The Philosopher Kings are a Canadian R&B/soul band and were one of the most… Read Full Bio ↴The Philosopher Kings are a Canadian R&B/soul band and were one of the most commercially successful Canadian pop groups of the late 1990s. The name of the band is derived from Plato's Republic, in which he outlines the design of an idealistic government, ruled by philosopher-kings.

Wide Awake
The Philosopher Kings Lyrics

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Maybe I was dreaming when I saw your beautiful face,
But now I'm wide awake, now I'm wide awake
and I can't fall asleep again
I have loved long before we met
But I didn't know
Now I'm wide awake
Now I'm wide awake
and I cant fall asleep again

Maybe I was sleeping every second of my life
I was in a daze
but now I'm wide awake
now I'm wide awake
and I can't fall asleep, asleep
Yeah x 12,
Now my eyes have opened on this world
and I can see theres nothing in it for me
and I'm so tired
but now I'm wide awake
now I'm wide awake
and I cant fall asleep
Yeah x 12
maybe I was sleeping when you walked your pretty face into my world

but I am wide awale and I cant fall asleep again
yes I'm wide, Yes Im wide yes I'm wide awake

Overall Meaning

The Philosopher Kings' song "Wide Awake" is a powerful ballad describing the awakening of a person's consciousness upon encountering love. The lyrics begin with the singer reflecting on the possibility that their initial encounter with their lover's stunning appearance may have been a dream. However, the ensuing experience of love has left them wide awake and unable to fall back into slumber. The singer mentions having loved prior to meeting their current partner, but it didn't compare to their present state of being.

The opening lines could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's life before encountering love. They may have been going through the motions without truly being present or aware of their surroundings. However, with love, they are now fully alert and conscious. The repetition of "now I'm wide awake" emphasizes the newfound clarity the singer feels. They have been awakened to all the possibilities of life brought on by love, but this comes at a cost. The singer is now aware that there is nothing in the world for them other than the love they have found. This realization has left them tired but still "wide awake."

The chorus of the song is a repetition of the phrase "Yeah x12" before the singer repeats the lines describing how they may have been sleeping before but now they're wide awake and can't fall asleep again. They go on to finish the song with a repetition of "Yes I'm wide awake." Overall, the lyrics of "Wide Awake" describe the realization of the transformative power of love and the incredible feeling of being wide awake to the world's possibilities.

Line by Line Meaning

Maybe I was dreaming when I saw your beautiful face,
I may have been imagining when I first saw you and thought you were beautiful

But now I'm wide awake, now I'm wide awake
But now, I am fully conscious and aware

and I can't fall asleep again
and there's no going back to being unaware

I have loved long before we met
I've been in love before, but never knew what it truly felt like until I met you

But I didn't know
But I was ignorant and unaware of the depth of true love

Maybe I was sleeping every second of my life
Perhaps, my entire life, I was metaphorically asleep and unaware of what love really was

I was in a daze
I was in a state of confusion and unawareness

Now my eyes have opened on this world
Now, I've been awakened to the harsh realities of the world

and I can see theres nothing in it for me
and I've come to realize that there is nothing in this world for me

and I'm so tired
and I'm exhausted from trying to find something to fill this void

maybe I was sleeping when you walked your pretty face into my world
Perhaps, I was still metaphorically asleep when you first came into my life