It felt like spring time on this February morning
In the courtyard birds were singing your praise
I'm still recalling things you said to make me feel alright
I carried them with me today
Now
ChorusAs I lay me down to sleep
This I pray
That you will hold me dear
Though I'm far away
I'll whisper your name into the sky
And I will wake up happy
I wonder why I feel so high
Though I am not above the sorrow
Heavy hearted
Till you call my name
And it sounds like church bells
Or the whistle of a train
On a summer evening
I'll run to meet you
Barefoot barely breathing
Chorusx2
It's not too near for me
Like a flower I need the rain
Though it's not clear to me
Every season has its change
And I will see you
When the sun comes out again
Chorusx2
I wonder why...
When the sun comes out again...x6
Comes out...x3
Wake up happy...
'Cause I pray. . .
Most people assume that this is a song about a lover, but Sophie wrote it about her father.
In an interview with Rick Dee, she said:
"My father was very sick and in the hospital, so I took my guitar into the bathroom and wrote it.
There's a bunch of parts in it like that verse were I'm talking about the whistle of the train and running to meet him, and he used to be away a lot, and when he would come home he'd take a train, and we would all take off our shoes and run down the tracks barefoot.
There was three of us and we'd race to see who would get there the first, the fastest, and its funny to sing a song because it's always really emotional, singing about childhood memories, and even now it makes me really emotional..."
"As I Lay Me Down" is a song composed and performed by singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins in 1994. It is from her album Whaler and also appears on The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins. The song is one of her two biggest hits.
The song is a ballad in memory of Hawkins' father. It also appeared in the TV show Dawson's Creek and Now and Then, a 1995 film directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
"As I Lay Me Down" was actually the second U.S. single release from the critical disappointment Whaler. With disappointing sales of the first single, Right Beside You, the song was released with little fanfare (a photograph of Sophie dressed as a sailor graced the cover). Sophie then insisted that her label (Columbia) allow her to tour the country with only an acoustic piano. The song then began getting airplay on adult contemporary stations. During the summer of 1995 it became a huge A/C hit as well as a top ten song. A remix also helped the song gain airplay on other kinds of stations. As I Lay Me Down (with two different video versions) remained on the charts until autumn 1995.
Fans of Sophie have often wondered what the background vocals are saying in "As I Lay Me Down". According to Sophie, the background vocals in the song are saying, "'...ooh la kah koh', which is an indigenous language of the Ballantine tribe. It means, 'wash your feet before you sleep',..."
"Whaler" is the second album by American singer/songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins, released in 1994 (see 1994 in music).
Track listing
all songs written by Sophie B. Hawkins, except where noted
"Right Beside You" (Chertoff, Hawkins, Lerman) – 4:47
"Did We Not Choose Each Other" – 4:25
"Don't Don't Tell Me No" – 4:53
"As I Lay Me Down" – 4:08
"Swing from Limb to Limb (My Home Is in Your Jungle)" – 4:15
"True Romance" – 2:23
"Let Me Love You Up" – 3:26
"Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)" – 5:05
"I Need Nothing Else" – 4:17
"Sometimes I See" – 4:40
"Mr. Tugboat Hello" – 5:30
Personnel
Sophie B. Hawkins - percussion, keyboards, vocals
Neil Conti - drums
Louis Jardim - percussion
Steve Lipson - bass
Peter John Vettese - keyboards
Production
Producer: Steve Lipson
Engineer: Heff Moraes
Programming: Sophie B. Hawkins, Steve Lipson
Art direction: Christopher Austopchuk, Nicky Lindeman
Design: Chika Azuma, Nicky Lindeman
Photography: Merri Cyr, Mark Hanauer
Official Sophie B. Hawkins Website
Updated: Jul 27, 2010
Toronto