I Can't Wake Up to Save My Life
Richard Thompson Lyrics

In my nightmare everything's wrong
The singer is describing a nightmare where everything is going terribly.

I'm waiting for love, but you come along
The singer is searching for love but meets someone who seems to be a bad omen.

You smile, you wave, you greet me, Ciao!
The person the singer encounters appears friendly and happy-go-lucky.

But you seem too happy to see me somehow
Despite the person's friendly demeanor, the artist senses something off about their energy.

Then the sky falls in on my head
The artist is feeling overwhelmed by a sense of doom and catastrophe.

Your nails grow long, your eyes turn red
The person the singer encountered seems to transform into a sort of monster.

You say, forever dear and a day
The monster makes promises to the singer of unfailing loyalty.

You promise you're never going to go away
The monster is insinuating that they will never leave the artist alone.

And my feet won't move when I run the other way
Despite wanting to flee from the monster, the artist feels paralyzed and unable to escape.

I can't wake up to save my life
The artist is unable to wake up from their nightmare no matter how hard they try.

In my nightmare you forgive me
The singer is haunted by the idea that they have done something terribly wrong in their past.

The cruellest gift you could ever give me
The monster's explanation, in the artist's nightmare, of why they are the way they are causes deep pain and misery.

You say that you understand me now
The monster claims to know the singer's inner feelings and thoughts.

But your eyes say, brother, I'll get you somehow
Despite appearing to forgive the singer, the monster hints that they still plan to harm them.

Then the lightning streaks across the room
The scene becomes more ominous and dangerous with lightning flashing.

You smell like something fresh from the tomb
The monster's appearance becomes more and more sinister with eerie smells emanating from them.

You squeeze too hard, you insist on kissing
The monster becomes violent and physically aggressive towards the artist.

When it seems like half your face is missing
The singer notices that the monster's appearance becomes more and more distorted and frightening.

And your hair's turned into reptiles hissing
The monster's appearance becomes even more repulsive as they seem to turn into a horrid creature.

Things I done make my dreams go bad
The artists past actions are clearly haunting them to the point of severe nightmares.

Like Borstal boys coming home to Dad
The artist compares their nightmare to the horrible feeling of coming home from a correctional institute to an angry parent.

What ye reap so shall ye sow
The artist is experiencing the consequences of their past actions in their nightmares.

Now shake me, wake me, go man go
The singer wishes to be shaken out of their nightmare and awakened from their fear.