Nightmares
Josh Ritter Lyrics

I know where the nightmares sleep
The singer knows where the nightmares reside

On what fodder do they feed
The singer wonders what the nightmares consume

For two long weeks I stayed awake
The singer remained restless for a prolonged time

Until I saw one cross your face
The artist noticed an expression on the face of the person, indicating that they are involved in something they should not be doing

I knew that you had been untrue
The artist had a gut feel that the person was dishonest

I didn't know how but I knew
The singer wasn't sure how to prove the person was dishonest, but was certain they were

The who you spoke to in your dreams
The person may have had conversations in their sleep

Was never how you spoke to me
The tone of the conversations in the dreams was different from how they converse in reality

I followed them back down to hell
The artist traced the source of nightmares

And I spent some time down there myself
The artist also experienced nightmares and went through a difficult time

Nightmares have their dreams, as well
Nightmares also have unpleasant dreams

And when they sleep they go to hell
The nightmares reside in a place where it is unpleasant and eerie

And they drink their fill on lakes of blood
The nightmares consume an unnerving substance and quench their thirst

Canter 'cross the skull-paved
The nightmares run across a surface made with bones

And nurse their little colts on flies
The younger generation of nightmares feeds on something repulsive

Their coltish teeth like kitchen knives
The teeth of the young nightmares are sharp and pointed

And look down from abysmal cliffs
The nightmares are perched on top of steep, treacherous heights

Their dead hair by the lead wind riffed
The long hair of the nightmares floats in the breeze

On denizens too deep to see
They observe beings that are impossible to view or notice otherwise

Whose own dreams nightmares' nightmares be
The nightmares observe and derive pleasure from the dreams of others who encounter nightmares

Nightmares cannot be rib caged
Nightmares cannot be confined or encaged

Midnight's just a steeplechase
Midnight is portrayed as a challenging obstacle course

Down silver needles half will go
The singer makes a metaphor as to how nightmares penetrate their victim

And pin your navel to your soul
The nightmares inflict an intense pain that hits the core of their victim's being

The other half will go instead
The other half of the nightmares will exert their attack in a different manner

A' gallop 'cross the kicked-up bed
The nightmares run or ride on a bed that is violently disturbed

And find the one who's sleeping sound
The nightmares target someone who is lulled into a sound sleep

And drag him down, oh drag him down
The nightmares capture and take their victim into the depths of mind-bending, terrifying dreams

Drag him down where I got took
The artist alludes to the place where they were subjected to nightmares

And through he may not want to look
Although the person may hesitate, the singer will subject him to the same unsettling ordeal

I'll sift hell for an equal pain
The singer vows to inflict a commensurate pain on the person who caused them emotional distress

Shard-born beetles boiling rain
The artist utilizes a vivid metaphor to describe the intensity of the retribution they will inflict

I'll prop his eyes and down them feed
The artist will not spare even the eyes of the person during the punishment

The same hell you both fed to me
The artist will make the person suffer the same agony they had gone through due to being deceived

I know where the nightmares sleep
The singer emphasizes their earlier statement

I know where the nightmares sleep
The artist emphasizes their earlier statement

I know where the nightmares sleep
The singer emphasizes their earlier statement

I know where the nightmares sleep
The singer emphasizes their earlier statement

I know where the nightmares sleep
The singer emphasizes their earlier statement