As a sophomore in high school, Lenae spent $300 for a studio session that would ultimately produce her first single, "Greetings." Soon after, in 2015, she was featured on Monte Booker’s song, "Baby." Booker and Lenae along with rapper, Smino, formed the original core of the music collective, Zero Fatigue, which was brought together by Chris "Classick" Innumerable at his recording studio, Classick Studios. Lenae's first EP, Moon Shoes, was originally released as a free download in August 2015, but was later reissued by Atlantic Records and the Three Twenty Three Music Group in 2016. It drew praise from critics for her "fluid vocals and spare, poetic lyrics."
In 2016, Lenae was officially signed to Atlantic Records. She also appeared as a featured performer on Mick Jenkins' album The Healing Component and on Noname's song "Forever." She would go on to tour with and open for Noname on her Telefone Tour from January to March 2017. Lenae also performed at WBEZ's Winter Block Party alongside fellow members of the underground collective Medicine Woman: Drea Smith, Via Rosa, and Jean Deau.
She released her second EP Midnight Moonlight on March 3, 2017. Later that month, she performed at SXSW, was featured on Smino's "Glass Flows," and was listed by Rolling Stone as one of "10 New Artists You Need to Know." In the following three months, she would go on to perform at several other festivals, including Mamby on the Beach in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood and Culture Shock in Purchase, New York. Beginning in August 2017, Lenae opened for SZA on her Ctrl Tour. The tour ended in December 2017. On February 9, she released her third EP, entirely produced by Steve Lacy, titled Crush.
On February 1, 2022, she released Skin Tight with Steve Lacy, the first single of her debut album, Hypnos. Following, she released her debut album on May 20, 2022. Featuring vocals and production from Monte Booker, Steve Lacy, KAYTRANAD , Fousheé, Mereba, Smino, Sango, Luke Titus, IAMNOBODI, Phoelix and Teo Halm.
Sleep Talking
Ravyn Lenae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do not make a sound
Can we be like children
Dancing in the crowd
Fall onto the ground
Do not make a sound
Can we
Can we
Dancing in the crowd
Sleeping side by side
Our fingers intertwined
We never seem to find the right things to say
When we are awake
I can not close your eyes
We be up so high
As if we're trying to hide
The things we'll never find out
Wish you would say
That we'll be ok
Our stomachs not in knots no more
Maybe I'm not everything you got no more
I used to listen to your heartbeat while you're dreaming softly
I wish you would have told me that you do not know me
I wish you would have spoke before our fingers broke
10: 30pm your dreaming begins
With no worries and stories of life way back when
When your sister would kiss you and tell you she miss you
I'm sorry
I'm sorry that that had to end
11: 30 you're speaking slowly
You say you're lonely
You say you wish that you could hold me
If I would not pretend that I needed him
12 oh 10 if we would not pretend that we could be friends
But 11 if you would not extend your beautiful hand to touch me
1: 30 you're so so lucky that I do not trust me
You only speak with your hands
So tell me how do I understand
How do I understand
But can can can
But can we, can we, can we be like children
Speaking right to me
You always ramble in your sleep
The song "Sleep Talking" by Ravyn Lenae showcases a relationship that is mostly nonverbal. The lyrics describe the singer's desire to be childlike and carefree, falling onto the ground and dancing in the crowd. The notion of being like children suggests a need to break free from the pressures of adult life and go back to a space where there are no expectations or responsibilities.
The second verse delves deeper into the relationship, highlighting the fact that the two tend to communicate better in their sleep than when awake, their fingers intertwined, and stomachs no longer in knots. The singer acknowledges a sense of dissatisfaction with their inability to express themselves during their waking moments. It is also evident that the two were close at some point, with the singer listening to their partner's heartbeat while they slept. Yet, something has changed, and the partner's desire for physical contact is met with the singer's reluctance to pretend.
The third verse seems to be a snapshot of a night, with specific times representing different emotional states. The singer is frustrated with their partner's inability to communicate and the fact that they only speak with their hands. Despite this, there is still a longing to connect and understand each other, to be childlike and speak right to each other. Perhaps, in their sleep talking, they're getting a glimpse of what that connection could look like.
Line by Line Meaning
Fall onto the ground
Let's lay down and relax
Do not make a sound
Let's be quiet and peaceful
Can we be like children
Can we be carefree and happy
Dancing in the crowd
Enjoying the moment and having fun with others
Sleeping side by side
Sleeping together with our bodies touching
Our fingers intertwined
We are holding hands while we sleep
We never seem to find the right things to say
We struggle to communicate effectively
When we are awake
In our waking life
I can not close your eyes
I can't control your thoughts or feelings
We be up so high
We are emotionally disconnected
As if we're trying to hide
We are avoiding our problems
The things we'll never find out
The solutions that we may never discover
Wish you would say
I wish you could communicate
That we'll be ok
That we'll overcome our issues
Our stomachs not in knots no more
Our anxiety has dissipated
Maybe I'm not everything you got no more
Maybe I'm not as important to you as before
I used to listen to your heartbeat while you're dreaming softly
I used to be attentive and loving towards you when you sleep
I wish you would have told me that you do not know me
I wish you could admit to not knowing or understanding me
I wish you would have spoke before our fingers broke
I wish we could have talked before we grew apart
10: 30pm your dreaming begins
Your sleep cycle begins at 10:30 pm
With no worries and stories of life way back when
Your subconscious mind is free from stress and reminiscing about the past
When your sister would kiss you and tell you she miss you
You're remembering a time when your sister showed you affection
I'm sorry
Feeling regretful for the sisterly love that ended
11: 30 you're speaking slowly
You're starting to say things out loud as you sleep
You say you're lonely
You're expressing your loneliness
You say you wish that you could hold me
You long to feel close to me
If I would not pretend that I needed him
If I stopped pretending that I needed someone else
12 oh 10 if we would not pretend that we could be friends
If we could be honest about our true feelings and not pretend that we could maintain a friendship
But 11 if you would not extend your beautiful hand to touch me
If you didn't try to initiate physical contact
1: 30 you're so so lucky that I do not trust me
You're grateful that you don't trust yourself in your current emotional state
You only speak with your hands
Your body language is the only means of communication
So tell me how do I understand
I'm not sure how to interpret your body language
But can we, can we, can we be like children
Can we return to a simpler time and be happy again
Speaking right to me
Communicating in a way that I can understand
You always ramble in your sleep
You often say things without fully comprehending what you're saying
Contributed by Christian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sydneyduverneau6545
Fall onto the ground
Do not make a sound
Can we be like children
Dancing in the crowd
Fall onto the ground
Do not make a sound
Can we
Can we
Can we be like children
Dancing in the crowd
Sleeping side by side
Our fingers intertwined
We never seem to find the right things to say
When we are awake
I can not close your eyes
We be up so high
As if we're trying to hide
The things we'll never find out
Wish you would say
That we'll be ok
Our stomachs not in knots no more
Maybe I'm not everything you got no more
I used to listen to your heartbeat while you're dreaming softly
I wish you would have told me that you do not know me
I wish you would have spoke before our fingers broke
10:30pm your dreaming begins
With no worries and stories of life way back when
When your sister would kiss you and tell you she miss you
I'm sorry
I'm sorry that that had to end
11:30 you're speaking slowly
You say you're lonely
You say you wish that you could hold me
If I would not pretend that I needed him
12 oh 10 if we would not pretend that we could be friends
But 11 if you would not extend your beautiful hand to touch me
1:30 you're so so lucky that I do not trust me
You only speak with your hands
So tell me how do I understand
How do I understand
But can can can
But can we, can we, can we be like children
Speaking right to me
You always ramble in your sleep
@martinbbela4378
her voice is both piercing and soulful... it's unique... I love her
@naderahmed6414
Yuuuuuuup
@fabulous1239
my favorite line is when you say "can we, can we, can we be like children" <3
@pierrescott6773
u right..
@bosobot
exactly what hooked me up. its was going great as it is but that line just made me fall in love with the tune <3
@keletsoshingungu7461
CHIIILE-REN love it
@GRLSGame2
'Moon shoes' got me through some stuff. It's like that comforting pain. Ravyn lenae gives me strong aalyiah/90s rnb vibes but with her own twist especially with her newer ep. She's a gem that has yet to blow up and when her time comes... Well
@classiql
Ravyn Lenae is the feeling before you tell someone you love them and the feeling after they say it back
@jippydoo1338
Bumping all this fire in South Africa.
@undergroundkid8337
jippy doo yup