Sleep Forever – English Lyrics

• By: Portugal. The Man
• Album: In The Mountain In The Cloud

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

As I finally meet my end

I won't be scared, I won't defend

The things I've done

I don't need him like you do

I don't fear him like you do

As the world revolves the sun

I hope the light that I become

Can sleep for once

I won't leave it like you do

I won't lead it like you do

I won't leave it like they do

I don't need him like they do

I just want to sleep forever

Never see tomorrow

Or lead or follow

I don't want to work forever

Know what I know

Or beg or borrow

Just like our mothers

Who gave us our homes

We'll be just like our fathers

And go out on our own

'Cause we are the colors

Of all that you see

We'll be just like our brothers

And take to the streets

And take to the streets

I just want to sleep forever

Never see tomorrow

Or lead or follow

As my world it hides behind

The words only your wars define

They read a lot like news

But I fear it more than you

I fear it more than you

I just want to sleep forever

Never see tomorrow

Or lead or follow

I don't want to work forever

Know what I know

Or beg or borrow

Just like old lovers

Who never leave home

We'll forget the city

We'll forget the roads

'Cause we are all rebels

Never do what we're told

We may not grow money

But man we grow old

Man we grow old

I just want to sleep forever

Never see tomorrow

Or lead or follow

I don't want to work forever

Know what I know

Or beg or borrow

Just like our mothers

Who gave us our homes

We'll be just like our fathers

And go out on our own

'Cause we are the colors

Of all that you see

We'll be just like our brothers

And take to the streets

'Cause we are all children

Yeah we are all man

It may not be much

But we do what we can

We don't need no preachers

To make us believe

That everything's perfectly

Fucked up like me

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to rest the mind and body noun - the state of resting the mind and body
forever /fərˈevər/ A2	adverb - for all time
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth and all the people and things on it
tomorrow /təˈmɒrəʊ/ A1	noun - the day after today
lead /liːd/ B1	verb - to guide or direct noun - the position of being in front or ahead
follow /ˈfɒləʊ/ A2	verb - to come or go after or behind
work /wɜːrk/ A1	verb - to do a job or task noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
know /nəʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of something
beg /beɡ/ B1	verb - to ask for something earnestly
borrow /ˈbɒrəʊ/ A2	verb - to take and use something belonging to someone else
mothers /ˈmʌðərz/ A1	noun - female parent
homes /həʊmz/ A1	noun - a place where one lives
fathers /ˈfɑːðərz/ A1	noun - male parent
colors /ˈkʌlərz/ A1	noun - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye
brothers /ˈbrʌðərz/ A1	noun - a male sibling
streets /striːts/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
wars /wɔːrz/ B1	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country
rebels /ˈrebəlz/ B2	noun - a person who resists authority
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - young human beings below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority.
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human being
old /əʊld/ A1	adjective - having lived for a long time
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - to accept something as true; to have faith in something
fucked /fʌkt/ C2	adjective - ruined; damaged; used to express annoyance

Key Grammar Structures

• As I finally meet my end

  ➔ Present Participle Clause as Adverbial Clause of Time

  ➔ The phrase "As I finally meet my end" functions as an adverbial clause, modifying the main clause by indicating *when* the speaker feels a certain way. The use of 'As' introduces a simultaneous action.

• I don't need him like you do

  ➔ Comparative 'like'

  ➔ The word "like" is used to draw a comparison between the speaker's need for 'him' and the listener's need. It indicates the *degree* to which the listener needs 'him'.

• I don't want to work forever

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The infinitive "to work" explains *why* the speaker doesn't want to continue living. It expresses a purpose or intention.

• We'll be just like our mothers

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will' + Simile

  ➔ The phrase uses the future simple tense ('will be') to predict a future state. The phrase "just like" introduces a simile, comparing the speaker and their group to their mothers.

• We are the colors of all that you see

  ➔ Metaphorical Identification

  ➔ This line uses a metaphor, equating 'we' (the speaker and their group) with 'the colors of all that you see'. It's not a literal statement, but a figurative one suggesting they are fundamental to perception and experience.