Swiftly
Shane Koyczan Lyrics

I dreamt once, that even though we're not related, and even though I'm a boy and you're a girl, I dreamt once that we were Siamese twins.
In a dream, the singer and someone not related to them, nor of the same gender, were Siamese twins, spending their days together in harmony.

We spent most of our days brushing each other's hair and playing scrabble.
The singer and their Siamese twin would engage in simple, enjoyable activities together like brushing hair and playing scrabble.

And then one day a doctor told us he could change our lives forever.
A doctor proposed a life-changing opportunity to the Siamese twins.

Filled our heads with ideas like privacy.
The doctor presented the idea of privacy to the twins, causing them to consider the benefits of separation.

So we said yes, because we considered ourselves adventurous types.
The twins agreed to the separation due to their adventurous nature.

So they wheeled us into the operating room and put us under.
The twins were taken to the operating room and anesthetized.

And then I had a dream within a dream.
The singer had a dream while in the state of anesthesia.

I dreamt that I was running, swiftly and with a grace I have never known, ducking and rolling to avoid sharp branches.
In the dream, the artist was running rapidly and elegantly while dodging obstacles.

I took lessons from Jesus Christ lizards and learned to step lightly on water.
The artist learned to tread on water by observing the behavior of Jesus Christ lizards in their dream.

Then ran across oceans, stopping to catch my breath on the backs of whales that came up for air.
The artist ran over vast oceanic expanses, using the surfacing of whales as rest stops.

I ran so fast and so far.
The singer's dream-self was able to run tremendous distances at astonishing speeds.

I felt like a lawman trying to capture the escaped convict of my own breath.
The artist was filled with the sensation of pursuing their own breath.

Later, I woke and discovered that we had been placed on opposite ends of the recovery room.
Upon awakening, the singer found that they and their twin were now separated and at opposite ends of the room in recovery.

You were sitting up in your bed crying.
The twin was weeping in their bed upon waking up.

So I asked you, "what's wrong?" and you asked me, "why did you run away?" so I limped towards you, climbed inside your bed, ran my hand through your hair and told you, "I didn't".
The singer approached their twin to console them, explaining they did not run away but were instead searching for them in their dream.

I was running to find you.
The artist's dream of running served as a search for their Siamese twin, evidenced by their reunion in the recovery room.