In 1999 Jazz legend Joe Sample collaborated with Lalah on the album The Song Lives On, which became a staple on both Jazz and Smooth R&B radio, as well as topping the Jazz charts. However, it would not be until 2004 that Lalah Hathaway would resurface with her own project. She had her biggest hit single in years with an inspired cover of the late Luther Vandross' Forever, For Always, For Love, topping the Urban AC Chart and reaching Top 40 on Billboards mainstream R&B chart, a feat repeated by Outrun the Sky, Hathaway's first solo album in a decade, which was released late in the year.
Dreamland
Lalah Hathaway Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep them safe another day
I'll help you put your P.J's on
The light of day will soon be gone
Put your crayons in the box
Brush your teeth & curly locks
In Dreamland...
(We an do anything)
I can dance and you can sing
(I can dance, you can sing)
We can have a big parade
Make Candy coated (lemon aid)
Fly high in the circus tents
(High)
I'll vote for you for president
And my favorite thing to do...
Is to spend the day with you
(Spend the Day, Spend the Day)
In Dreamland...
Wake up early
Go to school
Try to follow all the rules
(Be Good)
Lunchtime means you're halfway through
See what Mommy made for you
{Soon It will be Saturday}
And we can watch cartoons all day...
But for now
We're safely in
(For now...)
Time for Dreamland once again
(Hummm)
In Dreamland...
(Hummm)
(Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ooo)
In Dreamland...
The lyrics of Lalah Hathaway's Dreamland paint a picture of childhood innocence and imagination. The song opens with the idea of bedtime and the ritual of putting away toys and getting ready for bed. However, this isn't just any typical bedtime routine. Hathaway takes the listener into Dreamland, a place where anything is possible. Here, dreams are not just figments of the imagination but a platform to do anything and everything one can ever think of doing.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the endless possibilities in Dreamland as the singer sings, "In Dreams, we can do anything/ I can dance and you can sing/ We can have a big parade/ Make Candy coated lemonade." Dreamland is a place of freedom, where there are no restrictions or stifling rules. It's a place where one can be anything they want, from a president to a circus performer, and where the possibilities are only limited by the imagination.
The song's closing verses remind us that Dreamland is not a permanent residence. It's a place where children can let their imaginations soar and escape the mundane realities of life, such as school and following the rules. But Dreamland is not lost forever, Hathaway reminds us. It's a place that can be revisited time and time again, providing a safe haven where anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Time to put your toys away
It's time to end all the fun activities and keep the toys safe for the next playtime
Keep them safe another day
To ensure the toys remain undamaged for their next use
I'll help you put your P.J's on
The singer will assist the child to get ready for bed and put on their pajamas
The light of day will soon be gone
The night is coming soon and it will be dark outside
Put your crayons in the box
It's time to put away the coloring tools and tidy up the workspace
Brush your teeth & curly locks
It's time to take care of personal hygiene before bed
In Dreamland...
The child is being prepared for an imaginary journey to a place where anything is possible
In Dreams, we can do anything
The artist's imagination is limitless in the dream world
(We an do anything)
The singer reemphasizes the ability to create and do anything through dreams
I can dance and you can sing
The artist and child can each express themselves creatively in the dream world
(I can dance, you can sing)
The singer is enthusiastic about the imaginative possibilities in dreamland
We can have a big parade
The artist and child can create a festive, joyous environment in their dreams
Make Candy coated (lemon aid)
The singer and child can indulge in fanciful, bright and colorful elements in their imaginary dream world
Fly high in the circus tents
The singer and child can feel the magic and adrenaline of soaring through the air in a circus dream
(High)
The singer's voice rises to express the dream of flying
I'll vote for you for president
The artist affirms their support for the child's aspirations and acknowledges their potential greatness
And my favorite thing to do...
The artist expresses their own delight in spending time with the child
Is to spend the day with you
The time spent with the child is deeply treasured
(Spend the Day, Spend the Day)
The singer affirms their connection with the child and their enjoyment of spending time together
In Dreamland...
The song returns to its central theme, the imaginative possibilities of the dream world
Wake up early
It's time to start the day and start getting things done
Go to school
The child has obligations and responsibilities to attend school
Try to follow all the rules
The singer emphasizes the importance of following rules and behaving well in society
(Be Good)
The singer reemphasizes the importance of good behavior for success in life
Lunchtime means you're halfway through
The day is progressing and lunch is a marker of this
See what Mommy made for you
The singer emphasizes the care and love that goes behind preparing a meal for a child
{Soon It will be Saturday}
The child can look forward to a day of leisure and relaxation soon
And we can watch cartoons all day...
The artist is looking forward to the weekend when there will be time for indulging in childish pleasures
But for now
The singer returns to the need to go to sleep and leave the real world behind for now
(For now...)
The song emphasizes that the dream world is a temporary retreat from reality
Time for Dreamland once again
The singer reminds the child that it's time to return to the imaginative world of dreams again
(Hummm)
The singer infuses a sense of otherworldliness to the dreamland theme
In Dreamland...
The song reemphasizes the immersive, all-encompassing nature of the dream world
(Hummm)
The singer repeats the otherworldly humming, emphasizing the immersive experience of dreamland
(Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ooo)
The singer continues the otherworldly vocalizations and underscores the song's theme of imaginative exploration
Contributed by Leah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.