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.
Trees
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The place I've been dreaming of.
Will you follow me?
Trust me, I know where I'm going.
It's somewhere here within the leaves
There must be some mistake
Trust me, I know where I'm going
We'll cut a path out for us
Through the green seas,
We'll make hallways of leaves
I know it seems it was just some crazy dream
And I know my eyes were closed
But this dream feels more real to me
Than life itself.
My ear is pressed upon this wall,
For behind it is that place.
The door is locked
I'll do whatever it takes
(you have to) Trust me, I know where I'm going.
Will you follow me?
Will you follow me, still?
In the moments that I feel
We're closer than ever before
The world drops out from under our feet.
But I believe the darkest of fights
Prove we're almost there.
There is always something there
to take our hearts like thieves
There is always something there
to take our hearts (But nothing matters.)
There is always something there to take
When we arrive
We will hear
Voices sing,
Nothing matters.
Nothing matters anymore.
Nothing matters anymore, anymore, anymore.
It's beginning to get dark.
But don't worry,
I know where we are,
I know where we are.
Will you follow me, still?
In the song "Trees" by Sleeping at Last, the lyrics describe a yearning for a dream-like place that is just beyond the trees. The singer is reassuring someone to trust them as they make their way through the trees to this place. The imagery of cutting a path and making hallways of leaves is used to describe the journey. The lyrics convey a sense of longing for something beyond reach, but the singer remains hopeful and confident in their direction. They believe in the dream and are willing to do whatever it takes to reach it, even if the path is uncertain.
The lyrics can be interpreted in different ways, but one interpretation is that they represent a search for meaning and purpose in life. The dream-like place beyond the trees could symbolize a higher purpose or a sense of fulfillment that the singer is seeking. The journey through the trees represents the challenges and obstacles one may face in pursuit of their goals. The reassurance to trust in the singer's direction could represent the importance of having faith in oneself and one's own path.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just beyond those trees
The place I've been dreaming of is just beyond the trees
The place I've been dreaming of.
The place they've been dreaming of is the destination
Will you follow me?
Asking the listener to follow them to the destination
Trust me, I know where I'm going.
Confirms the guide's knowledge and trustworthiness
It's somewhere here within the leaves
The destination is somewhere amongst the trees and foliage
There must be some mistake
Uncertainty arises as the desired location is not immediately visible
We'll cut a path out for us
The guide will create a way to the destination
Through the green seas,
The foliage is dense and expansive
We'll make hallways of leaves
The guide will create a path through the foliage
I know it seems it was just some crazy dream
The journey to the destination feels surreal
And I know my eyes were closed
The destination was initially perceived in a dreamlike state
But this dream feels more real to me
The guide believes the destination is more real than reality itself
Than life itself.
The destination holds more value than daily life
My ear is pressed upon this wall,
The guide listens closely for sounds of the destination behind a wall
For behind it is that place.
The guide believes the destination is just behind the wall
The door is locked
There is a barrier preventing access to the destination
I'll do whatever it takes
The guide will overcome the barrier to reach the destination
(you have to) Trust me, I know where I'm going.
The guide reaffirms their trustworthiness and knowledge
Will you follow me?
The guide continues to ask the listener to follow them
Will you follow me, still?
Asking for continued trust and perseverance from the listener
In the moments that I feel
Describing the guide's feelings of progress towards the destination
We're closer than ever before
Conveys the idea of nearing the destination
The world drops out from under our feet.
The journey is overwhelming and all-consuming
But I believe the darkest of fights
Hardships and struggles along the way are necessary to reach the destination
Prove we're almost there.
The guide trusts that overcoming adversity means they are nearer to the destination
There is always something there
Barriers and complications arise on the journey to the destination
to take our hearts like thieves
The struggles can be emotionally draining and difficult
But nothing matters.
The guide remains determined and focused on the destination
Nothing matters anymore.
The guide becomes hardened to distractions or obstacles
Nothing matters anymore, anymore, anymore.
Indicating a steadfast resolution towards the destination
It's beginning to get dark.
The journey becomes more difficult or uncertain
But don't worry,
Reassures the listener or themselves of the guide's abilities
I know where we are,
Confident in their path towards the destination
I know where we are.
Underscores previous confidence in their journey
Will you follow me, still?
Reiterating the importance of perseverance and trust in the journey
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOYCE KILMER, OSCAR RASBACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind