I Don't Want to Go to Bed

Album: Moonlander (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • This dark song finds Gossard's protagonist wanting to be left alone without telling him what to do and was inspired by his experiences as a father. He explained to Artist Direct: "As a parent, you get certain phrases that are stuck in your head. Ultimately, I think it's about a character who doesn't want to have anything to do with the normal world whatsoever. It's a little darker than a kid's song. There's something a bit disturbing about it. It's definitely about somebody who spends too much time by themselves and is so immersed in their own thoughts and dreams that they become a little problematic. I'm hoping that's conveyed. The general sense is everyone has an inner child who's saying, 'Screw you mom! I don't want to go to bed. I don't want to do anything you're going to tell me. I'm not going to listen to you.' It's not quite a lullaby."

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