Arlo Guthrie Wake Up Dead Lyrics

words and music by Arlo Guthrie

When I was younger
She'd come to me in dreams
Her face was hidden
In the mountain streams
Her voice disguised
As the sound of the wind
The rustling of leaves
She would call from within

Chorus:

Wake up, wake up, wake up, she said
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up dead

So many memories
Of those years have passed
Beyond the confusion
That [ thought would last forever
The countless veils
That I wore like clothes
Have been stripped away
Now [ stand here exposed Chorus

In the night when the moon
Casts no shadows at all
We sat by the fire
As she started to call
Out to all who would hear
That the death of what's dead
Is the birth of what's living
And her words filled my head

Chorus

It's the life that lies sleeping
When you think you're awake
Forever is real
And the rest is just fake
And though volumes are written
On this subject alone
She used three simple words
And she brought it all home

Chorus