Sleep
Lights' Lyrics

In "Sleep," Lights delves into the theme of insomnia and the mental state that arises when one struggles to sleep. The song is characterized by a soft, dreamy sound, with a gentle guitar strumming and mellow vocals. As the title of the song suggests, the singer is unable to fall asleep despite being physically tired. The first verse illustrates how the singer is constantly on the phone, possibly with someone who is residing in a different time zone, unaware that the singer is struggling to sleep. The second verse describes how the singer tries to coax herself into sleep by watching a show, but is instead tossing and turning in bed, trying not to wake her father. The chorus highlights the internal battle that the singer is having with her mind. She reveals that her inability to sleep stems from her tendency to overthink and play out her fears. In her attempt to protect herself, she makes sure not to perceive the world in the way she means to. This suggests that the singer is repressing her emotions and distorting her perceptions in order to avoid facing her anxieties.

The bridge is where the song shifts from internal struggles to external ones. The light flickers on and off, leaving the singer to wonder who it is that’s calling. Her worries start to pile up, and she doesn’t know how to alleviate them. The last chorus reaffirms that the singer is aware of her struggles, but she brushes them off by telling herself that she’s “fine.” Despite this, the final lines of the song reveal that the singer is still unable to sleep, emphasizing that her problems are far from resolved.

Overall, "Sleep" is a poignant look into the struggles of insomnia, compounded by the singer’s own internal battles. The song captures the cyclical nature of anxiety, where one’s ability to sleep is impacted by their thoughts, which in turn influence their ability to cope with their thoughts.