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.
Homesick
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the world was brighter, before we learned to dim it down
Call it survival, call it the freedom of will
Where breath is our own, our compass needle standing still
Our resignation only comes on beaten paths
When the world was flat we dreamt of ...
Is it buried treasure or just a single puzzle piece?
It's poison ivy beneath our brave and trusting feet
All revelations come to us in recovery
Cry wolf, cry mercy, cry the name of the one you were raised to believe
Cry heart, cry yourself to sleep, cry a storm of tears if it helps you breathe
It helps you, if it helps you breathe
The song Homesick by Sleeping at Last talks about the blurry memories of the brighter world of our childhood that we tend to forget as we grow older. The lyrics narrate the journey of survival and freedom of will as we try to navigate our lives with an elusive concept of love, hoping to uncover it like a buried treasure or a single puzzle piece. It speaks about the fear that surfaces when we realize that the world is not as flat and easy as we had dreamt of, and sometimes we need to cry our heart out to calm ourselves, to breathe.
The song reflects on how our experiences shape us as individuals and influence our actions. The phrase "Call it survival, call it the freedom of will, where breath is our own, our compass needle standing still" indicates how we develop our survival mechanism and tend to preserve our identity. The line "Where the breath is our own, our compass needle standing still" points towards how breathing is our only constant and can be used as a reference point to guide us through life's struggles.
Overall, the song is an honest portrayal of how we carry the memories of our brighter world along with us and how we try to reclaim it in our journey of life. It also highlights the significance of resilience, faith, and emotional vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
You spend your whole life just to remember the sound
Throughout your life, you try to recollect the melody that once sounded bright.
When the world was brighter, before we learned to dim it down
Long before we subdued every color and decided to live by the grey, the world used to be vibrant and lively.
Call it survival, call it the freedom of will
We call it survival, but perhaps it is the freedom of our own choices that guides us.
Where breath is our own, our compass needle standing still
We take life one breath at a time, where each breath brings us peace and helps us find our way.
Our resignation only comes on beaten paths
We only give up after trying every road and finding ourselves back where we started.
When the world was flat we dreamt of ...
When we thought the world was flat, our imagination led us to conjure dreams of beautiful, wondrous places.
If love's elastic, then were we born to test it's reach?
If love is stretchable, were we put on this earth to test its elasticity?
Is it buried treasure or just a single puzzle piece?
Is love something valuable and worth discovering, or is it simply a small part of a larger picture?
It's poison ivy beneath our brave and trusting feet
Love can be dangerous, like poison ivy hidden beneath our seemingly confident steps.
All revelations come to us in recovery
We only learn the truth about ourselves and our situations after a period of healing and recuperation.
Cry wolf, cry mercy, cry the name of the one you were raised to believe
When you're in trouble, call out for help, or offer forgiveness for those who have wronged you, and find solace in the beliefs you were brought up with.
Cry heart, cry yourself to sleep, cry a storm of tears if it helps you breathe
If crying is the only way to make it through the hurt and pain, then cry as much as you need to to help you cope.
It helps you, if it helps you breathe
If something brings you comfort or helps you find peace during rough times, then it's worth it.
Contributed by Jeremiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lazedaisies
You spend your whole life just to remember the sound
When the world was brighter, before we learned to dim it down
Call it survival, call it the freedom of will
Where breath is our own, our compass needle standing still
Our resignation only comes on beaten paths
When the world was flat we dreamt of its edges
If love's elastic, then were we born to test it's reach?
Is it buried treasure or just a single puzzle piece?
It's poison ivy beneath our brave and trusting feet
All revelations come to us in recovery
Cry wolf, cry mercy, cry the name of the one you were raised to believe
Cry heart, cry yourself to sleep, cry a storm of tears if it helps you breathe
It helps you, if it helps you breathe
@imstillwakingup
it is quite rare for me to fall in love with every song i click on by the same artist. sleeping at last is one of them. music is amazing =D
@mariamoooooo
same!
@chocomonster90
and switchfoot? if you havent .. do take some time to check them out. :)
@imstillwakingup
Deblina PattanayakĀ yes i love switchfoot too! 'Enough to Let Me Go', 'Always', 'This is Your Life' and 'This is Home' are my favourites =D
@HeartforHeartless
MsDERPDIDERPĀ Such a good band. Seriously don't know how they can keep me hooked ever song I listen to.
@mariamoooooo
HeartforHeartlessĀ ikr! i love their style ugh its beautiful <3
@voletmoonblaze
Gorgeous. I feel like his songs always have that one line that I can't get over. For this one it's "Cry wolf, cry mercy, cry the name of the one you were raised to believe." Just beautiful
@serrot970311
I think it's this one "Cry heart, cry yourself to sleep, cry a storm of tears if it helps you breathe" it touches me
@SiSi-oi2or
Selia Baxter for me it's both, that one and cry yourself to sleep if it helps you breathe one
@lazedaisies
You spend your whole life just to remember the sound
When the world was brighter, before we learned to dim it down
Call it survival, call it the freedom of will
Where breath is our own, our compass needle standing still
Our resignation only comes on beaten paths
When the world was flat we dreamt of its edges
If love's elastic, then were we born to test it's reach?
Is it buried treasure or just a single puzzle piece?
It's poison ivy beneath our brave and trusting feet
All revelations come to us in recovery
Cry wolf, cry mercy, cry the name of the one you were raised to believe
Cry heart, cry yourself to sleep, cry a storm of tears if it helps you breathe
It helps you, if it helps you breathe