(A suburban bedroom somewhere near London) "Shane" plays… Read Full Bio ↴4:30 AM SCENE I
(A suburban bedroom somewhere near London) "Shane" plays on the TV. An Englishman, struggling with a nightmare wakes his American wife. She speaks.
Wife: "Wake up, you're dreaming"
Man: "What?"
Wife: "You're dreaming"
The man mumbles disjointedly about his dream. His wife soothes him back to sleep.
4:30AM
Roger Waters Lyrics
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(And they picked up some hitchhikers)
[Jade:] "Oh God...."
[Wife:] "Wake up you're dreaming."
[Jade:] "What?"
[Wife:] "You're dreaming."
[Jade:] "We were moving away from the border."
[Wife:] "Huh, what border?"
[Wife:] "Huh?"
[Jade:] "Have a nice day."
We were moving away from the border
Looking for somewhere to sleep
The two of us sharing the driving
Two hitchhikers slumped in the back seat
[Woman:] "Hello"
I sneaked a quick look in the mirror
She gave me a smile
I said, is anyone hungry?
Should we stop for a while?
So we pulled off into a layby
Her dress blew up over her head
I said, would you like to come with me?
She said something foreign under her breath
[Woman:] "(foreign words)"
And the sun shone down on her lovely young limbs
I thought to myself she's much too good for you
I lay down beside her with tears in my eyes
She said
The lyrics of Roger Waters's song 4.30 AM tell a story of a couple who are travelling abroad and have picked up two hitchhikers. The conversation that follows seems to be a mixture of reality and dreams. Jade, one of the hitchhikers, starts having a conversation with someone who is not there - either in reality or in her dream - saying "Oh God..." and the wife asks her what's happening, to which Jade replies that they were moving away from the border. However, the wife is confused, not knowing what border Jade is talking about, and Jade just responds with "Have a nice day" before the conversation shifts again.
As they continue driving, they stop at a layby, and one of the hitchhikers in the backseat says "Hello". The singer, who is driving, sneaks a quick look at her through the mirror, and she gives him a smile. He asks if they are hungry and suggests they stop for a while. The woman speaks a foreign language, and they lay down together. As the sun shines on her, he realizes that she is much too good for him, and he lays down next to her with tears in his eyes.
Line by Line Meaning
We were moving away from the border
We were leaving a place of danger and conflict, looking for a new place to rest
Looking for somewhere to sleep
We were exhausted and needed a place to rest for the night
The two of us sharing the driving
We were taking turns driving to help each other out
Two hitchhikers slumped in the back seat
We had picked up two strangers who were resting in the back seat
"Hello"
One of the hitchhikers woke up and greeted us
I sneaked a quick look in the mirror
I took a quick glance at the hitchhiker through the rearview mirror
She gave me a smile
The hitchhiker smiled at me
I said, is anyone hungry?
I asked if anyone needed food or wanted to stop for a meal
Should we stop for a while?
I suggested that we take a break from driving and rest for a bit
So we pulled off into a layby
We stopped the car in a designated parking area by the side of the road
Her dress blew up over her head
The wind blew the hitchhiker's dress up and exposed her body
I said, would you like to come with me?
I made a suggestive offer to the hitchhiker
She said something foreign under her breath
The hitchhiker responded in a foreign language
"(foreign words)"
The hitchhiker spoke in a language that could not be understood
And the sun shone down on her lovely young limbs
The sunlight highlighted the beauty of the hitchhiker's youthful body
I thought to myself she's much too good for you
I was aware that the hitchhiker was out of my league and that I was not good enough for her
I lay down beside her with tears in my eyes
I lay next to the hitchhiker, feeling emotional and sad
She said
The hitchhiker spoke again
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