Ode To Sleep
Producers
I wake up fine and dandy, but then by the time I find it handy
To rip my heart apart and start planning my crash landing
I go up, up, up, up, up to the ceiling
Then I feel my soul start leaving like an old man's hair receding
I'm pleading, "Please, oh please!" on my knees repeatedly asking
Why it's got to be like this, is this living free?
I don't wanna be the one, be the one who has the
Sun's blood on my hands, I'll tell the moon
Take this weapon forged in darkness
Some see a pen, I see a harpoon
[Pre-Chorus]
I'll stay awake 'cause the dark's not taking prisoners tonight
Why am I not scared in the morning?
I don't hear those voices calling
I must have kicked them out, I must have kicked them out
I swear I heard demons yelling
Those crazy words they were spelling
They told me I was gone, they told me I was gone
[Chorus]
But I'll tell 'em, "Why won't you let me go?
Do I threaten all your plans? I'm insignificant"
Please tell 'em, you have no plans for me
I will set my soul on fire, what have I become?
I'll tell 'em
On the eve of a day that's forgotten and fake
As the trees, they await, and clouds anticipate
The start of a day when we put on our face
A mask that portrays that we don't need grace
On the eve of a day that is bigger than us
But we open our eyes 'cause we're told that we must
And the trees wave their arms and the clouds try to plead
Desperately yelling, "There's something we need!"
I'm not free, I asked forgiveness three times
Same amount that I denied, I three-time MVP'd this crime
I'm afraid to tell you who I adore, won't tell you who I'm singing towards
Metaphorically, I'm a whore, and that's denial number four
[Pre-Chorus]
I'll stay awake 'cause the dark's not taking prisoners tonight
Why am I not scared in the morning?
I don't hear those voices calling
I must have kicked them out, I must have kicked them out
I swear I heard demons yelling
Those crazy words they were spelling
They told me I was gone, they told me I was gone
[Chorus]
But I'll tell 'em, "Why won't you let me go?
Do I threaten all your plans? I'm insignificant"
Please tell 'em, you have no plans for me
I will set my soul on fire, what have I become?
About
“Ode to Sleep” seems to represent night and day as both the instrumentation and the lyrics seesaw back and forth between the light and the dark. The verses are riddled with a dark tone full of conflict, similarly to how Tyler describes his nights. The pre-chorus, chorus, and outro all share a light-hearted tone in which Tyler sings about conquering the night and the depression it invokes.
“Ode to Sleep” is Tyler Joseph’s favorite song to perform live, even after releasing Blurryface and touring extensively.
This track was originally featured on Regional At Best in 2011 and was later remastered for Vessel in 2013.
The reason why this is the first song on the album is that I feel like it kind of prepares the listener for the rest of the album, it almost puts them through a boot camp of what to expect… Which is don’t expect anything!
–Tyler Joseph via Rock Sound
The music video was released on New Year’s Eve in 2014. It depicts the band’s rise to fame, starting with their first show and ending with a performance at a venue holding 12,000 fans.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Tyler Joseph via Spotify:
When I was trying to name the song, we actually played it live before it was named. This was back when we had a small following in our hometown. It was small enough that everyone got to write on a piece of paper, saying what the song should be named, and put it into a bucket. One was ‘Ode to Sleep.’
Tyler Joseph has said the following regarding “Ode to Sleep:”
[Sleep] is something that is so important. For whatever reason, there’s a lot of people who struggle with finding the ability to sleep. It’s one of my favorite songs to play live…there are no rules. At least I didn’t think there were any rules when I wrote that song. If I wanted to slow the tempo down, if I wanted to rap…I thought you could just do anything. The truth is, you can do anything. Its just some people find it odd and they don’t like it very much…It’s the perfect song to have at the beginning because it lets people realize, hopefully, that this album is going to be different than anything you’ve heard.
“Ode to Sleep” was certified gold by the RIAA on July 14, 2017.
- 1.Ode To Sleep
- 3.Migraine
- 5.Car Radio
- 7.Screen
- 9.Fake You Out
- 10.Guns for Hands
- 11.Trees
- 12.Truce
- 17.Forest
- 18.Glowing Eyes
- 19.Kitchen Sink
- 20.Lovely
