In Sleep

Album: Catching A Tiger (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the first single from American singer-songwriter Lissie's debut album, Catching A Tiger. The song was written after the breakup of a long-term relationship. "I'd have these great dreams, like everything was fine and we were together and life was happy and everything's good," Lissie recalled to MTV News. "That would be the place where I could see him and I would wake up from that dream and it was like the reality is that we're not together anymore and I need to get over it and move on with my life - which is gonna take some time but it's going to hurt until it stops hurting, and that's all right too."
  • Lissie did a piano-vocal take of this on her 2019 album, When I'm Alone: The Piano Retrospective.
  • This was used on the TV series Parenthood in the 2011 episode "Do Not Sleep with Your Autistic Nephew's Therapist."
  • Lissie keeps coming back to the subject of sleep with the songs "Sleepwalking" and "Don't You Give Up On Me" (which contains the lyric, "what kind of world will there be when I wake up from this dream"), as well as a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." She told Songfacts she's a really vivid, almost clairvoyant, dreamer. "I have songs off of my first EP and album that I swear were foretelling choices I would make in the future, subconsciously, and there's a lot of dreamy stuff like that. Not that I think that I can dream the future, but I have weird dreams that way, and they really influence my moods and my decisions."

Comments: 1

  • Xavier B. from Montrealwhen you are truly and completely heartbroken...and this happens once or twice in any life then this song expresses exactly the moment when you realized how much it hurts and how difficult is to get the pain to stop...most people wonder what is love because they never experienced but Lissie puts this so rightfully plain....lovely person lovely artist !!!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks

Gary Louris of The JayhawksSongwriter Interviews

The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."