In Dreams - When Life Grows Troubled, Dreams Give Us Wings to Fly

In Dreams is a song about the extraordinary refuge we sometimes find within the imagination, and the way our dreams can carry us beyond the storms, disappointments, and limitations of everyday life. Written by Susan Lewis Wright and originally titled I Live in My Dreams, the song follows a lifetime of dreaming. It begins in childhood, lying in the summer grass and watching clouds drift across the sky. In that innocent world of imagination, clouds become cotton boats, the blue sky becomes an endless sea, and a child can create a rainbow universe where every wish comes true. The second verse moves into winter and a very different emotional landscape. With a frozen world outside the window, howling winds, distant voices, and another sleepless night, imagination once again becomes a place of escape. The dreamer travels to the brightest star, skates down the Milky Way, and searches for a magical land far removed from the troubles of the moment. Then the song moves forward in time. The child has become an adult, married and living a comfortable life outside of town. There is gratitude and contentment, but adulthood has not eliminated disappointment, uncertainty, or those days when carefully made plans begin tearing at the seams. When they do, the imagination remains. The cotton boat and Milky Way of childhood become a distant tropical island, a quiet place of retreat within the mind. At the heart of the song is a simple idea: dreams give us wings to fly. They allow us to rise above the rain, watch the storms pass beneath us, and sail away for a little while when the world becomes too troubled. Susan and I collaborated on this new musical interpretation of her original song. As part of that process, I changed the title from I Live in My Dreams to the simpler In Dreams. The title is also a small and affectionate nod to Roy Orbison and his classic song of the same name, although Susan’s song tells its own very different story. What I especially appreciate about Susan’s writing is the vividness of the imagery. Summer grass, drifting clouds, a cotton boat, a sea of blue, a frozen windowpane, the Milky Way, distant stars, and tropical islands all become part of a journey through the imagination. Yet beneath those colorful images is something deeper. The song reminds us that the ability to dream does not belong only to childhood. We carry it with us throughout our lives. Imagination can be a source of creativity, hope, comfort, and renewal. Sometimes we need a quiet inner harbor where the storms cannot follow us. In Dreams is ultimately a song about that place and about the enduring human ability to close our eyes, spread our wings, and for a little while, sail away.