Sleep on the Floor Lyrics
Pack yourself a toothbrush, dear
Pack yourself a favorite blouse
Take a withdrawal slip, take all of your savings out
'Cause if we don't leave this town
We might never make it out
I was not born to drown, baby come on
[Verse 1]
Forget what Father Brennan said
We were not born in sin
Leave a note on your bed
Let your mother know you're safe
And by the time she wakes
We'll have driven through the state
We'll have driven through the night
Baby, come on
[Chorus]
If the Sun don't shine on me today
And if the subways flood and bridges break
Will you lay yourself down and dig your grave
Or will you rail against your dying day?
[Verse 2]
And when we looked outside, couldn't even see the sky
How do you pay the rent, is it your parents
Or is it hard work dear
Holding the atmosphere
I don't wanna live like that
If the Sun don't shine on me today
If the subways flood and the bridges break
[Bridge]
Jesus Christ can't save me tonight
Put on your dress, yes wear something nice
Decide on me, yeah decide on us
Oh, oh, oh, Illinois, Illinois
[Outro]
Pack yourself a toothbrush, dear
Pack yourself a favorite blouse
Take a withdrawal slip, take all of your savings out
'Cause if we don't leave this town
We might never make it out
About
Sleep On The Floor is the first song off The Lumineer’s second album Cleopatra. It is also part of ‘'The Ballad of Cleopatra’‘, a short film released by the band that brings together five different music videos. This song talks about the travelling of the narrator and another woman, who sounds like is escaping a hometown. It talks about the changes that someone lives when moving somewhere that is not in their comfort zone.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
It’s just about, I think, [how] people move to big cities, whether it’s New York or LA, certain cities have these promises implied. You’re gonna go there, and you’re gonna fulfill that promise, you’re gonna catch that dream that you had in your head. And when you go there and it doesn’t happen, that’s sort of a reaction to that. It was kind of interesting to go to Denver of all places, and that’s where we finally started getting some movement, or some traction, and we began to tour as a real band would. And I found that there was so much restriction in these expensive cities, it kind of kills your artistry. If you’re trying to do what we were trying to do, which was tour a lot.
