Sleepwalking
Your Neck of the Woods Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've got faith in my legs
I trust in the chalk of my bones
I'm a woman a coyote and a tumbleweed
Rolling into dust at a leisurely speed
Some say I've got no direction
But the sun's passing shadows don't point home
So I ramble down the railroad in my slumber
Past the truck stop diners on the road
Where I can see my reflection in a greasy spoon
And in the face of every waitress wishing to howl at the moon

I've been sleepwalking down the tracks all night
All the way from Belle River to the Cincinnatti lights
Dreaming in my cap and slippers, marching down the line
Never wake a sleepwalker, let her take her time

There used to be monsters in my nightmares
Now I see my demons in the day
So I walk about the boondocks in the darkness
Let the moonlit garbage lead the way
I smell like engine oil and the tin-can streets
But I ain't no locomotive I ain't runnin out of steam
A preacher told me I was born a sinner
And salvation was found in holy light
But I'm soiled with a dirty mouth and a dirty mind
And I hope my hands stay dirty 'til the day that I die

I've been sleepwalking down the tracks all night
All the way from mell river to the cincinnatti lights
Sleepin in my cabin slippers marching down the line
Never wake a sleepwalker, let him take his time

I've been working on the railroad all the live-long day
I've been working on the railroad to pass my time away
Can't you hear the whistle blowing, rise up so early in the morn
Can't you hear the whistle blowing, Dinah won't you blow your horn?

I've been sleepwalking down the tracks all night
All the way from mell river to the cincinnatti lights




Sleepin in my cabin slippers marching down the line
Never wake a sleepwalker, let me take my time

Overall Meaning

The song Sleepwalking by Your Neck of the Woods talks about a person's struggle with having a sense of direction in life. The lyrics suggest that the singer is not sure where they are headed and others see them as directionless. However, the singer trusts their instincts and feels comfortable with where they are headed, even if it is not a familiar or well-traveled path. The imagery used in the song, including the railroad tracks and the truck stop diners, adds to the picture of someone who is on a journey and not afraid to take risks.


The song also touches on themes of redemption and self-acceptance. The singer is aware of their flaws and sinful behavior, but they do not believe that salvation lies in a religious sense. They prefer to remain true to themselves and embrace the dirtiness of their hands rather than trying to conform to societal expectations of cleanliness and purity.


Some interpretations suggest that the song is a metaphor for life's journey and the importance of following one's instincts and not trying to conform to others' expectations. Others have suggested that the singer represents a marginalized group that is constantly judged for not conforming to societal norms but is content with their own path.


Line by Line Meaning

I've got faith in my legs
I trust in my ability to move forward


I trust in the chalk of my bones
I trust in my inner strength


I'm a woman a coyote and a tumbleweed
I am wild and free


Rolling into dust at a leisurely speed
I am taking life one step at a time


Some say I've got no direction
Some people think I'm lost


But the sun's passing shadows don't point home
But I am not searching for home


So I ramble down the railroad in my slumber
So I wander aimlessly through life


Past the truck stop diners on the road
Past the places where people find comfort


Where I can see my reflection in a greasy spoon
Where I can see myself clearly


And in the face of every waitress wishing to howl at the moon
And in the face of every person longing for something more


I've been sleepwalking down the tracks all night
I've been moving through life without really being aware of it


All the way from Belle River to the Cincinnati lights
From one place to another without stopping


Dreaming in my cap and slippers, marching down the line
Unaware of my surroundings


Never wake a sleepwalker, let her take her time
Let me live my life at my own pace


There used to be monsters in my nightmares
I used to be scared of the unknown


Now I see my demons in the day
Now I face my fears head on


So I walk about the boondocks in the darkness
So I explore the unknown parts of life


Let the moonlit garbage lead the way
Let the imperfect parts of life guide me


I smell like engine oil and the tin-can streets
I am rough around the edges


But I ain't no locomotive I ain't runnin out of steam
But I am not a machine, I am human


A preacher told me I was born a sinner
I was told that I am flawed


And salvation was found in holy light
And only religion could save me


But I'm soiled with a dirty mouth and a dirty mind
But I am flawed and human


And I hope my hands stay dirty 'til the day that I die
And I hope to never lose touch with my humanity


I've been working on the railroad all the live-long day
I've been working hard my whole life


I've been working on the railroad to pass my time away
I've been working to keep my mind occupied


Can't you hear the whistle blowing, rise up so early in the morn
Can't you hear the call of life, urging you to wake up


Can't you hear the whistle blowing, Dinah won't you blow your horn?
Can't you hear life calling, urging you to move forward


Never wake a sleepwalker, let me take my time
Don't try to change me, let me be who I am




Contributed by Julia D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@shardascarapace9811

When I was a kid, I shared a room with my little sister. She was about four or five when we started and had a habit of sleepwalking. It wasn’t too weird, some of my other brothers had the same experiences when they were that age. My family chocked it up to them having too much energy before bed and their little bodies just couldn’t handle it.

I’ve never been able to sleep heavily, due to having a lot of little kids in my house that were very active late at night. They’d get up out of bed and come sit or try to get out of the house and play in the yard at four in the morning.

I’d trained myself to wake up whenever the beds creaked, so I was always aware of the slightest sound.

This time was different.

My oldest sister had been away at summer camp for the week, so I had taken over her bed on the bottom bunk, and my baby sister was on the top.
The bed frame was metal, so every time you got out of bed there would be creaking and metallic gong sounds.


I remember that I was afraid in my sleep that night.
Normally I face the room, since the window on the other side was at ground level and anyone could look in, I avoided it. I sleep on my side typically.

That night though, I was facing the window.
And there was a terrible,
Horrid feeling I had that was pounding in my ears and I didn’t know why.
My brain hadn’t caught up yet I guess.

When I had the courage to pull away the blankets from over my head,
I saw a reflection in the window pane.


My little sister,

Eyes wide open,
Standing on the side of the bed I usually face,
Staring at me.

She usually wore a princess dress that we couldn’t get her to take off to even wash most of the time, so it was weird that she was just in her pull-up.
Her hair was sweaty and strung out and sticking to her face like she’d woken up hard, like she’d been in a deep sleep.

But her expression was terrifying.

Almost bloodshot, her little face almost couldn’t hold how big her eyes looked, and when her sleep self realized I had noticed her existence she smiled


Naturally I freaked out and smacked her to the floor where she woke up and started crying.
😂😅 and I was like “baby, what were you doing out of bed?” And she told me, “Sissy.. I was sleepy and you woke me up 😡”
So I put her in a fresh pull-up and changed the sheets and washed her face, put her hair back in a lil bun and put her in bed next to me.

She’s almost fourteen now and doesn’t remember anything but yeah. I was terrified.
That’s the main reason I don’t like windows at night lol.




The other story about my little brother sleepwalking is that he had to pee so my older brother tried to take him downstairs to the bathroom (we only had one and it was on the ground floor) and he thought he was there already so he peed on the stairs 😂😂



@ft.meganmccarthy8865

True story!
I have never been a sleep walker or talker, but a few years ago, something really weird happened.
My best friend and I decided to go on a one night, super basic camping trip together before the weather started cooling off in the fall. We lived about 40 minutes from eachother at the time, and I lived closer to the campsite, so the night before we'd head out, she stayed over at my place and we shared my bed.
She's much more of an insomniac, so while I fell asleep quickly, she was up in bed for a while. Within a half hour of me knocking out, I suddenly sat up, firmly and repetitively saying "No," to no one in particular. She woke me up, and we were both very confused, but laughed it off after a minute and went back to bed.
The next day we headed off and set up our campsite. We had some issues with the tent, but figured everything out pretty quickly and had a nice day. Bedtime came, and we settled in for the night. It took me longer to fall asleep without my cozy bed, but eventually I got there (before my friend, as usual.)
Next thing I knew, I was sitting upright with my freaked out friend lightly jostling my arm. I figured out what'd happened immediately, saying "I did it again, didn't I?"
For the second night in a row, I'd sat up, looking upset, emphatically telling something imaginary "No." I was pretty weirded out that time. We'd had sleepovers half a million times, and I'd never made a peep. I couldn't recall a nightmare either time.
The next day, we packed up, and drove down to her house where I stayed with her for the last night of our fun weekend.
I didn't do it again that night. I had never done it before, and never did it again. I've lived with my boyfriend now for almost 3 years and I haven't done a single weird thing in my sleep. I dont know why it happened. Not even a theory. Ultimately harmless, but it still weirds me out lol



All comments from YouTube:

@MacBarringer

can we just talk about how beautiful and terrifying this art is?

@amaracrisostomo2612

I know right? Its so beautifully terrifying.

@bizzle9844

11:24

@UncannyValleyVideos

I want to spread the word about Mollie's art. She perfectly captures the hazy, sketchy images that scary stories conjure up.

@alyshalee6313

@UncannyValleyVideos Is that shane's girlfriend, cause i remember being an artist as well.

@80yearsold23

Yeasss she’s @Mollieong on Instagram.

31 More Replies...

@AAAvatar

If ryan wasn't here, it wouldn't be creepy. If shane wasn't here, it wouldn't be funny. Perfect tandem.

@hwaaaang

your pfp perfectly describes your comment LMFAO

@devonleak

balanced. as it should be.

@MK-ex4fe

Love that this story starts with “yeah we started hanging out I guess he was ok” and then they dated for 3 years

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