Cover art for Sleeper Car by Aesop Rock

Sleeper Car

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Nov. 13, 20201 viewer12.5K views

Sleeper Car Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Bamboo shoots, Buddhas and removed shoes
Pugilism brewing over whose tuk-tuk's whose

Moving through the super-moon with goonies off a distant block
And fugitives from Dusit Zoo in pleasant moods until they're not

Present mood a startling departure from the temple rules
Part of it's the temperature, part of it's the tentacles

AQI alarming, surgical masks marching
The durian got him gagging, the traffic is anarchy, um
Siam spy cam, try him in fire
I'm marigolds and Muay Thai into the eye of the tiger
I almost died on a scooter, I almost died on a boat
I figure fuck it, baby, come as you are and die as you go
North bound, Lopburi, where it's humans: zero, monkeys: one
Humans fear the monkeys won, get your mirrored sunnies, run
Later watched a billion bats exploding out a mountain cave
Climbed a couple hundred feet to stare into the mouth and change
Descended a little different, every atom individually cleansed and repositioned

That's one unconventional exorcism for the kiddo
Hearts on his pillow, bars on the window
Bar band send it from John Denver to G-n-R
Midnight playing sardines to the sleeper car
13 hours, couldn't sleep at all
Even eating weed it's hard to catch a Z
Over all the sneeze and cough, jeez

I might never make it out
If I ever make it out send me back in
Got lost got found
Got a feeling I should lose it all again


OK, heaven is a humid room, it emulate a human womb
Everyday we celebrate a water birth in noodle soup

And cruise around as ronin trying to expedite a slow death
Playing chicken with a family of 5 on the same moped

Golden lotus that show off a pretty pantone
And grow in river water that'll melt your fucking hand off, damn
It's funny 'cause I fake a smile too
People thinking you're ok until you take 'em to the root

Imma take 'em to the root
Through insatiable depravity and layers of abuse
Down to radiate the truth
Ok, my homie said "I just got blessed by a monk"
I said "I got no frame of reference, God is dead where I'm from"

Still I been doing what I can to get these devils expunged
Lately it's laying sugarcane across an elephant's tongue
I'm wading out into the mud to scrub her belly and trunk
Brushing that yellow off her tusks, shit is better than drugs
It feels strange, hurdling emaciated strays
Even stranger days later when I'm no longer phased

Locals see a space garbage that fell from the interstellar
Trying to blend in with the smell of peppers, sweat and citronella - ella
Sore thumb in the hum of the helter-skelter

Rebels huffing through the temple run like Zelda's in the cellar
Every L.D. call an awful omen
Excuse me while I walk into the ocean, like
[Chorus]
I might never make it out
If I ever make it out send me back in
Got lost got found
Got a feeling I should lose it all again

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About

This song bio is unreviewed
Genius Annotation

“Sleeper Car” is about Aesop Rock’s Spirit World trip to Thailand. Where he attempts to find religion in Buddhism in order to expunge his bad thoughts.

The track makes many references to Buddhist practices and beliefs, and how Aes tries some of them despite never having been religious.

The title refers to an overnight train that Aes took while there.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Aesop Rock say about "Sleeper Car"?
Genius Answer

Aesop said the following in an interview with Flood Magazine.

This is about some traveling I did in Thailand. Some of these overseas trips end up feeling like I’m searching for something but I’m not sure what. Maybe I just go so I can write the song after. I’m OK with that. I enjoy wandering around these places and seeing some shit I’d never see at home. The title refers to an overnight train trip I took from Lopburi to Chiang Mai. This is also the only song credited as a co-production. Hanni and Leon Michels sent me the framework for this beat, and I added some further layers and arrangement.

Credits
Release Date
November 13, 2020
Sleeper Car Interpolations
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