“Dreaming,” at a first glance, appears to be a song about war as it refers to “crossfire,” “surrender,” and “guns.” These instances, however, complete the intricate metaphor the song creates to show the progression of love. The multiple references to war metaphorically represent how love is similar to war with its inevitable “crossfire,” or conflict. The song is told from the assumed perspective of a man directed at the one he loves. The song initially begins with the lines:
I see the place that we've been locked together, together
Like we were something more
And it felt like maybe we could last forever, forever
The “locked place” that is referred to in the lyrics can be metaphorically interpreted as the friendship that the speaker has with his friend. The use of “locked” shows that the friendship which they posses impedes the ability for them develop a deeper relationship. This can further be concluded by the speaker’s statement, “Like we were something more,” as it shows that the speaker and his friend retain a connection that is similar to a relationship deeper than friendship, but is only “like,” and not truly, this deeper relationship. The songs lyrics continue as:
But you led 'em to our hideout
Forced their way inside, now
They want us to surrender, us to surrender
These lyrics now illustrate that there are others who are interrupting the relationship developed in the initial lines of the song. As the song progresses, the transition from friendship to love is clear. The following lyrics show that the initial relationship is no longer a friendship anymore:
But I could go all night right here
Between their crossfire
We'll send them up a message
I'll send the message
We're saying "give it up, give it up"
The speaker shows he is willing to fight for his friend, proving his love for her. This fighting is visualized by the imagery of him standing “right here / between the crossfire.” These lines also posses auditory imagery that further supports the love he has for her. The auditory imagery is apparent when he says, "Give it up, give it up," proving that he loves her as he does not stand by while others express their feelings for her, he speaks out, preventing them from taking her. The song later provides even further visual imagery:
We've got nowhere to run
They've all got loaded guns
Oh no, please God tell me we're dreaming
The imagery of the “loaded guns” is a metaphor for the conflict that the others created within the presented relationship. The “guns” additionally develop the war-like characterization that, as earlier stated, relates to the hardships of love. The previous provided lines have another instance of a metaphor. When the speaker states, “Please God tell me we’re dreaming,” he does not truly wish he is dreaming. The speaker uses dreaming as a metaphor to show how he wishes he could escape from the challenging reality present. The last set of new lines before repetition occurs is the following:
Wait for the dust to settle down around us, around us
And stick to what we know
I think the air is finally safe to breathe again, to breathe again
The world is in your palm now
So take a breath and calm down
Cause you have been selected, you've been selected
The visual imagery of “the dust” settling down around the speaker and his mate is a metaphor for the end of the battle; the conflict has ended and their love for one another persists. The statement that “the air is finally safe to breathe again” further symbolizes the end of the conflict. The speaker lastly shows his love when he states, “The world is in your palm now,” proving that she means the world to him. When the speaker says, “You have been selected,” he is referring to how he has selected her, the audience of the song, to be his partner in life. From the poetic language of the song, it can be concluded that persistence is the key to love; one must be enduring in relationships as all are forced to experience hardships. From the most previous analyzed line, it can be concluded that enduring the pain and “crossfire” that occurs in love is worth it, as the speaker expresses his trust for the one he loves, devoting his entire life and “world” to her.
And it felt like maybe we could last forever, forever
The “locked place” that is referred to in the lyrics can be metaphorically interpreted as the friendship that the speaker has with his friend. The use of “locked” shows that the friendship which they posses impedes the ability for them develop a deeper relationship. This can further be concluded by the speaker’s statement, “Like we were something more,” as it shows that the speaker and his friend retain a connection that is similar to a relationship deeper than friendship, but is only “like,” and not truly, this deeper relationship. The songs lyrics continue as:
But you led 'em to our hideout
Forced their way inside, now
They want us to surrender, us to surrender
These lyrics now illustrate that there are others who are interrupting the relationship developed in the initial lines of the song. As the song progresses, the transition from friendship to love is clear. The following lyrics show that the initial relationship is no longer a friendship anymore:
But I could go all night right here
Between their crossfire
We'll send them up a message
I'll send the message
We're saying "give it up, give it up"
The speaker shows he is willing to fight for his friend, proving his love for her. This fighting is visualized by the imagery of him standing “right here / between the crossfire.” These lines also posses auditory imagery that further supports the love he has for her. The auditory imagery is apparent when he says, "Give it up, give it up," proving that he loves her as he does not stand by while others express their feelings for her, he speaks out, preventing them from taking her. The song later provides even further visual imagery:
We've got nowhere to run
They've all got loaded guns
Oh no, please God tell me we're dreaming
The imagery of the “loaded guns” is a metaphor for the conflict that the others created within the presented relationship. The “guns” additionally develop the war-like characterization that, as earlier stated, relates to the hardships of love. The previous provided lines have another instance of a metaphor. When the speaker states, “Please God tell me we’re dreaming,” he does not truly wish he is dreaming. The speaker uses dreaming as a metaphor to show how he wishes he could escape from the challenging reality present. The last set of new lines before repetition occurs is the following:
Wait for the dust to settle down around us, around us
And stick to what we know
I think the air is finally safe to breathe again, to breathe again
The world is in your palm now
So take a breath and calm down
Cause you have been selected, you've been selected
The visual imagery of “the dust” settling down around the speaker and his mate is a metaphor for the end of the battle; the conflict has ended and their love for one another persists. The statement that “the air is finally safe to breathe again” further symbolizes the end of the conflict. The speaker lastly shows his love when he states, “The world is in your palm now,” proving that she means the world to him. When the speaker says, “You have been selected,” he is referring to how he has selected her, the audience of the song, to be his partner in life. From the poetic language of the song, it can be concluded that persistence is the key to love; one must be enduring in relationships as all are forced to experience hardships. From the most previous analyzed line, it can be concluded that enduring the pain and “crossfire” that occurs in love is worth it, as the speaker expresses his trust for the one he loves, devoting his entire life and “world” to her.
"Dreaming," Smallpools
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