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"Sleep" is the tenth track off of My Chemical Romance's 2006 album, The Black Parade.

Background[]

The song is thematically oriented around The Patient’s self-reflectance and diminished care.

The song follows the track known as "Mama" in which The Patient reveals his beliefs on his hellish destiny. This belief has likely lead him into this state of apathy, as he believes actions no longer have consequences at his final destination.

This song features recordings of lead vocalist, Gerard Way's, experiences with night terrors which he believes were invoked by the haunted mansion they recorded Black Parade in.

The isolated vocals of Sleep has made those same recordings clearer, piecing them together (albeit slightly incomplete):

"Late last night, they're not like tremors, they're worse then tremors, they're these terrors, and it's like it feels like as if somebody was gripping my throat, squeezing and, I feel like I'm being choked and I can't breathe and then I shake and I convulse, and sometimes, I'm trying to sleep and I have these waking confessions and sometimes I see flames and sometimes I see people that I love dying and it's always... I'm falling and sometimes when I sleep and I can't, I can't ever wake up."

Lyrics[]

[Intro]
"They're... They're these terrors
And it feels as if somebody was gripping my
They're these terrors. And it's like
It feels like as if somebody was gripping my throat
Like last night
They're not like tremors, they're worse than tremors
They're... They're these terrors
Like last night, they are not like tremors
They are worse than tremors
They are these terrors
And it's like, it feels like as if somebody
Was gripping my throat and squeezing and...as if like somebody was gripping my throat"

[Verse 1]
Some say, now suffer all the children
And walk away a savior
Or a madman and polluted
From gutter institutions
Don't you breathe for me
Undeserving of your sympathy
Cause there ain't no way that I'm sorry for what I did

[Chorus]
And through it all
How could you cry for me?
Cause I don't feel bad about it
So shut your eyes
Kiss me goodbye
And sleep
Just sleep

The hardest part is letting go of your dreams

[Verse 2]
A drink
For the horror that I'm in
For the good guys, and the bad guys
For the monsters that I've been
Three cheers for tyranny
Unapologetic apathy
Cause there ain't no way that I'm coming back again

[Chorus]
And through it all
How could you cry for me?
Cause I don't feel bad about it
So shut your eyes
Kiss me goodbye
And sleep
Just sleep

The hardest part's the awful things that I've seen

[Bridge]
"Sometimes I see flames
And sometimes
I see people that I love dying and
It's always..."

Just sleep
Just sleep
Just sleep
Just sleep
Just sleep
Just sleep
Wake up!

[Outro]
"And I can't... I can't ever wake up."

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