Forty Winks Away
Neil Sedaka Lyrics


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I Just can't wait to fall asleep
I can't wait for night each day
'cause when the lights are low
No matter where you go,
You're only 40 winks away, away.

No matter how far you may be,
Believe me darling when I say,
The oceans in between
I cross them on a dream
'cause you're just 40 winks away, away.

There's a land of enchantment
Just beyond my pillowcase,
And I go there 'cause I know there
I'll be in your sweet embrace.

So till you come back home again,
Until you're in my arms to stay,
It's kinda nice to know,




I turn the lights down low,
And you're just 40 winks away, away, away.

Overall Meaning

Neil Sedaka's song Forty Winks Away is a song that expresses the longing and the yearning of a lover who cannot wait to fall asleep because it means being closer to their loved one. The song begins with the artist expressing how much they look forward to each night. The state of being asleep is presented as the means of being able to find refuge from the distance that separates them physically. The artist explains that when the lights are low, they are just 40 winks away from the person they love, implying that it only takes a brief moment in their dreams to feel their presence beside them.


Despite the distance between them, the artist believes that they are together in their dreams. In the second verse the artist sings, "No matter how far you may be, believe me darling when I say, the oceans in between I cross them on a dream 'cause you're just 40 winks away, away." The line "there's a land of enchantment just beyond my pillowcase" suggests that the artist is referring to their dreamworld, where they find their lover waiting for them.


The imagery used in this song is fascinating, and the metaphor of 40 winks, a phrase used to describe a short nap or sleep, shows the artist's longing for their lover. The song is a reminder that although distance may separate us from the people we love, we can still find comfort and solace in our dreams. Neil Sedaka delivers a song that encourages and reminds us of how the dream world creates an imaginary world that patiently waits for us to enter and create a reality that only we can envision.


Line by Line Meaning

I Just can't wait to fall asleep
I am eagerly awaiting the moment when I can finally drift off to sleep


I can't wait for night each day
Every day I eagerly anticipate nightfall


'cause when the lights are low
Because when it is dark


No matter where you go,
No matter where you are


You're only 40 winks away, away.
You are just a few moments of sleep away from being with me


No matter how far you may be,
Regardless of how great the distance between us


Believe me darling when I say,
Trust me, my love, what I am telling you is true


The oceans in between
Even if there are vast bodies of water separating us


I cross them on a dream
I can easily traverse them in my dreams


'cause you're just 40 winks away, away.
Because I know that you are just a few moments of sleep away from me


There's a land of enchantment
In my dreams there is a magical place


Just beyond my pillowcase,
Just past my pillow


And I go there 'cause I know there
And I go there because I am aware


I'll be in your sweet embrace.
That I will be in your warm embrace


So till you come back home again,
For the time being, until you return home to me once more


Until you're in my arms to stay,
Until you are in my embrace permanently


It's kinda nice to know,
It is somewhat comforting to be aware


I turn the lights down low,
I dim the lights


And you're just 40 winks away, away, away.
And I am just a few moments of sleep away from being with you




Contributed by Alexander M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

tony barham

wonderful haunting song my favourite recording of his

Horacio Berrios

Hermosa  canción  del talentoso cantaautor  Neil Sedaka.  Grandes recuerdos  de èpocas  muy lindas

freddy magnus

Très belle interprétation de Sedaka, mais la version de Dick Rivers (en 1965), pour le marché anglais, est encore plus belle. C'est mon point de vue !

april lear

great song great singer

devauchelle jean

Quel merveilleux disque

Liz Price

Love this

Jonas Levy

beautiful melody

devauchelle jean

C'était mes 20 ans

april lear

flip side of stairway to heaven

Liz Price

Who.is the soprano.lissa gray or millie korkham

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