Sleep
West and Byrd Lyrics

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Anoint my body, say the words and lay me in my grave
Death was creeping for so long, there's nothing they could save

Returned to the Earth
The place of my birth

Wrap me in my funeral shroud, put coins upon my eyes
Burning sage will let your prayers ride smoke into the skies

Returned to the womb
Once vibrant, no entombed

The Dark Sleep of the Dead will press you down
The Dark Sleep of the Dead will pressure you down

Bury my body, reform my soul

Anoint my body, say the words and lay me in my grave
Death was creeping for so long, there's nothing they could save

Returned to the womb
Once vibrant, no entombed

The Dark Sleep of the Dead will press you down
The Dark Sleep of the Dead will pressure you down

The Dark Sleep of the Dead will press you down
The Dark Sleep of the Dead will pressure you down

Overall Meaning

The song "Sleep" by West and Byrd is a haunting meditation on the inevitability of death and the rituals that surround it. The opening lines "Anoint my body, say the words and lay me in my grave / Death was creeping for so long, there's nothing they could save" set a somber tone for the rest of the song. The singer seems resigned to their fate, acknowledging that death has been a long time coming and that there is no way to avoid it.

The next stanza describes the act of preparing the body for burial, with the funeral shroud and coins placed on the eyes. The burning sage represents a purification ritual, as the smoke is believed to carry the prayers and offerings of the living to the afterlife. The line "Returned to the womb / Once vibrant, now entombed" conjures up images of returning to a state of non-existence, where the body is returned to the earth and the soul is released from its mortal coil.

The final stanza repeats the opening lines, emphasizing the circular nature of life and death. The line "Bury my body, reform my soul" suggests a belief in reincarnation or an afterlife, where the soul is reborn or transformed in some way. The repetition of "the Dark Sleep of the Dead will press you down" drives home the finality of death, as the physical body is absorbed back into the earth and the essence of the person is lost to time.

Line by Line Meaning

Anoint my body, say the words and lay me in my grave
Prepare my body, recite the rituals and bury me in my resting place

Death was creeping for so long, there's nothing they could save
The inevitability of death loomed and no attempts could save me

Returned to the Earth
My body returning to its origin, mother Earth

The place of my birth
The place where I was born and now will rest forevermore

Wrap me in my funeral shroud, put coins upon my eyes
Cover me in my burial cloth, place coins over my eyes as a symbol of passage to the afterlife

Burning sage will let your prayers ride smoke into the skies
The smoke from burning sage will carry your prayers to the heavens

Returned to the womb
Like returning to a mother's womb, my body rests in peace

Once vibrant, now entombed
My once lively and energetic self now permanently resting in my tomb

The Dark Sleep of the Dead will press you down
The heavy weight of eternal rest will be upon me

The Dark Sleep of the Dead will pressure you down
I will be held down by the finality of death

Bury my body, reform my soul
Lay my physical body to rest while my soul transforms into its next phase