Living in a Dream
John Lindberg Trio Lyrics


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Ben and Jean were lovers, a small-town romance
In that Mississippi mud, they wouldn't last
Took the highway to old Mexico

Searchin' for something but they never knew what
All they known was an old pickup truck
Headin' down the highway one sunny day
Living in a dream that would never last
They tried to make it out in that promised land
Living on love, take it day by day

Try to make some money down the interstate line
Jean took a job on a roadhouse restaurant
Ben tried to bring it home on his guitar

Leadin' him west singin' songs out of his heart
He was headin' to the top of the charts
But life ain't easy when you miss someone

Living in a dream that would never last
They tried to make it out in that promised land
Living on love, take it day by day

Time runs fast for a man on the road
Months felt like years for a woman at home
With a baby on its way and bills to pay
She prayed to him to come back home

Rock & Roll was the only thing in his mind
Get to the top, never look behind
The road goes on forever for a travelin' man

Living in a dream that would never last
They tried to make it out in that promised land
Living on love, take it day by day

Living in a dream that would never last
They tried to make it out in that promised land
Living on love, take it day by day





Living on love, but they never had a chance
Living in a dream could cause you so much pain

Overall Meaning

The song "Living in a Dream" by John Lindberg Trio is a narrative about a young couple, Ben and Jean, who are trying to find their place in the world. The song begins by setting the scene of their small-town romance, where they are surrounded by the Mississippi mud, and their love is not expected to last. In search of something more and unknown to them, they take the highway to old Mexico. They are living in a dream that they know will never last, but they still try to make it work in the promised land by living on love and taking it day by day.


As they travel down the interstate line, Jean takes a job at a roadhouse restaurant while Ben tries to bring it home with his guitar. He is passionate about his music and is determined to make it big in the music industry. However, his pursuit of fame begins to take a toll on their relationship. Time seems to run fast for Ben, but for Jean, who is anxiously waiting at home with a baby on the way and bills to pay, the months felt like years. She prays for him to come back home, but Rock & Roll is the only thing in Ben's mind. Desperate to get to the top, he never looks behind, and the road goes on forever for a traveling man.


In the end, they are unable to hold on to their dream, and their love never had a chance. The dream that they thought would bring them happiness caused them so much pain.


Line by Line Meaning

Ben and Jean were lovers, a small-town romance
Ben and Jean were a couple who fell in love in their small hometown.


In that Mississippi mud, they wouldn't last
Their small-town life was not enough for them to stay together.


Took the highway to old Mexico
They decided to leave their home and travel to Mexico.


Searchin' for something but they never knew what
They were looking for a new adventure, but didn't know what it was.


All they known was an old pickup truck
They only had an old pickup truck for their journey.


Headin' down the highway one sunny day
They began their journey down the highway on a sunny day.


Living in a dream that would never last
Their journey was like a dream where they wouldn't find what they were looking for.


They tried to make it out in that promised land
They tried to find their new adventure in Mexico, but failed.


Living on love, take it day by day
They relied on their love for each other to make it through each day.


Try to make some money down the interstate line
They tried to earn money by traveling and working along the interstate.


Jean took a job on a roadhouse restaurant
Jean found work at a restaurant along their journey.


Ben tried to bring it home on his guitar
Ben tried to earn money by playing his guitar and singing.


Leadin' him west singin' songs out of his heart
Ben traveled west singing songs that he had written from his heart.


He was headin' to the top of the charts
Ben's dream was to become famous for his music.


But life ain't easy when you miss someone
Ben found it difficult to be away from Jean and missed her.


Time runs fast for a man on the road
Time passes quickly for a man traveling.


Months felt like years for a woman at home
Jean, while waiting at home, felt that time passed very slowly.


With a baby on its way and bills to pay
Jean found out she was pregnant and they had bills to pay.


She prayed to him to come back home
Jean prayed for Ben to return home.


Rock & Roll was the only thing in his mind
Ben was focused on his dream of making it big in the music industry.


Get to the top, never look behind
Ben was determined to succeed and never looked back at his past.


The road goes on forever for a travelin' man
Ben knew that the journey of a traveling musician never ends.


Living on love, but they never had a chance
Although they loved each other, they never had the chance to settle down.


Living in a dream could cause you so much pain
Following their dreams caused Ben and Jean a lot of pain and heartache.




Writer(s): RICK JACKETT, SCOTT ANDERSON, GREGG WATTENBERG, SEAN ANDERSON, RICHARD BEDDOE, JAMES BLACK

Contributed by Sebastian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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