Near its inception, Sleeping At Last's amateur debut album, Capture, was noticed by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who helped expose the music to the major-label world. Soon after, the band signed to Interscope Records and released 2003's Ghosts , their first official full-length album. Two independently-released full-length records followed: 2006's Keep No Score and 2009's Storyboards . In between the writing and recording of albums, the band has established a reputation for a pitch-perfect live show, successfully headlining several U.S. tours and sharing the stage with such artists as Switchfoot, Yellowcard, Something Corporate, Billy Corgan's Zwan, Alanis Morrisette, Lifehouse, and Phantom Planet, just to name a few. The creative process has always been protected, as the band self-produced each record, working with respected mixers such as John Goodmanson and Alan Moulder.
After the departure of drummer Chad O'Neal in 2011, the remaining duo embarked on the ambitious Yearbook project, in which O'Neal and Perdue released three songs on the first of every month in individual EPs. After its completion, all EPs were compiled into an LP and published independently. However, upon the final release of the Yearbook series, Perdue stepped down from the duo, leaving Ryan O'Neal a solo artist under the group's pre-existing moniker.
On December 10, 2012, O'Neal announced his largest project to date: the Atlas series, a three-part project approaching the themes of the origins of the universe and human development. Similar to 2011's Yearbook compilation, each set of new songs would be released as individual EPs until each part's completion, at which time the compilation of songs would be released as an LP. Up to now, 2014's Atlas I and 2019's Atlas II remain as stellar examples of O'Neal's accomplishments as a solo independent artist. Production on Atlas III is in progress, and its first two songs, "Overture III" and "Awake" have been released as singles.
Besides the Atlas series, O'Neal has kept busy with other projects, including three albums of covers commissioned by ABC's "Grey's Anatomy", in which Sleeping At Last has appeared a whopping 77 times. Sleeping At Last also produced the scores for the documentaries Many Beautiful Things (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and charity:water's The Spring (Original Score). Finally, O'Neal has released multiple singles surrounding significant astronomical events, published as a compilation in 2020 under the title of Astronomy, Vol. 1.
Sleeping At Last has long been a beacon shining brightly on behalf of independent artists. In the ever-changing climate of the music industry, the quest for a successful independent career seems evermore difficult to attain. From his new home in L.A., O'Neal pursues this challenge relentlessly through his commitment to musical integrity in his songwriting, and in this way nurtures a unique and personal relationship with his listeners. He has remained true to the things that brought him to music in the first place: his love of melody and the power of words. His music and lyrics emerge from a place that is honest, raw, and spiritual: Says Ryan, "Our faith is a big part of who we are, but we have always intended our music to be for anyone that cares to listen, no matter who they are or what they believe in. Everyone hears a song in a different light."
In keeping with this, Ryan's lyrics ask every important question that occurs. While he promises no fast, sure answers, he somehow always offers hope as the consistent, overarching theme.
Dark Horse
Sleeping At Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were gonna come to me
And here you are
But you better choose carefully
Cuz I, I'm capable of anything
Of anything and everything
Make me your Aphrodite
But don't make me your enemy
Your enemy, your enemy
So you wanna play with magic
Boy you should know what you're fallin' for
Baby do you dare to do this
'Cause I'm comin' atcha like a dark horse
Are you ready for, ready for
A perfect storm, perfect storm
'Cause once you're mine, once you're mine
there's is no going back
Mark my words
This love will make you levitate
Like a bird without a cage
But down to earth
If you choose to walk away
Don't walk away
It's in the palm of your hand now, baby
It's a yes or a no, no maybe
So just be sure
Before you give it all to me
All to me
Give it all to me
So you wanna play with magic
Boy you should know what you're fallin' for
Baby do you dare to do this
'Cause I'm comin' atcha like a dark horse
Are you ready for, ready for
A perfect storm, perfect storm
'Cause once you're mine, once you're mine
There's no going back
So you wanna play with magic
Boy you should know what you're fallin' for
Baby do you dare to do this
Cause I'm comin' atcha like a dark horse
Are you ready for, ready for
A perfect storm, perfect storm
Cause once you're mine, once you're mine
There's no going back
There's no going back,
There's no going back
There's no going back
The lyrics of Sleeping At Last's "Dark Horse" convey a sense of power and danger, as the singer warns her potential lover to be careful with their decisions. The opening lines suggest that the lover has sought out the singer, but she warns him to choose wisely because she is capable of anything and everything. She desires to be made his Aphrodite - his one and only - but warns that becoming her enemy would be unwise.
The chorus introduces the idea of magic, inviting the lover to play with it, but warning him to know what he's getting into before making his decision. The singer compares herself to a "dark horse" - a phrase that typically refers to an unexpected winner or success story in sports or politics. Here, it seems to refer to the singer outperforming the lover's expectations or risking his safety. The perfect storm imagery suggests that once the lover commits to the singer, there is no turning back.
The final lines of the song again emphasize the importance of careful consideration and decision-making. The singer emphasizes that the lover holds the power in his hands, and that his choice to give himself to her must be a firm and final one.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dark Horse" convey a sense of danger and power, with the singer warning her lover to make wise decisions and not to underestimate her. The song speaks to themes of desire, power dynamics, and the importance of making conscious choices in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you were
I knew you would come to me
You were gonna come to me
You were always meant to come to me
And here you are
Now you are finally here
But you better choose carefully
You should be wise in your choice
Cuz I, I'm capable of anything
Because I am capable of doing anything
Of anything and everything
Literally anything and everything
Make me your Aphrodite
Treat me like the goddess Aphrodite
Make me your one and only
Make me your only love
But don't make me your enemy
Otherwise, I'll become your enemy
Your enemy, your enemy
I'll be your adversary
So you wanna play with magic
You want to experience something extraordinary
Boy you should know what you're fallin' for
But you should be aware of what you're getting into
Baby do you dare to do this
Do you have the courage to do this?
'Cause I'm comin' atcha like a dark horse
Because I'm about to surprise you like an unexpected winner
Are you ready for, ready for
Are you prepared for the challenge?
A perfect storm, perfect storm
A situation that is both dangerous and exciting
'Cause once you're mine, once you're mine
Because once you're with me, you're mine forever
there's is no going back
You can't return to your past life
Mark my words
Remember what I'm about to say
This love will make you levitate
This love will lift you higher than you can imagine
Like a bird without a cage
Like a free bird
But down to earth
But you still need to be grounded
If you choose to walk away
If you decide to leave me
Don't walk away
Don't leave me behind
It's in the palm of your hand now, baby
Now it's your decision to make
It's a yes or a no, no maybe
It's a clear choice, no wavering
So just be sure
So make sure
Before you give it all to me
Before you commit yourself to me completely
All to me
Without holding anything back
There's no going back
Once you make your choice, you'll be committed
Contributed by Addison S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.