It happens every night 'Bout 3 a. m. I wake up into darkness And sleep doesn't come again No matter how I turn Across my bed And my pillow like a stone Beneath my head

Don't know what wakes me Maybe a dream Maybe a dog is barking Or may be a distant scream No matter what it is Sleep goes away And I'll often lie awake 'Til break of day

Once upon a time I could sleep I'd close my eyes at sunset And sink down into the deep I would lie untroubled By fret or fright And never open eyes 'Til morning light

Then something happened My wife fell ill And when she died at home It was like a bitter pill It broke my spirit It broke my soul Until I meet someone Who made me whole

But like a shadow Of those dark days Sleeplessness can come back And when it does it stays And like the black Night Mare Upon my chest It can rob me of the night And of my rest

But I am happy If sometimes tired And into the wee hours Am sometimes inspired By the reflection That this affords And a peace comes down That's outside words

I make up songs I plan my day And when my partner wakes I often say "You will not believe My dream last night" And with quiet words We'll greet the morning light.