The band originally consisted of Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Mike Ratledge, most of whom were former members of The Wilde Flowers in 1966. Later members have included Hugh Hopper, Roy Babbington, Elton Dean, John Etheridge, Karl Jenkins, John Marshall, and Allan Holdsworth.
Soft Machine continued on in name, even after all the original founder members moved on; Mike Ratledge was the last to depart in 1976. Numerous offshoots and side projects have included "Soft" in their names: Soft Heap, Soft Head, Soft Works, and the band Matching Mole, a play on words for the French of Soft Machine ('machine molle'). As of 2005, Soft Machine Legacy is a working concern.
Other musicians in the band during the later period were bassists Percy Jones of Brand X and Steve Cook, saxophonists Alan Wakeman and Ray Warleigh, and violinist Ric Sanders. Their 1977 performances and record Alive and Well: Recorded in Paris were among the last for Soft Machine as a working band. The Soft Machine name was used for the 1981 record Land of Cockayne with Jack Bruce and Allan Holdsworth, plus Ray Warleigh and Dick Morrissey on saxes and John Taylor on electric piano, and for a final series of dates at London's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in the summer of 1984, featuring Jenkins and Marshall leading an ad-hoc line-up of Etheridge, Warleigh, pianist Dave MacRae and bassist Paul Carmichael.
Why Are We Sleeping ?
Soft Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it ends with a curse;
Making life easy,
By making it worse;
My mask is my Master,
The trumpeter weeps,
But his voice is so weak
Why, why, why, why are we sleeping!
People are watching,
People who stare;
Waiting for something
That's already there.
Tomorrow I'll find it ,
The trumpeter screams,
And remembers he's hungry
And drowns in his dreams, saying
Why, why, why, why are we sleeping!
My head is a nightclub
With glasses and wine;
The customers dancing
Or just making time;
While David is cursing
The customers scream!
Now everyone's shouting,
"Get out of my dreams!"
The Soft Machine's song "Why Are We Sleeping?" is a psychedelic and dream-like composition that touches upon the concept of the subconscious, the mask that people wear to hide their true selves and the paradoxical nature of life. The song begins on a hopeful note stating that life starts with a blessing or a gift but ends with a curse, which makes life more comfortable but also more challenging. The opening lines of the song suggest that hardships in life may indeed be necessary for growth and that the most comfortable life may not be the most fulfilling.
In the following verse, The Soft Machine singer references the trumpeter, whose voice is too weak to be heard during the day, but can only be heard during his sleep. The trumpeter represents the inner voice that people possess, but unfortunately, it is often ignored or overlooked. The trumpeter weeps and asks a profound question, "Why are we sleeping?" suggesting that people are asleep in their physical lives, but also that they are asleep to their spiritual and subconscious selves.
In the next verse, The Soft Machine singer refers to observing people and their behavior, and they realize that people are waiting for something that is already there. The trumpeter screams that he will find it tomorrow, yet he remains hungry and subsequently drowns in his dreams, uttering the same question, "Why are we sleeping?" This verse could be interpreted as a statement that many people look for something they believe is lacking in their lives, but they are not aware that they already have it within them.
Finally, in the last verse, The Soft Machine singer confesses that his head is like a nightclub, with plenty of glasses and wine where customers dance or merely pass the time. David, possibly David Allen, the band's lead vocalist, is cursing in this nightclub, and the customers scream. This verse is most likely a reference to the band's lifestyle during that period of their career. The song concludes with the classic Soft Machine line, everyone shouting, "Get out of my dreams!" expressing that people are often haunted by their subconsciousness and experience difficulties relating their desires to their conscious selves.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins with a blessing
The start of something good or positive
And it ends with a curse;
Something that starts good but ends badly
Making life easy,
Simplifying things
By making it worse;
Making things easier but actually making them more difficult or complicated
My mask is my Master,
Hiding one's true self
The trumpeter weeps,
Expressing sadness
But his voice is so weak
Expressing sadness, but not very convincingly
As he speaks from his sleep, saying
Talking while still dreaming
Why, why, why, why are we sleeping!
Questioning why we are ignoring or unaware of something
People are watching,
Being observed by others
People who stare;
Others who are looking directly at us
Waiting for something
Expecting or anticipating something to happen
That's already there.
Something that is already present or available
Tomorrow I'll find it ,
Hoping to discover something in the future
The trumpeter screams,
Expressing strong emotion
And remembers he's hungry
Becoming aware of a need or desire
And drowns in his dreams, saying
Succumbing to the power of our imagination
Why, why, why, why are we sleeping!
Questioning why we are ignoring or unaware of something
My head is a nightclub
Comparing one's thoughts to a social setting
With glasses and wine;
Drinking and indulging in thoughts
The customers dancing
The different thoughts or ideas we have
Or just making time;
Passing time with our own thoughts
While David is cursing
A specific person being angry or frustrated
The customers scream!
The thoughts and ideas being expressed with emotion
Now everyone's shouting,
Everyone expressing their thoughts and ideas
"Get out of my dreams!"
Wanting the thoughts or ideas to stop
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEVIN CAWLEY AYERS, MICHAEL ROLAND RATLEDGE, ROBERT WYATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stevepalmer-drums
It begins with a blessing
And it ends with a curse;
Making life easy,
By making it worse;
My mask is my Master,
The trumpeter weeps,
But his voice is so weak
As he speaks from his sleep, saying
Why, why, why, why are we sleeping!
People are watching,
People who stare;
Waiting for something
That's already there.
Tomorrow I'll find it ,
The trumpeter screams,
And remembers he's hungry
And drowns in his dreams, saying
Why, why, why, why are we sleeping!
My head is a nightclub
With glasses and wine;
The customers dancing
Or just making time;
While David is cursing
The customers scream!
Now everyone's shouting,
"Get out of my dreams!
@rrozoff1
The cruelest irony, that someone who drummed like this even on his first album would be rendered a paraplegic. Bit Wyatt's spirit has always soared.
@eipi5173
Amen truly orginal
@SurlySOB
Kinda like the way Gene the dancing machine from the Gong Show lost his legs due to diabetes.
@richardvalleau7254
I was 16, and my older sister brought me to a party with her “cool friends “. This side of the album played about 3 times in a row. I was halfway to the asteroid belt.and forever addicted to soft machine
@mariainiguez8345
Oh 😍
@skeletonkey6
I wish I had a cool sister to get me in the cool bands like this one!
@calfor1991
One of the few rock bands that rocked out without a guitarist.
@niwreyenrac
My friends and I wore this album out listening to it while tripping from about 1971 or so, on... Kevin Ayers does incredible things with the bass and his voice was impeccable. Too bad more people than ever are sleep-walking their way through life and never stop to wonder why are they sleeping?
@WinChun78
A song listened to by many, but heard by few...
@triplettam
RIP Kevin Ayers. A misfit genius.