While You're Sleeping I'm Dreaming
Tamaryn Lyrics


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Study the velvet light
In your room
Trace the years that fell upon our heads
Gone confused
In time you find a friend that you know
Won′t know you
For time is like a banging drum
Set to solitude

Stay awake
You're far from view
Now you′re floating on nowhere
Can't turn away from all the pain of the world
It wont go for you

Stay awake
You're far from view
Are you feeling it coming?
Can′t run away from all the pain of the world
That wont comfort you

The sun is to color the sky
Simple hues
Feather light that dissipates unites
Around you
The planets are aligned in your palm
With nothing to do
But spin around the heavens saying
There is no hope for you

Stay awake
You′re far from view
Now you're floating on nowhere




Can′t turn away from all the pain of the world
It wont go for you

Overall Meaning

In Tamaryn's song "While You're Sleeping I'm Dreaming," the lyrics explore the nature of time, loneliness, and the interconnectedness between the individual and the universe. The listener is urged to "study the velvet light" in their room and to trace the passage of time that has "fallen upon our heads" while feeling confused and detached from the world. The singer urges the listener to stay awake in order to confront the pain of the world instead of escaping into dreams or solitude. The repetition of the line "Can't turn away from all the pain of the world, it won't go for you" highlights the theme of facing the harsh realities of existence.


The second verse of the song presents a more hopeful tone with the imagery of the sun coloring the sky and the planets aligning in the listener's palm. However, the hopeful imagery is quickly countered with the line "There is no hope for you." The song seems to suggest that while there may be moments of beauty and harmony in the universe, the inherent nature of existence is one of struggle and pain. The listener is encouraged to confront this reality rather than trying to escape it.


Line by Line Meaning

Study the velvet light
Observe the soft and gentle light


In your room
Inside your personal space


Trace the years that fell upon our heads
Recall how time has passed by and affected us


Gone confused
Lost and bewildered


In time you find a friend that you know
As time goes by, you may come across someone you recognize


Won’t know you
But they may not remember you


For time is like a banging drum
Because time can be insistent and repetitive


Set to solitude
And tends to be associated with loneliness


Stay awake
Don’t fall asleep


You’re far from view
You’re not in sight


Now you’re floating on nowhere
Feeling directionless and adrift


Can’t turn away from all the pain of the world
Unable to ignore the suffering that exists around us


It won’t go for you
Because we can’t escape it


Are you feeling it coming?
Do you sense that something is approaching?


The sun is to color the sky
The sun creates the colors we see in the sky


Simple hues
The colors are muted and uncomplicated


Feather light that dissipates unites
The lightness of the colors blends and fades


Around you
All around you


The planets are aligned in your palm
You have the power to control the planets


With nothing to do
But without any purpose


But spin around the heavens saying
They move in a constant, circular motion


There is no hope for you
Implying a sense of hopelessness about the future




Writer(s): Rex John Shelverton, Tamaryn Sitha Brown

Contributed by Gavin T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@tatusko

That verse guitar riff is so fricken cool.

@kbs1212

It’s so shiny and glimmers over the mix so nicely. Love it.

@cl1xor

Everything about this track is cool tbh :)

@AxelZaore

Tamaryn is so cool and so is this album
ironically, I remembered this song from a dream, woke up, and went here to search for it :P
such a great song

@YaMama70007

Such a good performance. Is that Rex on guitar ? So cool

@aaronschowe9037

Love this concert

@vitorbelfort

i super like

@cientifiko

so few likes

@itudor

How can we listen to Londo Grammar [live on KEXP] ?

@diegomontalvo9173

Ethereal