribution was picked out by many people who-ought-to-know as the apex of the record – especially given that the track was neither finished nor mastered when the deadline came around.
Now, however, the full-length ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ album (the name having migrated from artist moniker to album title) is finished and ready for release.
Played solely on acoustic instruments in Iceland (and featuring long-time string collaborators Amiina, as well as the Kópavogsdætur choir) and then endlessly toyed with on solar-powered laptops in a raw food commune in some far corner of Hawaii, ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ has an “organic feel” to it.
Chapter One
Jónsi & Alex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took me a while to realize you're a dream
Though I knew you long ago
It's hard to believe that girl still exists
Wanna go back
I miss you
Though you're not real
Wanna go back
Wanna go back
I miss you
Though you're not real
Wanna go back
Back to sleep
It's hard saying goodbye
Goodbye
Woke up looking for you
Took me a while to realize you're a dream
Though I knew you long ago
It's hard to believe that girl still exists
Wanna go back
I miss you
Though you're not real
Wanna go back
Back to sleep
Wanna go back
I miss you
Though you're not real
Wanna go back
Back to sleep
It's hard saying goodbye
Goodbye
The lyrics of Jónsi & Alex's song "Chapter One" depict a dream-like longing for someone who may not actually exist in reality. The singer wakes up and immediately searches for this person, only to slowly realize that they are merely a product of their dreams. Despite this realization, the singer expresses a deep longing to go back to sleep and return to the dream world where they can be with this person again. The repetition of the lines "Wanna go back, I miss you, though you're not real, wanna go back, back to sleep" emphasizes the intensity of this desire.
The lyrics also convey a sense of nostalgia and the difficulty of saying goodbye. The singer reflects on knowing this person long ago, but finding it hard to believe that the memory of them still exists. The repeated lines "It's hard saying goodbye, goodbye" highlight the emotional struggle of letting go, even when the object of their longing is not real.
Overall, the lyrics of "Chapter One" explore the complex emotions and desires that can arise from dreams and memories, blurring the line between reality and fantasy, and leaving the singer in a bittersweet state of longing and farewell.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up looking for you
I woke up and immediately started searching for you, yearning to find you.
Took me a while to realize you're a dream
It took some time for me to come to the realization that you only exist in my imagination.
Though I knew you long ago
Even though I've known you in my mind for a long time.
It's hard to believe that girl still exists
It's difficult to comprehend that the image of you, the girl I envision, is still present in my thoughts.
Wanna go back
I deeply desire to return to the state of mind where you exist.
I miss you
I long for your presence, even though you're not real.
Though you're not real
Despite the fact that you are merely a figment of my imagination.
Back to sleep
I wish to go back to slumber, where I can once again encounter you in my dreams.
It's hard saying goodbye
Parting with the idea of you is challenging and emotionally difficult.
Goodbye
The expression of bidding farewell and letting go.
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Alexandre Silva
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind