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

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

Lecrae

LecraeSongwriter Interviews

The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.