(When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream

My Bloody Valentine's song "(When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream" delves into the complex and often surreal nature of relationships, blending themes of love, disillusionment, and mental turmoil. The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that is both intoxicating and unsettling, where reality and dreams blur into one another. The opening lines, "Turn around to watch all the same / You know (you're) simply a game," suggest a cyclical and perhaps futile nature to the relationship, where the same patterns repeat without resolution.

The chorus, "When you wake you're still in a dream / Not real though I love you unclean," captures the essence of a love that feels both genuine and tainted. The phrase "love you unclean" implies a love that is flawed or impure, yet still deeply felt. This duality is a recurring theme in the song, as the narrator grapples with their feelings for someone who is both captivating and troubling. The line "I'm telling you you're a sick mind / You come back so fine, so fine" further emphasizes this conflict, highlighting the allure and the madness intertwined in the relationship.

The imagery in the song is vivid and often unsettling, such as "Know your smile is colder than ice / That will back you up real nice." This line suggests a facade of coldness or detachment that serves as a defense mechanism. The final lines, "But killing's hardly a weapon for you / Your wasted space is mine to," evoke a sense of possession and control, hinting at the darker aspects of the relationship. Overall, the song captures the surreal and often disorienting experience of being in a relationship that is both deeply affecting and fundamentally flawed.