Let Me Dream A While – English Lyrics

• By: Passenger
• Album: Sometimes It's Something, Sometimes It's Nothing At All

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Passenger's "Let Me Dream A While" and enrich your English vocabulary while exploring themes of nostalgia and escapism. This acoustic masterpiece, with its vivid imagery and heartfelt lyrics, offers a unique opportunity to learn about emotions and memories. Discover the beauty of dreams and improve your language skills through Passenger's evocative storytelling.

[English]

作词 : Michael Rosenberg

作曲 : Michael Rosenberg

Well when the lights hang low

And I lay down and close my eyes

I see colors and spinning wheels

I hear a language I don't understand

I see people I've not seen for years

I hold a magic in my hands

I sing songs that I'll never write cause they're gone by the morning light

Yes and I dream away

I'm as free as a summer sky

I swim in oceans turquoise and deep

I lay down in fields of gold

I climb mountains snow white and steep

Though I never feel the cold

I can't stay there try as I might

Cause I'm gone by the morning light

So if you find that I'm sleeping

Soft and warm as a child

Will you just let me be

For a moment happy and free

Oh won't you please

Let me dream a while

Oh when the night draws in

And I lay down and I rest my head

I find boxes of photographs

And old movies I saw long ago

I can still hear my sister laugh

On the beaches of Mexico

Where the phosphorescence shines 'neath the moon

And thousand stars the glow

Yeah they always fade out so soon

To a place where I just can't go

Though I hold on to 'em so tight

They are gone by the morning light

So if you find that I'm sleeping

Soft and warm as a child

Oh won't you just let me be

For a moment happy and free

Oh won't you please

Let me dream a while oh

Oh won't you please

Let me dream a while

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dream /driːm/ A1	verb - to have a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not imprisoned or enslaved
sleeping /ˈsliːpɪŋ/ A1	verb - to be in a state of rest, especially during the night
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
magic /ˈmædʒɪk/ A2	noun - the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces
turquoise /ˈtɜːrkɔɪz/ B1	adjective - of a bluish-green color
steep /stiːp/ B1	adjective - having a sharp incline
phosphorescence /ˌfɒsəˈrɛsəns/ C1	noun - a luminescence emitted by a substance due to the absorption of radiation
fade /feɪd/ B1	verb - to gradually become faint or disappear
hold /həʊld/ A1	verb - to have or keep in one's grasp
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to produce musical sounds with the voice
climb /klaɪm/ A2	verb - to go up or scale a height
gold /ɡəʊld/ A1	noun - a yellow precious metal
snow /snəʊ/ A1	noun - precipitation in the form of ice crystals
moment /ˈməʊmənt/ A2	noun - a very brief period of time

Key Grammar Structures

• I see colors and spinning wheels

  ➔ Present Simple for habitual actions/descriptions

  ➔ The "Present Simple" tense is used here to describe actions and observations that are habitual or characteristic of the speaker's dreams, rather than happening at a specific moment. It expresses what the speaker consistently "sees" and "hears" when they dream.

• I sing songs that I'll never write cause they're gone by the morning light

  ➔ Defining Relative Clause with 'that'

  ➔ The clause "that I'll never write" is a "defining relative clause" that provides essential information about the noun "songs." It specifies *which* songs the speaker sings, without which the meaning would be incomplete.

• I'm as free as a summer sky

  ➔ Simile using 'as...as'

  ➔ This line uses a "simile" to make a direct comparison between the speaker's state of being ("I'm free") and "a summer sky," emphasizing the extent of their freedom. The structure "as + adjective + as" is characteristic of similes.

• Though I never feel the cold

  ➔ Concessive Clause with 'Though'

  ➔ "Though" introduces a "concessive clause," which presents a contrast or an unexpected fact in relation to the main clause (implied: "I climb mountains snow white and steep"). It means "despite the fact that" or "even though."

• I can't stay there try as I might

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression: 'try as I might'

  ➔ "Try as I might" is an "idiomatic expression" used to convey that despite making a great effort or trying very hard, something is not possible or cannot be achieved. It's a more emphatic way of saying "even though I try hard."

• So if you find that I'm sleeping

  ➔ Conditional Clause (Type 1) and Noun Clause as Object

  ➔ This line combines a "Type 1 Conditional clause" ("if you find...") to express a real possibility in the future, with a "noun clause" ("that I'm sleeping") functioning as the direct object of the verb "find." The noun clause completes the meaning of "find."

• Will you just let me be

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Will' for a Polite Request

  ➔ The "modal verb 'will'" is used here to form a polite request, asking the listener to allow the speaker to be in a certain state. It's a common way to ask for permission or a favor.

• Oh won't you please Let me dream a while

  ➔ Negative Interrogative for a Strong Request / Causative Verb 'Let'

  ➔ "Won't you please" is a "negative interrogative" used to make a very earnest, polite, and persuasive request. Coupled with the "causative verb 'let'," it asks for permission or for someone to allow the speaker to "dream a while."

• I can still hear my sister laugh

  ➔ Verb of Perception + Object + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ This structure uses a "verb of perception" ("hear") followed by its object ("my sister") and then a "bare infinitive" (the base form of the verb without "to," "laugh"). It describes perceiving an action as it happens.

• Where the phosphorescence shines 'neath the moon

  ➔ Adverbial Clause of Place with 'Where'

  ➔ The clause "Where the phosphorescence shines 'neath the moon" is an "adverbial clause of place." It provides additional information about the location ("Mexico" implied from the previous line), specifying *where* the action described in the preceding context takes place.