Sleep Station is an American indie rock band on from Bergen County, New Jer… Read Full Bio ↴Sleep Station is an American indie rock band on from Bergen County, New Jersey. The band revolves around frontman David Debiak. Sleep Station began in 2001, with David Debiak having the intention of producing a movie. Unable to obtain funds to do so, he opted to write a soundtrack to the non-existent movie instead. The result was the concept album Anhedonia.

While some subsequent Sleep Station albums have been recorded with a full band (After the War, The Pride of Chester James), others have essentially been David Debiak solo albums (Von Cosel, The Blood of Our Our Fathers), featuring very little, if any, instrumentation other than David Debiak's own guitar playing.

Sleep Station is known for its concept albums; to date, all Sleep Station releases have called "rock operas" by some critics. David Debiak himself, however, has stated that he is not trying to tell a story in his songs, stating in a MySpace bulletin "Every record I have done as Sleep Station has been thematic in its nature, not trying to tell a story but just create a mood". Unconventional love affairs and war are common lyrical themes in Sleep Station's music.

Following the release of the album After the War in 2004, Sleep Station went on hiatus, with David Debiak starting a side project, New London Fire, with his brother Jason Debiak.

In 2008, Sleep Station returned from hiatus with the album The Pride of Chester James, an album about a fictional circus drifter who shows up in a small town.

Brothers
Sleep Station Lyrics

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We were walking home through the woods. We were singing each others songs like brothers would. Then I heard our names whistling down the river banks, bouncing off the rocks into the dust, yeah Momma's voice was calling out for us.

You left for the war when I had turned thirteen. I slept with the letters you had sent to me and when I walked towards your grave I was whispering your name then I turned my thoughts to good things you would do, yeah Momma's voice was crying out for you.

Oh, the love and the pain your young body gave.

Now I belong to this road and miles I've left behind. The darkness of this highway has become a friend of mine and sometimes at night I wonder where I went wrong, I close my eyes, I see your face and I'm gone.

I know there'll come a day when they will put my bones away and I'll descend into the earth from which I grew, yeah brother I'll be lying next to you, yeah brother I'll be lying next to you.

Overall Meaning

The song "Brothers" by Sleep Station is a beautiful, emotional tribute to the unbreakable bond between siblings, even in death. The song starts with a beautiful poetic imagery of two brothers walking through the woods, singing each other's songs like brothers would. As they walk, they hear their mother's voice calling out to them from afar. The song speaks of how the brothers had a deep connection and shared a beautiful bond that not even death could break.

One of the brothers dies in the war when the other is just a young teen, and the song touches on the grief and pain that the surviving brother feels. The surviving brother takes comfort in the letters he received from his deceased brother, and when he visits his brother's grave, he whispers his name and remembers the good things he would do. The loss of his brother is a significant event that has shaped the rest of his life, and he often wonders where he went wrong. Whenever he closes his eyes, he sees his brother's face, and he is gone.

The song ends with the surviving brother reflecting on his own mortality and knowing that one day, his bones will also be put to rest. He finds solace in the fact that he will be lying next to his brother, and their bond will continue, even in death. The song's theme of brotherhood and life's fleeting nature is touching and is sure to resonate with anyone who has lost a sibling.

Line by Line Meaning

We were walking home through the woods. We were singing each others songs like brothers would.
We walked through the woods together and sang each other's songs like the closest of brothers would.

Then I heard our names whistling down the river banks, bouncing off the rocks into the dust, yeah Momma's voice was calling out for us.
Suddenly, I heard our names echoing from the river banks and bouncing off the rocks, and I could hear Momma's voice calling out to us in the distance.

You left for the war when I had turned thirteen. I slept with the letters you had sent to me and when I walked towards your grave I was whispering your name then I turned my thoughts to good things you would do, yeah Momma's voice was crying out for you.
You left for war when I was just thirteen. I clung to the letters you sent me and when I visited your grave, I whispered your name and thought of all the good you would have done. Momma's voice meanwhile cried out for you, missing you deeply.

Oh, the love and the pain your young body gave.
Your young body gave us both love and pain, making us feel both joy and sorrow at the same time.

Now I belong to this road and miles I've left behind. The darkness of this highway has become a friend of mine and sometimes at night I wonder where I went wrong, I close my eyes, I see your face and I'm gone.
Now I belong to this road and have left many miles behind. The lonely darkness of this highway has become a friend of mine, and sometimes at night, when I wonder where I went wrong, I close my eyes and see your face, letting myself get lost in memories of you.

I know there'll come a day when they will put my bones away and I'll descend into the earth from which I grew, yeah brother I'll be lying next to you, yeah brother I'll be lying next to you.
I know that one day they will bury me, and I'll descend into the earth where I came from, lying next to you, my dear brother, for all eternity, side by side as we were always meant to be.

Contributed by Aaliyah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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