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.
April
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With every desire to balance now
The air is perfect, tonight
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
Carry me
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
I close my eyes trusting you
With every desire to balance now
If I could take away the sorrows
Etched in you
I would, I would
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
Carry me
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
The song April by Sleeping at Last speaks of the singer's trust in someone or something to help them find balance. The lyrics are repeated twice throughout the song, with the first repetition describing the perfect atmosphere of the moment. The singer trusts in something, possibly a higher power, as they close their eyes and seek balance. The second repetition focuses on the sorrows etched in the other person's being, and how the singer would take them away if they could.
The rain is used as a metaphor for tears falling, and the singer asks it to carry them. The use of rain imagery is common in poetic and musical works, usually to symbolize sadness, cleansing, or renewal. In this song, it may represent a release or catharsis. The repetition of the rain imagery reinforces its significance and adds to the somber feeling of the song.
Overall, the song April portrays a sense of melancholy and longing, but also hope for a better future. It encourages the listener to trust in something that can help them achieve balance and overcome sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
I close my eyes trusting you
I have faith in someone, and I am shutting my eyes to express it
With every desire to balance now
I am willing to achieve equilibrium in my life, right now
The air is perfect, tonight
At this moment, the atmosphere feels just right, tonight
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
The raindrops on my hands resemble tears, and it feels emotional
Carry me
I need someone to support me and lift me up, figuratively
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
The raindrops on my hands resemble tears, and it feels emotional
I close my eyes trusting you
I have faith in someone, and I am shutting my eyes to express it
With every desire to balance now
I am willing to achieve equilibrium in my life, right now
If I could take away the sorrows
I wish to remove the sadness and grief of someone
Etched in you
The sorrows seem to be ingrained in the other person's being
I would, I would
I would do anything to get rid of their hardships
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
The raindrops on my hands resemble tears, and it feels emotional
Carry me
I need someone to support me and lift me up, figuratively
The rain, like tears, falls upon my hands
The raindrops on my hands resemble tears, and it feels emotional
Contributed by Matthew R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.