dreamland
The Sundial Lyrics


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[by Edgar Allan Poe (1844)]

[Verse 1:]
Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters - lone and dead,
Their still waters - still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters - lone and dead,
Their still waters - still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.

Dreamland (dreamland)
Dreamland (dreamland)

[Chorus:]
By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,
By the mountains near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,
By the grey woods, by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of SPACE, out of TIME.

[Verse 2:]
By each spot the most unholy
In each nook most melancholy
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth and Heaven.

Heaven
Heaven

Dreamland (dreamland)
Dreamland (dreamland)

[Chorus:]
By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,
By the mountains near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,
By the grey woods, by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of SPACE, out of TIME.

For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis- oh, 'tis an Eldorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not dare not openly view it!
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed

[Talk:]
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;




And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.

Overall Meaning

The Sundial's song Dreamland is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's 1844 poem of the same name. The song takes the listener on a journey through surreal and haunting landscapes, describing "bottomless vales," "boundless floods," and "Titan woods" that are impossible for any mere mortal to discover. The lyrics paint a picture of a place where mountains topple into seas without a shore, and lakes endlessly spread their lonely, dead waters with the snows of the lolling lily. The chorus speaks of "sad waters" and "lone waters" by lakes that symbolize the utter desolation of this strange place.


The second verse continues the imagery of desolation and melancholy, with "shrouded forms" that start and sigh and white-robed forms of friends long gone. The chorus repeats, and the bridge speaks of Dreamland as a place of peace and soothing for those with many woes or those who walk in shadows, but it is shrouded in mystery, never to be exposed to the weak human eye.


The Sundial's interpretation of Poe's Dreamland is both haunting and mesmerizing, capturing the essence of the surreal and otherworldly vision created by Poe. The lyrics evoke a sense of alienation and loneliness, and the music perfectly complements the mood, with its ethereal melodies and haunting rhythms.


Line by Line Meaning

Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
There are vast canyons and never-ending oceans.


And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
There are deep ravines, caves, and enormous forests.


With forms that no man can discover
This dreamlike world has shapes that are unknowable.


For the tears that drip all over;
The landscape is so sad that even the plants are crying.


Mountains toppling evermore
The mountains are constantly collapsing.


Into seas without a shore;
The mountains fall into oceans that have no end.


Seas that restlessly aspire,
The oceans are always striving, always eager.


Surging, unto skies of fire;
The oceans send waves unto the fiery heavens.


Lakes that endlessly outspread
The lakes go on forever, stretching endlessly.


Their lone waters - lone and dead,
The waters of these lakes are lonely and lifeless.


Their still waters - still and chilly
The water's lack of movement makes it feel cold and eerie.


With the snows of the lolling lily.
The surface of the lake is tinted with lily petals and fresh snow.


By the mountains near the river
The traveler is passing by some mountains that are next to a river.


Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,
The river flows, whispering its secrets all the while.


By the grey woods, by the swamp
There are dull, grey forests by the muddy swamp.


Where the toad and the newt encamp
The swamp is full of toads and newts making it their home.


By a route obscure and lonely,
The traveler is on a desolate and isolated path.


Haunted by ill angels only,
The traveler is being followed by malevolent angels.


Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
This eerie place is ruled by a phantom named NIGHT.


On a black throne reigns upright,
NIGHT sits on a dark throne high up above,


I have reached these lands but newly
The traveler has arrived in this area recently.


From an ultimate dim Thule
The traveler came here from an unreachable, faraway place.


From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
The traveler was from an untamed and incredible world.


Out of SPACE, out of TIME.
The traveler came from a different dimension or reality.


For the heart whose woes are legion
This world is calming for those who have countless sorrows.


'Tis a peaceful, soothing region
Lived in peace and ease in this soothing environment.


For the spirit that walks in shadow
The shadow walker is a ghost or spirit.


'Tis- oh, 'tis an Eldorado!
This is a magical place that everyone desires to reach.


But the traveller, travelling through it,
However, this place is dangerous and requires caution.


May not dare not openly view it!
The traveler must be discreet and not look too closely.


Never its mysteries are exposed
This world's mysteries are never brought to light.


To the weak human eye unclosed;
Only those who have strong will and an open mind can see its secrets.


So wills its King, who hath forbid
The ruler of this place forbids others from seeing its mystery.


The uplifting of the fringed lid;
NIGHT will not let anyone lift the veil and look behind it,


And thus the sad Soul that here passes
So the traveler's soul that travels through this place sees it covered.


Beholds it but through darkened glasses.
He can only view this world through a filter of darkness and confusion.




Writer(s): Prince Rogers Nelson Copyright: Controversy Music, Universal Music Corp.

Contributed by Maya M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Lucinda S. Sigan

one of my top 3 favourite songs ever!

Forest Of Miracles

... congratulations... es hermosa esta rola...

Ivonne Glez.

si pusieran la letra me encantaria más!

hilario guzman esquivel

muy chingon

Lucinda S. Sigan

This really does sound like Cradle of Filth !

Nasch Morrisson

Rueles ♫♫

Gustab Munchausen.

@juanininiinito it's rules man not rueles lol

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