Dream On
Yusuf (Cat Stevens) Lyrics

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They brang us up with hornns and hollywooden songs
Dead snakes and poisoned wisdoms between our teeth
The evil that's been done sitll is carrying on
And on this night there'll be no peace

The old leaders' bones still beat on our homes
They built our life before us, we had no choice
The evil that's been done still is carring on

And when they're done we will be the voice

Blue bird on a rock, slow wind blowing soft
Across the bare face of the sleeping lake
Rise up and be free, voice whispered to me
And in this way you will awake

Go climb up a hill, stand perfectly still
And silently soak up the day
Don't rush and don't you roam, don't feel so alone
And in this way you will awake

And in this way you will awake
And this way you will awake

Pick up the pieces you see before you
Don't let your weaknesses destroy you
You know wherever you go the world will follow
So let your reasons be true to you

Stay close to your friends up until the end
And when they know that you feel the same way
Rise up and be free and die happily
And in this way you will awake

And in this way you will awake
And this way you will awake

Overall Meaning

In the song Dream On, Yusuf (Cat Stevens) talks about his dreams and how they transport him to different places, full of various emotions. He mentions wandering through streets and alleyways that he's never seen before during his dreams. The feelings he experiences range from fear to hope; he is lifted to incredible heights that he's too frightened to climb during his waking moments. This could represent how his dreams take him to places that he wouldn't dare to experience in real life. Yusuf describes how he wishes every night could be the one that he sees a particular person again. He closes his eyes, and the curtains rise before him, as if he's watching the start of a show. However, he always wakes up before anything exciting happens.

In the second verse, he mentions running from a pack of "lice," indicating that he may be referring to lycanthropy or werewolf-ism. Nonetheless, he finds himself inside a house and he can hear the person he's searching for upstairs. He wants to look for a place to hide, but if he sees the person he's looking for there, he won't dare to dream again, indicating some disappointment or unpleasantness in his reality.

Overall, the song speaks about Yusuf's hopes and fears, of people he has seen and hope to see, all within the context of his dreams.

Line by Line Meaning

Every time I dream I keep seeing,
In my dreams, I always see new and unknown parts of the world.

Streets and alleyways, places that I've never known,
These streets and alleyways are all new and different for me, places that I haven't seen before.

Every time I dream I am being,
During my dreams, I seem to be elevated to a higher level or experience something beyond my normal.

Lifted to a height, that I too frightened to go,
However, it all feels very scary to me and often I'm afraid to move forward.

Then I wake up and find everything's away, it seems, one night ago,
When I wake up, everything seems to have disappeared and all that's left is the memory of my dream from the previous night.

Every time I sleep I keep hoping,
Whenever I go to sleep, I hope for a dream that will bring you back to me.

This would be the night of nights that I see you again,
I eagerly await for that one special night when I get to see you once again.

As I close my eyes like rims and curtains, slowly rising on an empty stage,
It feels like I'm closing the curtains as I close my eyes and begin to dream, taking me into the unknown space of my mind.

Then I'm back in the stall sitting all alone waiting for the show to begin,
But once the dream is over, I feel like I'm back in the same place, feeling lonely and waiting for the next dream to begin.

Every time I dream I would often find myself running,
Many times, I dream of myself running away from something, trying to escape it.

From a wild pack of lice,
In this particular dream, I'm running away from a wild pack of lice which represent something unpleasant or unwanted.

'Till I reach a house and hear the gurge upstairs,
As I find a place to hide, I hear a strange noise coming from upstairs in the house which makes me feel uneasy.

And look for a place to hide,
I keep looking around for a safe place to hide where I won't be found.

But if I saw you there,
But if I were to see you there in my hiding place,

I wouldn't dare dream again of opening my eyes,
I wouldn't need to dream again, as I would be content enough to just see you in that moment.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: YUSUF ISLAM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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