In the summer of 1991, Niklas had his first interaction with Red Sleeping Beauty, then a duo with a 6-track cassette demo as its only proof of existence, when he showed signs of similar taste in t-shirts (Sarah Records) as Kristina at a Swedish pop festival. Hence, after his moving to Stockholm, RSB transformed into a trio, and began to write more up-tempo and up-feeling songs.
In order to secure proper bass playing and a full live line-up, Carl-Johan joined after the recording of Pop Sounds (interested people can try and hear the extremely low-mixed bass played by Kristina on Christmas). Soon after, the band headed for minor stardom with a series of releases on a variety of labels covering the majority of countries in the world. But with the break-up of the secret indie couple, i.e. Mikael and Kristina, along with the fact that the band had been around for almost a decade, Red Sleeping Beauty decided to do a Björn Borg - ending their career when at the top in 1997.
They decided to reform in 2013, recording a new full length album released in 2016. The first fruits of this reformation was a new single, released on US indie Shelflife in September 2015, called Always. Their full length comeback album Kristina was released on Swedish indie, Labrador in June 2016.
Florida
Red Sleeping Beauty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess they could kill you
We keep on keeping on
Though we know it's wrong
On the bus I'm off to work
It's well paid but it still hurts
To sell your soul
The dreams we had when I grew up
I wish to god I never gave them up
But now they're gone away
I dug my own grave
The dreams we had when I grew up
I wish to god I never gave them up
But now they're gone away
I dug my own grave
The fear of being alone
Keeps us from getting on
To live separate lives
Not husband and wife
You say it has end
I guess I feel the same
But we're here to stay
We're not going away
The dreams we had when we met up
I wish to god we never gave them up
But now they're gone away
Bitterness instead
The dreams we had when we met up
I wish to god we never gave them up
But now they're gone away
Bitterness instead
Bills are paid and love is made
We wish to god we we're somewhere else
But we're here to stay
We're not going away
Bills are paid and love is made
We wish to god we we're somewhere else
But we're here to stay
We're not going away
But we're here to stay
We're not going away
In Red Sleeping Beauty's song "Florida," the lyrics describe the struggle of living a life that doesn't align with the dreams one had when they were younger. The first stanza talks about the tension between doing what society expects and knowing that it may not be fulfilling. The second stanza highlights the sacrifice of selling one's soul for a well-paying job that still hurts. The repetition of the line "I wish to god I never gave them up / But now they're gone away / I dug my own grave" reveals the regret the singer feels for not following their own dreams.
The chorus of the song brings up the fear of being alone and how it can prevent people from pursuing their own paths. The repetition of the same lines in both verses, "The dreams we had when we met up / I wish to god we never gave them up / But now they're gone away / Bitterness instead," suggests that this feeling of regret and bitterness is shared by both the singer and their partner. Even as they go through the motions of paying bills and making love, they both wish they were somewhere else but feel stuck where they are.
Overall, "Florida" is a melancholy reflection on the compromises and sacrifices people make in their lives and the regrets they can hold onto as a result.
Line by Line Meaning
Doing things we're supposed to do
We follow society's expectations, even if they may harm us
I guess they could kill you
The pressure to conform can be overwhelming and destructive
We keep on keeping on
Despite the difficulties, we persist in our struggle
Though we know it's wrong
We recognize the unfairness of the situation, but we're trapped
On the bus I'm off to work
The daily grind of work is wearing and draining
It's well paid but it still hurts
Money can't make up for the emptiness and dissatisfaction of selling out
To sell your soul
Compromising your values and dreams for material gain
For corporate gold
Pursuing wealth and status at the expense of authenticity
The dreams we had when I grew up
The aspirations and hopes of our youth
I wish to god I never gave them up
Regret for abandoning our dreams and settling for less
But now they're gone away
Our dreams have been lost or forgotten
I dug my own grave
We're responsible for our own failures and disappointments
The fear of being alone
The anxiety and dread of being isolated or rejected
Keeps us from getting on
Our fear holds us back from pursuing our desires and fulfilling our potential
To live separate lives
We may want different things and have different goals
Not husband and wife
Our relationship may not fit the traditional mold
You say it has end
The relationship may be deteriorating or falling apart
I guess I feel the same
The singer acknowledges the reality of the situation
But we're here to stay
We're committed to the relationship or situation, despite its flaws
We're not going away
We're not giving up or leaving, no matter how difficult it may be
Bitterness instead
Our dreams and hopes have been replaced by resentment and disappointment
Bills are paid and love is made
We're trying to find contentment and happiness in ordinary, mundane things
We wish to god we we're somewhere else
We yearn for something more fulfilling and meaningful
But we're here to stay
We're stuck in the current situation and can't escape it
We're not going away
We're determined to see this through, no matter the cost
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind