Wait for Sleep

Wait for Sleep
Images and Words
Length	2:31
Working title
Release date	July 7, 1992
Lyrics	Kevin Moore
Music	Kevin Moore
First live performance	The Limelight, New York, NY (September 27, 1992)
Total live plays	356
Recorded
Other appearances
Previous song	Under a Glass Moon
Next song	Learning to Live

Wait for Sleep is a song by Dream Theater. It is the seventh song off their second album, Images and Words. The song is notable for being one of only two songs penned completely by Kevin Moore, the other being Space-Dye Vest.

Personnel

• Kevin Moore - Keyboard, lyrics, music
• James LaBrie - Vocals

Lyrics

Standing by the window
Eyes upon the moon
Hoping that the memory
will leave her spirit soon

She shuts the doors and lights
And lays her body on the bed
Where images and words are running deep
She has too much pride to pull
the sheets above her head
So quietly she lays and waits for sleep

She stares at the ceiling
And tries not to think
And pictures the chains
She's been trying to link again
But the feeling is gone

And water can't cover her memory
And ashes can't answer her pain
God give me the power to take breath from a breeze
And call life from a cold metal frame

In with the ashes
Or up with the smoke from the fire
With wings up in heaven
Or here, lying in bed
Palm of her hand to my head
Now and forever curled
In my heart and the heart of the world

Analysis

The song is said to be about a friend of Moore's who he claimed had "a spiritual void" who struggled with her beliefs regarding the death of a friend.

Tone

Wait for Sleep is a ballad, containing only piano and vocals. The song is very short and many see it as an introduction to Learning to Live which reprises the piano theme on other instruments. The song's quiet somber sound is unusual for Dream Theater, though not unheard of.

Notes

Along with Space-Dye Vest, Wait for Sleep is one of only two songs penned completely by Kevin Moore. The song features no drums, guitar or bass, though live performances occasionally use a full-band arrangement.

The song, much like Only a Matter of Time before it, lent a lyric to the title, the line "Where images and words are running deep" is the source of the album's title.

Live Performances

Performances of Wait for Sleep are somewhat rare, especially since Moore's departure from Dream Theater. The band rarely plays the song as it is on the album, usually instead opting for a full band arrangement that fans usually refer to as the acoustic version, due to Petrucci's use of acoustic guitar. Some versions, particularly early ones have been known to have been extended in length, usually due to an elaborate intro from Moore.

Appearances

• Images and Words - Original recorded version
• Taste the Memories - Live version
• Images and Words 15th Anniversary Performance - Live version
• Images and Words Demos - Pre-production demo
• Tokyo, Japan 10/28/95 - Live version
• New York City 3/4/93 - Live version