Lyrics When You Dream - Barenaked Ladies, David Leonard

When You Dream

With life just begun, my sleeping new son
Has eyes that roll back in his head
They flutter and dart, he slows down his heart
And pictures a world past his bed
It’s hard to believe, as I watch you breathe
Your mind drifts and weaves
When you dream
What do you dream about?
When you dream
What do you dream about?
Do you dream about music or mathematics
Or planets too far for the eye?
Do you dream about Jesus or quantum mechanics
Or angels who sing lullabies?
His fontanelle pulses with lives that he’s lived
With memories he’ll learn to ignore
And when it is closed, he already knows
He’s forgotten all he knew before
But when sleep sets in
History begins
But the future will win
When you dream
What do you dream about?
When you dream
What do you dream about?
Are they color or black and white, Yiddish or English
Or languages not yet conceived?
Are they silent or boisterous?
Do you hear noises just loud enough to be perceived?
Do you hear Del Shannon’s 'Runaway' playing
On transistor radio waves?
With so little experience your mind not yet cognizant
Are you wise beyond your few days?
When you dream
What do you dream about?
When you dream
What do you dream about?
When you dream
What do you dream about?