Following the album's release, the Screaming Jets went to the UK where they based themselves for over two years, touring there and throughout Europe with a variety of hard rock and heavy metal bands. During a series of shows with Ugly Kid Joe, Heaney was fired and replaced for the rest of the tour by one-time Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland.
The band's next album Tear of Thought, which featured Heaney's drumming, was initially slow to gain acceptance until a cover of Boys Next Door's "Shivers" saw the Screaming Jets back in the charts. Heaney was permanently replaced in the line-up by former BB Steal drummer Craig Rosevear and after a US tour with Def Leppard Lara was replaced by Melbourne musician Jimi "The Human" Hocking, who had previously fronted his own band, Jimi Human and Spectre 7, that released an album and two singles at the turn of the decade.
While the Screaming Jets remained only moderately successful overseas, in Australia they were one of the top-drawing live bands of the early-mid 1990s and perhaps the last remaining example of the pub rock acts that had ruled the country's live scene in the late 1970s - mid 1980s. While their single releases rarely scored high on the charts, they won significant airplay on rock radio and the band's tours were wildly successful. In 1995 the Screaming Jets' self-titled album made history when it became the first CD launched via live Webcast.
By the late 90s the Screaming Jets were touring less often and had not released an album of new material since 1996. Hocking had left in 1997 to be replaced by former Judge Mercy guitarist Izzy Osmanovich and after an extensive Australian tour in 2000, Rosevear left to be replaced by Col Hatchman. Although no longer the force they had once been, the Screaming Jets could still draw large crowds and in 2001 were selected to tour with Kiss and Alice Cooper; at the end of that year the band announced an extended break from all touring and recording, playing a final series of shows.
In December 2002, the Screaming Jets did another brief tour in support of a self-financed live album that had been recorded the previous year, but then did not play live again until mid-2004. Since then have continued to record and tour, though more sporadically than during the early 1990s and have also signed a record publishing deal with Universal Records.
Dream On
The Screaming Jets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cut myself on the glass I grind
I'm on my knees on the floor|
Carpet stained with whiskey and blood
I don't know why I'm doing so much
I hurt but I feel no pain
When I see the morning rise
And I kick myself and I realize
So I search my mind, destroy my soul
Turn my collar against the cold
I can't get of the road I'm on
I find solace in an empty shot glass
So I'll just keep dreaming on, dreaming on, dreaming on
I'm to scared to close my eyes
I get nightmares in starry skies
When will all of this end?
I'm on this merry-go-round
I'm up and then I'm down
I can't tell what's happened to me
I see no future in a death wish user
I'll just keep dreaming on, dreaming on, dreaming on
Said I'm dreaming on
Well it seems more or less, that I'm traped by my
own regrets, and I just can't see it any other way
Well I don't know why I can't say no
But it's just like a fever and it grows
It's getting stronger everyday
Too scared to close my eyes
I have nightmares and its' no surprise
Oh is it ever going to end
I'm on this merry go round
You take me up and you're taking me down
And I can't tell what's happening to me
But there's no horizons
Cause there's to much lying
I'll just keep dreaming on
Yeah now, I can see no future and that's for death wish users
I just keep dreaming on, dreaming on
Yeah dreaming on
Said I'm dreaming on ,on & on & on
The lyrics of "Dream On" by The Screaming Jets describe a person who is lost in a maze of self-destruction, pain, regret and addiction. The opening lines create an image of the singer kneeling on the floor, surrounded by broken glass, whiskey and blood, literally cut off from reality. The phrase "I hurt but I feel no pain" suggests a numbness, a disconnection from the physical and emotional world. The person is then depicted as being alone and on the road again, searching their mind, destroying their soul, and turning to alcohol as a form of relief. The catchy chorus, "So I'll just keep dreaming on, dreaming on, dreaming on" portrays a sense of hopefulness and a longing for something better, despite the deep-seated problems.
The rest of the song portrays the singer's struggle with addiction and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics, which include phrases like "I'm trapped by my own regrets" and "It's getting stronger every day", suggest that the singer feels helpless and hopeless, unable to break free from the cycle of addiction. The song ends with the same hopeful chorus as before, but the repetition gives a sense of continued struggle.
Overall, "Dream On" is a song about the pain and hopelessness of addiction, but also about the possibility of change and a better future. The lyrics are powerful and visceral, giving the listener a sense of what it might be like to be caught in this cycle of addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Blood drips down venetian blinds
I'm bleeding from the fingers, the blood is dripping down the blinds and staining them.
I cut myself on the glass I grind
The singer is cutting himself on the glass he is grinding. The activity is harming him physically and emotionally.
I'm on my knees on the floor|
The singer is down on his knees, symbolizing his inability to stand up or fight back.
Carpet stained with whiskey and blood
The artist is drinking heavily and there is whiskey and blood stains all over the carpet.
I don't know why I'm doing so much
The artist is unsure why he is hurting himself and drinking excessively.
I hurt but I feel no pain
Despite being physically hurt, the singer is numbed to the pain due to his excessive drinking.
When I see the morning rise
The singer is up all night and is overcome with regret and longing when he sees the morning arrive.
And I kick myself and I realize
The artist is filled with regret when he realizes he is alone and trapped in his misery.
I'm out on that road alone again
The artist is alone and on a dark path with no end in sight.
So I search my mind, destroy my soul
The artist is trying to find an escape from his negative thoughts but ends up only hurting himself more.
Turn my collar against the cold
The singer is trying to protect himself from the cold physical surroundings and the emotional numbness he is experiencing.
I can't get of the road I'm on
The artist feels trapped on his current path.
I find solace in an empty shot glass
The singer's only comfort is found in the bottom of his empty shot glass.
So I'll just keep dreaming on, dreaming on, dreaming on
Despite the pain and hopelessness, the singer will continue to dream and escape to a better place in his mind.
I'm to scared to close my eyes
The singer is too fearful to let go and rest, as his nightmares and negative thoughts take over.
I get nightmares in starry skies
Even in peaceful surroundings, the artist is plagued by dark thoughts and nightmares.
When will all of this end?
The artist is questioning if there will ever be an end to his torment and suffering.
I'm on this merry-go-round
The singer feels stuck in a never-ending cycle of pain and self-destruction.
I'm up and then I'm down
The singer is experiencing extreme highs and lows, with no balance or stability in his life.
I can't tell what's happened to me
The artist is lost and confused, unsure of how he ended up in this negative place in his life.
I see no future in a death wish user
The artist realizes that his self-destructive behavior has no future and will only lead to his demise.
Yeah now, I can see no future and that's for death wish users
The artist reiterates his statement that his death wish behavior has no future and is only going to lead to his destruction.
Said I'm dreaming on ,on & on & on
Despite everything, the singer will continue to dream and hold on to the hope of a better future.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BRAD HEANEY, DAVID GLEESON, GRANT WALMSLEY, PAUL WOSEEN, RICHARD LARA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
AUSsMLE
Favourite Jets track of all time! Nothing like a show that starts with this. Thanks for sharing