Midnight Summer Dream
The Stranglers Lyrics

Woke up on a good day
I woke up feeling content and optimistic.

And the world was wonderful
Everything around me seemed perfect and pleasant.

A midnight summer dream had me in its spell
I was captivated by an enchanting dream that I had during the night.

I dreamt about an old man
In my dream, I encountered an elderly man.

Sat and watched the rain all night
The man spent the entire night observing the rain.

He couldn't sleep a wink as all the drops fell
The man was unable to sleep because he was too focused on the sound of the raindrops.

He told me of the beauty
The man spoke to me about the wonderful things in life.

Hidden in our foreheads
He explained that these beautiful things are often hidden inside our minds.

He told me of the ugliness
The man also spoke about the negative aspects of human nature.

We show instead
He pointed out that we tend to project our negative qualities outwardly.

And when we put a foot wrong do we learn
The man questioned whether we actually learn from our mistakes.

From all the pain
He suggested that pain might be a teacher for us.

A midnight summer dream as he watched the rain
The man spoke to me while we both observed the rain in the middle of the night.

Then at midnight he poured another drink
Later on in the night, the man poured himself another drink.

And bent my ear
He engaged me in conversation.

After midnight we sat up half the night
We stayed up very late, talking until the early hours of the morning.

Or maybe more
We might have actually stayed up even longer than that.

And he began to tell me what it was all for
The man explained the meaning behind his philosophies.

I woke up in an armchair
At some point later, I fell asleep in a comfortable chair.

He had gone I don't know where
The old man had disappeared from the room.

Left me there to sit and look at the rain
He left me alone with my thoughts, staring out the window at the rain.

Don't remember much at all
I had difficulty recalling all of our conversation the next day.

But his words were echoing
However, pieces of his advice were still resonating with me.

And then wake again
I had another sleepless night, perhaps due to the old man's advice.

Maybe I'll never find him
I may never encounter the old man again.

Maybe he's gone forever
It's possible that he has passed away or is otherwise permanently absent from my life.

Maybe I'll have to sit here
I might have to grapple with these issues on my own.

Watching the weather
I will continue to observe and contemplate my surroundings.

One thing's pretty certain helped me
One thing I know for sure is that the old man's advice was beneficial to me.

Make it in the night
His wisdom may have helped me get through a difficult or uncertain time.

Showed me somewhere else between wrong and right
The man helped me to consider alternative perspectives and ideas.

And at midnight if you can't sleep
If you ever find yourself awake at night, struggling with your thoughts...

Then I can bend your ear
...I am willing to listen to your concerns and ideas.

After midnight we'll sit up half the night
We can stay up late together, talking and lending each other support.

And I'll begin to tell you what it is all for
I can share my thoughts and philosophy with you, in the hopes of providing some clarity or guidance.

Wake up on a good day
Start your day on a positive note.

And the world feels wonderful
View the world through a positive lens, and you are more likely to see its beauty.

Midnight summer dream has me in its spell.
I am still captivated by the memory of that fateful midnight conversation, and it has had a lasting impact on my life.