Interpretations of In My Sleep by Joe Budden...

[Master Chief]

Does anyone have an interpretation of this song? I have never in my life have encountered a song that is as hard to understand as this one. After listening to this song several times during the course of my Joe Budden stanism period, I think I have an idea but nothing really concrete. Reading a thread from the JBTV forums helped me understand this song better and I agreed with some theories. I believe Joe Budden is dead in this song, he's speaking from a dead man's perspective. I think he's referring to Jay-Z when he mentions "a bum with a mansion", because we had a little beef with Jay-Z and he's basically saying that Jigga is bum with a whole label under his control (Def Jam) and we all know how Joe feels about Def Jam. I also think that the line "that's the side effect that you get when you trade bad dreams for some great nightmares" is a metaphor of him going the independent route artistically and as a person. I'm not sure if "the virgin with AIDS" is Hip-Hop or the girl from his other song "Exxes".

Block, Satire, Joe Zudden...?

[BigBoss]

Does anyone have an interpretation of this song? I have never in my life have encountered a song that is as hard to understand as this one. After listening to this song several times during the course of my Joe Budden stanism period, I think I have an idea but nothing really concrete. Reading a thread from the JBTV forums helped me understand this song better and I agreed with some theories. I believe Joe Budden is dead in this song, he's speaking from a dead man's perspective. I think he's referring to Jay-Z when he mentions "a bum with a mansion", because we had a little beef with Jay-Z and he's basically saying that Jigga is bum with a whole label under his control (Def Jam) and we all know how Joe feels about Def Jam. I also think that the line "that's the side effect that you get when you trade bad dreams for some great nightmares" is a metaphor of him going the independent route artistically and as a person. I'm not sure if "the virgin with AIDS" is Hip-Hop or the girl from his other song "Exxes".

Block, Satire, Joe Zudden...?

better yet, who cares? if its good just listen

[Master Chief]

It is good and I do listen to it...

But, I wanna know the underlying message of this intruiging song and I thought that it would be a good subject to bring up for the sake of discussion.

[stillmatic]

I think it's a continuation from Exxes.

I think he's locked up in a padded room in a mental institution (album) and reflecting on his entire career. The reasons given are quite easy to deduce in my opinion - Def Jam (hell), Stack, his family etc. which gets him depressed. He's also talking to god (man walking on the water) and reflecting on (or taking) drugs and cheating which then brings the good v evil (his conscience) into play.

Something like that. I haven't listened to that album since it came out.

[Master Chief]

I think it's a continuation from Exxes.

I think he's locked up in a padded room in a mental institution (album) and reflecting on his entire career. The reasons given are quite easy to deduce in my opinion - Def Jam (hell), Stack, his family etc. which gets him depressed. He's also talking to god (man walking on the water) and reflecting on (or taking) drugs and cheating which then brings the good v evil (his conscience) into play.

Something like that. I haven't listened to that album since it came out.

Hmmm... great theory. It's been brought up several times that this song is about his career and his depression.

Another thing, I love the paradoxes in this song. "Had a convo with a man with no ears", "virgin with AIDS", "bum with a mansion", "trade bad dreams for some great nightmares". Relatively simple but it adds something to the song.

[Satire]

I've always looked at it the most simple way possible really. Dreams supposedly reflect thoughts and occurrences from real life but in a subliminal way, or so they say, so Joe Budden is using that to speak on his career and love life as well as personal tendencies/enjoyments/beliefs by making the dream lucid and free to roam. He even asked god ("A man walking on water") if he'd ever fix the real world, and he responds to him with this:

"Please, I gave you a whole 'nother world for you to go do with as you please
Just so you're appeased, it's mixed with a couple of signs of real life while you make believe"

Like when he said that he was walking on the ceiling and he himself made an interpretation saying that it meant that he'd never fall off. The only thing that I never got was what his conversations with his girlfriend in "real life" were supposed to mean. Maybe she was another vision from a dream ("Gotta go, goodbye") and Joe supposedly wakes up at the end of the story, in "The Padded Room" as stillmatic said. I dunno, I tend to stare aware from making an amazingly deep interpretation because I always feel like I'm over-analyzing it unless it's obvious like Exxxes.

This is an amazing song and Padded Room is underrated by the way.

[Master Chief]

I've always looked at it the most simple way possible really. Dreams supposedly reflect thoughts and occurrences from real life but in a subliminal way, or so they say, so Joe Budden is using that to speak on his career and love life as well as personal tendencies/enjoyments/beliefs by making the dream lucid and free to roam. He even asked god ("A man walking on water") if he'd ever fix the real world, and he responds to with him with this:

"Please, I gave you a whole 'nother world for you to go do with as you please
Just so you're appeased, it's mixed with a couple of signs of real life while you make believe"

Like when he said that he was walking on the ceiling and he himself made an interpretation saying that it meant that he'd never fall off. I dunno, I tend to stare aware from making an amazingly deep interpretation because I always feel like I'm over-analyzing it unless it's obvious like Exxxes.

This is an amazing song and Padded Room is underrated by the way.

This is a new one. Damn... every single theory I've stumbled upon so far makes a lot sense yet all of 'em are different. Now, I'm definitely convinced this song is open to, different interpretations by the listeners.

I've come to the conclusion that the part where he talks about the "bum with a mansion who invited him in" he's talking about Jay-Z signing/speaking/negotiating with him as Joe follows it up with "and we politic'd... about politics, said something 'bout Def Jam I ain't acknowledge it". So, I guess that's referring to falling out with Def Jam. After that he said "went to see a virgin with AIDS, yeah thought about smashing that, yeah ass was fat, so appealing" which leads me to believe that it was Hip Hop because of what was said before that but I don't get why "she" has AIDS. Still trying to decipher that.

Agreed about PR. I know I said it was underwhelming but I've listened to that album a lot lately and I'm appreciating it more. Exxes and In My Sleep are classics. Outside of that, it's still a solid album.

[Satire]

After that he said "went to see a virgin with AIDS, yeah thought about smashing that, yeah ass was fat, so appealing" which leads me to believe that it was Hip Hop because of what was said before that but I don't get why "she" has AIDS. Still trying to decipher that.

She's dying.

[stillmatic]

I find it funny that Joey's first single after leaving Def Jam for an album was almost the exact same type of song as Pump it up. And it's well known to never bring up Pump it up around Joey as he detests that song and hates even talking about it. Then he goes out and makes a single like "The Future' for his album.

Still think album was good though but could have been better.

[Master Chief]

After that he said "went to see a virgin with AIDS, yeah thought about smashing that, yeah ass was fat, so appealing" which leads me to believe that it was Hip Hop because of what was said before that but I don't get why "she" has AIDS. Still trying to decipher that.

She's dying.

Wow. I'm retarded. Now, it makes sense.

"She was doing better than what she was feeling".

Maybe, because Hip Hop was in denial of its decline or because "she" wanted to seduce Joe Budden into coming back to her (Hip Hop). And we all know how Joe had a brief none-output of music after the album "Joe Budden" or somewhere around that period.

"I think I seen shawty before, maybe in a club or something
Maybe in VIP but wasn't nobody there but me"

Joe not being familiar with Hip Hop? I don't really have a good understanding of the first line but the last line, I think could be that Joe felt like he was on top of the world when signed to Def Jam but in reality it was his imagination.

[Satire]

"She was doing better than what she was feeling".

My interpretation of this line (and as a continuation to the "Girl = Hip-Hop" theory) is that when you're doing better than you're feeling, you're finding success and fortune but the inside of you feels draining in the process (The AIDS). In recent times Hip-Hop is on the forefront of mainstream music and seeing more and more popularity/success thanks to prepubescent suburban girls/wiggars who believe whoever gets played on MTV the most is the best rapper alive and that Swag is a gang sign, but the general belief is that the actual quality of it has been declining since the Golden Era. In short, Joey believes hip-hop is as popular as ever (which it is) but the actual music is getting worse and worse.

"I think I seen shawty before, maybe in a club or something
Maybe in VIP but wasn't nobody there but me"

I think you're correct with your interpretation of this line. This is where I start reaching but Joey's last album ("Self-titled") was full of commercial club bangers, and when he released it he felt that he was finally making it big, but the second that he stopped being gassed up in the success he realized that he was actually alone in his situation after Def Jam dropped him.

[Master Chief]

"She was doing better than what she was feeling".

My interpretation of this line (and as a continuation to the "Girl = Hip-Hop" theory) is that when you're doing better than you're feeling, you're finding success and fortune but the inside of you feels draining in the process. In recent times Hip-Hop is on the forefront of mainstream music and seeing more and more popularity/success thanks to prepubescent suburban girls/***** who believe whoever gets played on MTV the most is the best rapper alive and that Swag is a gang sign, but the general belief is that the actual quality of it has been declining since the Golden Era. In short, Joey believes hip-hop is as popular as ever (which it is) but the actual music is getting worse and worse.

I definitely agree with your observation. Makes more sense.

Joe Budden needs to shed some light on this song. Not explain "his" meaning of the song since I'm thinking this song is open to different interpretations but give us more clues or clarify some lines. I mean, why the fuck would his girlfriend think Joe Budden would scream the name of a bird in his sleep?

"And the club was all red
Then she started playin with my head
And then I came
Then I asked shorty, "what's her name?"
And it was weird 'cause she fucked around, disappeared"

Def Jam again? But, didn't he say that nobody was in VIP? Why is "she" suddenly there? I'm gonna ahead and say that this is Def Jam tricking him/making a fool out of him. Not a strong analysis but this really throws it off for me.

Goddamn, this song really gets difficult to understand by the end. The last 6 lines or so are pretty hard to decipher...

[Devil'sAdvocate]

i dont think its that hard to get man,joey is having a dream and he reflects on his life through that dream

[mcZu]

This whole part is about his career.

I went to see a man walking on water
Asked if he would ever get things back in order
I’ve been there 2 years over a quarter
But every time I open my eyes it’s like torture
He said please I gave you a whole ‘nother world for you to go do with as you please
Just so you appeased mixed with a couple of signs about real life while you make believe
So I, teleported out of there with a grin
Met a bum with a mansion invited him in
Then we politic, about politics
Said something bout def jam I aint acknowledge it

I went to see a virgin with aids
Yea I thought about smashing that
Yea her ass was phat
So appealing
Tattoo on her
and her inner thigh saying she doing better than she was feeling

The man walking on water represents either Jesus himself (as in talking to God) or Jay-Z, I'm inclined to say Jesus, I'll explain why later on in this post. Joey kept asking that person if things would get back in order in his life, because two years over a quarter probably refers to Joey's age (a quarter is 25, plus 2 years is 27, Joey was at that moment 27 years old if I'm correct). So, if he has been there for 27 years, then it must have been God he was talking to, because he didn't know Jay for 27 years. Then again, the two years over a quarter can also refer to his time on the label, as in two years and three months, both theories work...

Alright, then he realized that the longer he stayed in depression, the longer the world would seem like torture to him, because opening his eyes was like torture. But then again, it can also refer to his time on Def Jam, the longer he stayed on Def Jam, the longer he would be exposed to this torture.

So, then he got reminded that he got dropped for a reason, he got dropped to do his own thing, they gave him a whole another world to do with as he pleases, meaning being independent. Suits both theories, since it ties in with his life as a whole (major change in his life, going from signed to unsigned), and it ties in with his music career.

So Joey left Def Jam (with a grin), and then he got a new record deal (met a bum with a mansion), had some talks about his previous label (he mentioned Def Jam), but Joey didn't like the deal. Now this might refer to his encounter with Amalgam digital or with Koch records. Unfortunately I don't know what his exact position was with these labels, so I can't say with a certainty what it really could refer to.

The virgin with AIDS represents the Hip Hop (or music) industry from an independent point of view, or it represents the music industry as a whole, either way works. It showed him (Joe) an illusion of pleasure, but after fucking with it, he realized being independent (or signed, or just part of the industry as a whole) isn't that great as he expected it to be.

The whole inner thigh tattoo/doing better than she was feeling part is the extended metaphor leading to Joey thinking that staying independent might be OK eventhough it seemed like it wasn't, or that being in de music industry seemed OK eventhough it wasn't doing OK.

At the same time he got reminded of his previous encounter with a label. So he decided to stay with the virgin with AIDS and not to fuck with the other girl. Staying independent and not fucking with a label. Or just staying in the music industry instead of going back to his other girl, a.k.a depression.

I'll try to do the rest of the song later. One of Joey's most complex/brilliant concept songs ever.

[garycal5326]

I read the title of this fast and thought it said Impersonations of Joe Budden in my sleep. haha