Sundowning | Sleep Token | Lore Explained
Here is my interpretation of the story behind Sleep Token’s debut 2019 album Sundowning.
** What follows is my personal interpretation of lore. I base my explanations on the lyrics, music video imagery, band interviews, and fan theories.
| Track 1) “The Night Does Not Belong to God” This track is Vessel beginning to preach to his followers through the music and the band Sleep Token. He is saying to anyone who will listen that though you may try to live by the rules of another god during the day, we are all ruled by the goddess sleep at night when we sleep and enter her dream realm. Whereas some gods may make you feel guilty or punish you for your sins, when you enter Sleep’s realm you are returning home to the safety of exploring with acceptance whatever dark inner thoughts and desires you abscond from in the day. This song is inviting the listener to enter Sleep’s realm and enter into worship of the god of night. |
| Track 2) “The Offering” This is a love song from Vessel to Sleep. It explores temptation. Sleep is often likened to Eve or the serpent of the garden. This is Vessel showing his followers how to worship and how physical desire and spiritual worship are linked. Basically, saying a way to worship Sleep is to get it on! |
| Track 3) “Levitate” So far, it’s all been perfect harmony between Vessel and Sleep. Like most beginning relationships it’s all passion and infatuation—a temporary madness. But what was once all fiery passion between them is beginning to cool. Now cracks are starting to form in their relationship as Vessel clings onto Sleep, growing insecure about her dedication to him. She is starting to act slightly cold to him and he fears now that people are beginning to worship her, she may leave him. Or that once she grows powerful enough, she won’t need him anymore and will move on without him. Vessel doesn’t feel like he’d be able to survive it if she leaves. His being is so deeply married to her that he doesn’t know who he is without her. |
| Track 4) “Dark Signs” Vessel is thinking back on when he first met Sleep and how he should have seen the warning signs of her nature. He realizes he can’t remember anything about himself before her. He is starting to feel the loss of his identity when she retreats from him. When they first joined together, she was with him 24/7. Now she recedes from him to return her consciousness to the dream realm (because she still has to rule there. But Vessel can’t go there because he must maintain their tether to Earth through his human body. He thought she’d be with him all the time and her absence is terrifying. He seeks comfort in others and hooks up with women. It’s that very immature thing some people do in relationships when they’re feeling unloved is to go and try and make the other person jealous. |
| Track 5) “Higher” Vessel and Sleep fight. And it’s the sort of hateful, angry fighting that epitomized why domestic violence cases tend to be the most violent. They fight, and it’s the kind of fighting that people in toxic relationships tend to romanticize as “passionate.” Both Sleep and Vessel are so caught up in each other that they think this fighting is a sign of love. This is both parties manipulating each other. Vessel feels like she owes him for allowing him to use his body and she feels like since she is a god he should only be so happy to grant her his body. Sleep thinks Vessel is being too clingy, and Vessel feels like Sleep isn’t being honest with him and letting him into her world. Basically, this is all the bad things that can happen in relationships. However, these two are so messed up that they need this constant fighting, they want it, they crave it, they create fights because that’s how they operate in this selfish, manipulative, narcissistic, love/hate/love relationship. |
| Track 6) “Take Aim” This is Vessel being co-dependent on Sleep. He needs constant validation and it’s almost never enough. He is obsessed with her to the point of self-destruction. Despite how toxic their relationship is, he would still rather suffer with her than spend a moment without her. Which sounds sweet but is really unhealthy as far as relationships go. Basically, Vessel just reaffirms his love for Sleep in this track. |
| Track 7) “Give” This is actually a sweet song from Vessel. He’s asking Sleep to let him in. So far, she’s kept him at an arm’s length probably because she doesn’t want him to see just how dark and terrible she can be. He is saying he will be by her side no matter what; it doesn’t matter what she’s done. |
| Track 8) “Gods” The heavy sections of this song I imagine as Sleep expressing her dark side. She is pushing Vessel away (saying she is above even gods and he is insignificant) because she is destructive like that and feels him getting too close. I imagine her mercilessly killing a bunch of people and going on a rampage. Vessel feels her pain as if it is his own and realizes she might like this tumultuous stasis— this angry painful state of being is where she operates. At the end of the track Sleep hurts Vessel, showing him how easy it is for her to inflict pain without remorse. |
| Track 9) “Sugar” Vessel is reaffirming his love for her. He has now seen how evil she can be, but he doesn’t blink. He’s grown addicted to this pain. He’s just as self-destructive as she is. They have been through much together and he’s not about to turn away now. He bares himself to her and says do your worst. |
| Track 10) “Say That You Will” Together the couple have worked out their difference—for a time. But Vessel feels Sleep retreating from him again. She spends longer and longer in the dream realm, not surfacing nearly enough for his addiction. He has come to know her so well, and he feels like she is about to leave him.He begs her to stay. But after a while she does not return. He waits and waits, day after day—the waiting driving him crazy. This is the longest she’s ever been gone. |
| Track 11) “Drag Me Under” Vessel can’t take it anymore; he goes to seek her (or draw her out by a suicide attempt.) He jumps into a body of water and refuses to swim. |
| Track 12) “Blood Sport” Vessel’s suicide plan worked. It draws sleep back to the earth realm. She makes him swim to the surface. After saving his life, Sleep is pissed at his attention seeking behaver and says that they’re over. Vessel explains he had to do what he did just to talk to her. He says he is willing to do anything to get her back. He admits his mistakes in their relationship. And that’s where we end the album, on a bit of a cliffhanger not sure of Sleep and Vessel with reconcile their relationship or of Sleep might just kill him there on the spot. |