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.
Touch
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As vivid as it truly is
Fall in love in a single touch
And fall apart when it hurts too much
Can we skip past near-death clichés
Where my heart restarts, as my life replays?
All I want is to flip a switch
I know, I know the sirens sound
Just before the walls come down
Pain is a well-intentioned weatherman
Predicting God as best he can
But God, I want to feel again
Rain or shine, I don't feel a thing
Just some information upon my skin
I miss the subtle aches when the weather changed
The barometric pressure we always blamed
All I want is to flip a switch
Before something breaks that cannot be fixed
Invisible machinery
These moving parts inside of me
Well, they've been shutting down for quite some time
Leaving only rust behind
Well I know, I know the sirens sound
Just before the walls come down
Pain is a well-intentioned weatherman
Predicting God as best he can
But God, I want to feel again
Oh God, I want to feel again
Down my arms, a thousand satellites
Suddenly discover signs of life
The song "Touch" by Sleeping at Last is about the desire to feel emotions as vividly as possible, even if it means risking heartbreak. The first verse expresses the longing to experience love through physical touch, but also the fear of being hurt too much. The second verse suggests a desire to avoid cheesy, near-death experiences that are supposed to make someone feel alive again. Instead, the singer wants to find a way to feel fully present in their emotions without risking irreversible damage. The bridge of the song acknowledges the role of pain in life, but also asks for a way to feel those emotions again without being numb. The final lines of the song paint a hopeful picture of a reawakening: "Down my arms, a thousand satellites / Suddenly discover signs of life."
Line by Line Meaning
When will I feel this
Wondering when the singer will experience a particular feeling.
As vivid as it truly is
Questioning if the singer will truly feel this emotion as intensely as it exists.
Fall in love in a single touch
Yearning to experience a profound love from a simple touch.
And fall apart when it hurts too much
Expecting to break apart when experiencing too much pain.
Can we skip past near-death clichés
Asking to avoid dramatic near-death experiences that have become overused in storytelling.
Where my heart restarts, as my life replays?
Referring to a common trope where someone's life flashes before their eyes as they near death.
All I want is to flip a switch
Desiring to easily change their emotional state.
Before something breaks that cannot be fixed
Wanting to prevent any irreversible emotional damage.
I know, I know the sirens sound
Acknowledging the warning signs of an emotional breakdown.
Just before the walls come down
Referring to a metaphorical emotional collapse.
Pain is a well-intentioned weatherman
Comparing emotional pain to a weatherman trying to predict a storm.
Predicting God as best he can
Acknowledging that pain is beyond human control, and only a higher power can predict it.
But God, I want to feel again
Expressing a desire to feel anything, even pain, instead of feeling numb.
Rain or shine, I don't feel a thing
Describing an emotional numbness that does not change regardless of the circumstances.
Just some information upon my skin
Feeling disconnected from physical sensations and only perceiving them as data.
I miss the subtle aches when the weather changed
Longing for the sensation of subtle physical discomfort that comes with changing weather.
The barometric pressure we always blamed
Referencing a shared joke or memory of blaming weather changes for their aches and pains.
Invisible machinery
Describing the body's internal systems that are not easily visible or perceivable.
These moving parts inside of me
Acknowledging the complex biological processes that keep the body running.
Well, they've been shutting down for quite some time
Noticing a decline in their physical and emotional well-being.
Leaving only rust behind
Metaphorically comparing the failing internal systems to a rusting machine with no oil to keep it running.
Down my arms, a thousand satellites
Describing a sudden pinpointed sensation after feeling numb for so long.
Suddenly discover signs of life
Feeling the sense of relief and hope that comes with a sudden return to feeling.
Well I know, I know the sirens sound
Reiterating the acknowledgement of the warning signs of an emotional breakdown.
Just before the walls come down
Repeating the metaphorical collapse of emotional walls.
Oh God, I want to feel again
A plea to a higher power to restore the ability to feel emotions.
Writer(s): Ryan O'neal
Contributed by Addison N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
eva
"all i want is to flip a switch
before something breaks that can not be fixed"
"rain or shine i dont feel a thing
its just some information upon the skin"
"oh god i wanna feel again"
those lyrics hit me hard.
Mortar_And_Pestle____
Don't mind me, just making heart-wrenching, WOF-based stories.
Sakura laid beside Red'Diamond, gazing at his neutral face as his raspy breaths laid a sort of rhythm for her to breathe by as well. She felt her scales melt into a warm pink as she leaned into his chest and held him as close and tight as she dared. She felt herself, her grip on this life loosening day by day.
By sunrise one of them would be dead. She knew the agony it would bring them both to find their soulmate dead in their grasp. She held him tighter, her chest tightening with the ever-increasing sorrow. She wanted to stay here for as long as she could, she wanted to wake him up with breakfast.
She watched as her surroundings slid into blackness. She knew that she was asleep, but she'd never wake up again...only, she did. She opened her eyes to see a panicked Red, holding her.
"Sakura! Oh my moons, I thought I lost you!" Red exclaimed, holding her as tightly as his feeble old body could, she felt the hot tears spring out of her eyes, stain her cheeks and the soft pit-pat noise they made as they landed on Red's almost gray, dark, sun-bleached and chipped scales. He was a shabby old fool next to the stud he'd been when they first met. He always looked the same to her, the same old, sweet, considerate, overprotective and loving dragon she married.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. We're okay." Red said soothingly. They both knew that couldn't be farther from the truth.
"Red, I don't wanna go." Sakura suddenly sensed the urgency of their impending doom. Red just nodded slowly, sitting up and holding her. She took in his smell, which was expensive champagne, roses and the slight undertone of cashmere.
She really didn't want to go, but she felt everything slowly fade.
First, the scent left her.
Second, her vision began blurring and she heard Red sniffle.
Third, the sense of touch. She felt weightless as her talons went limp.
She heard Red give a choked sob as he held her. Her hearing began to fade, she heard Red's heavy sobbing and sniffling, before he whispered softly,
"I love you. I promise I'll never forget you. Nobody will forget you as long as I'm here."
After that, she was gone. The weightless feeling consumed her and the warmth of Red's arms around her faded. She was dead now. The blackness had consumed her eyes, the only sound her ears provided was subtle ringing.
Oh, poor Red. Poor, hopeless Red.
Red sat, holding his dead wife and sobbing for hours.
She was gone.
The reason he'd stopped drinking, the one thing he'd vowed to love until the day he ceased was gone. He could barely breathe as he looked down at her pale face, tears splashing on her scales.. she was..so beautiful, even in death, she outshone the sun itself. The moon and stars were jealous of how she shined.
He deeply inhaled, taking in her scent one more time. The smell of sunlight, sakura trees in bloom, and of course the hint of cashmere. He was still holding her when their children arrived. Sunshower was the most shaken, the poor thing.
"DAD?!" Sunshower had screamed, her voice shattering his thoughtless mourning like a stone in glass.
"She's dead." Eve whispered, tears spilling over her too-large eyes, Red was glad they hadn't brought the dragonets. He just sat there, an empty husk as their children went off, to arrange the funeral, take her to the funeral home. Oh, how the funeral would sting.
(1 year later-)
Red looked down at the empty bed. He'd kept the bed clean, but never changed the padding (it didn't rot).
He couldn't bring himself to, it still smelled of her a year after her death. He laid down, sighing heavily and closing his eyes. He expected the common nightmare, but instead it was simply black.
His nose twitched, but picked up no scent. After a while, his touch on the sheets had left him too. He..he was going to die, finally. After all those nights of missing her, he'd see her and hold her again.
"Red?" A whisper-like voice asked, but he knew it was Sakura's. He opened his eyes, a dazzling field of dandelions and wildflowers expanded on and into infinity before them. Sakura was young, and beautiful as she'd always been.
"We're here?" Red asked, expecting to be plunged into some sort of terrible blackness, the feeling of fault for her death. "We're here." Sakura answered, and he needed no further explanation. He just held her. He had realized his own body was brought back to youth, and he smiled.
"We're here!" He bellowed into the vast, endless space as he lifted her and spun with her in his arms. Tears of happiness stained both of their faces.
He kissed her, again inhaling the scent of his late wife. The sunlight, sakura and cashmere was still as strong as before.
Blue Orion
“All I want, is to flip a switch before something breaks that cannot be fixed”
If my two good girls where here, they would be at the foot of my bed sleeping
I really miss you girls and I didn’t want you to leave so early. Why did you do this to me? I thought we where best friends… forever.
- My Beloved Girls, To Whom Helped Me The Most
-Maddie, The Golden Retriever
And Amor, The King Charles Spaniel
May You Bound Around…
…Wherever you are 🌹🌹🥀🥀
Annelise Slater
Girl: Do you wanna be with me forever
Boy: no
Girl:Do you like me
Boy:no
Girl: Would you cry if I walk away
Boy: no
She heard enough and was. She walked away with tears The boy grabbed her arm
Boy:I don't wanna be with you forever. I need to be with you forever
Boy:l don't like you. I love you
Boy: I wouldn't cry if you walked away.I would die if you walked away
Boy whispers: Plz stay with me
Girl:I will
Tonight at midnight 🌚 your true love will realize he likes you something good will happen at Get ready for the shock of your life
Samar Bazarbachi
This song understands all my pain
_CosmoVøid_
Same
Caitlyn♡
yep
Krainell
Love you guys
Netisha
Agreed
eva
"all i want is to flip a switch
before something breaks that can not be fixed"
"rain or shine i dont feel a thing
its just some information upon the skin"
"oh god i wanna feel again"
those lyrics hit me hard.
Black Hole
Same here after my dog died
preshious Evans
Same here after my gamily died
Xiao Yu~☠
@preshious Evans u good?
preshious Evans
@Xiao Yu~☠ no but I'm okay ig