Enter Sandman – English Lyrics

• By: Apocalyptica
• Album: Plays Metallica by Four Cellos

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest in a state of suspended consciousness noun - the natural periodic suspension of consciousness
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to experience dreams during sleep
nightmare /ˈnaɪtˌmɛər/ A2	noun - a frightening or unpleasant dream
sandman /ˈsændˌmæn/ B1	noun - a mythical figure said to cause sleep and bring dreams
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to shed tears, often as an expression of distress
hide /haɪd/ A1	verb - to put something or someone in a place where they cannot be seen
fear /fɪr/ A1	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous verb - to be afraid of someone or something
darkness /ˈdɑːrknəs/ A2	noun - the absence of light
take /teɪk/ A1	verb - to get into one's hands, possession, or control
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter
off /ɒf/ A1	adverb - away from a position or state
before /bɪˈfɔːr/ A1	preposition - in front of
twisted /ˈtwɪstɪd/ B1	adjective - having a corkscrew shape or a spiral form
scream /skriːm/ A2	verb - to utter a loud, sharp cry noun - a loud, sharp cry
innocence /ˈɪnəsəns/ B2	noun - the state or quality of being free from sin, guilt, or moral wrongdoing

Key Grammar Structures

• Hush little baby, don't say a word

  ➔ Imperative sentences (affirmative and negative)

  ➔ "Hush" is an affirmative imperative, meaning "be quiet." "Don't say a word" is a negative imperative, telling someone not to do something. It implies a command or instruction.

• And never mind that noise you heard

  ➔ Imperative with "never", implied relative pronoun

  ➔ "Never mind" is an imperative phrase meaning "don't worry about" or "ignore." The phrase "that noise you heard" contains an implied relative pronoun (that/which) before "you heard", making it a relative clause modifying "noise".

• It's just the beasts under your bed

  ➔ "It's just" for emphasis/simplification, prepositional phrase

  ➔ "It's just" is used to downplay or simplify a situation, suggesting that something is not as serious or complex as it might seem. "under your bed" is a prepositional phrase indicating location.

• Exit light / Enter night

  ➔ Verbs used as imperatives/commands in a concise, poetic manner

  ➔ These are highly compressed imperative sentences where the verbs "Exit" and "Enter" are used directly as commands, implying "Let the light exit" and "Let the night enter." This style is often found in poetry or dramatic instructions.

• Take my hand / Off to never-never land

  ➔ Imperative, elliptical expression of movement

  ➔ "Take my hand" is a direct imperative. "Off to never-never land" is an elliptical expression (missing words) that implies movement or destination. It's a shortened form of "Let's go off to never-never land" or "We are going off to never-never land."

• Dream of angels, dream of lies

  ➔ Imperative, phrasal verb "dream of"

  ➔ These are imperative sentences. The verb "dream" is followed by the preposition "of", forming the phrasal verb "dream of", which means to imagine or think about something, often in a fantastical or aspirational way.

• Sleep with one eye open

  ➔ Imperative, idiom/adverbial phrase

  ➔ This is an imperative sentence. "with one eye open" is an idiomatic adverbial phrase that describes how someone is sleeping. It means to sleep lightly or be vigilant, implying a state of alertness even while resting.

• Gripping your pillow tight

  ➔ Present participle phrase acting as an adverbial modifier

  ➔ "Gripping your pillow tight" is a present participle phrase that functions as an adverbial modifier, describing a simultaneous action to "sleep" (from the previous line, implied). It indicates how the action is performed, adding detail to the main verb.

• And they aren't of Snow White

  ➔ Verb "to be" + preposition "of" to express origin/relation/characteristic

  ➔ The phrase "aren't of" uses the verb "to be" followed by the preposition "of" to indicate origin, belonging, or characteristic. In this context, it means "they are not about Snow White" or "they do not pertain to Snow White," referring to the "heavy thoughts" from the preceding line.