Aerosmith - Dream On - Live 1975

"Dream On" is a power ballad by Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album, Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this song was their first major hit and became a classic rock radio staple. Released in June 1973, it peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 but hit big in the band's native Boston, where it was the number one single of the year on WBZ-FM, number five for the year on WRKO and number 16 on WMEX (AM).

Regarding the meaning of this song, Tyler explained: "It's about the hunger to be somebody: Dream until your dreams come true." He added, "This song sums up the s--t you put up with when you're in a new band. Most of the critics panned our first album, and said we were ripping off the Stones. That's a good barometer of my anger at the press, which I still have. 'Dream On' came of me playing the piano when I was about 17 or 18, and I didn't know anything about writing a song. It was just this little sonnet that I started playing one day. I never thought that it would end up being a real song."

Lyrics

Every time when I look in the mirror

All these lines on my face getting clearer

The past is gone

It went by, like dusk to dawn

Isn't that the way

Everybody's got the dues in life to pay

I know nobody knows

Where it comes and where it goes

I know it's everybody sin

You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life

Is books, written pages

Live and learn from fools and

From sages

You know it's true, oh

All these feelings come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the years

Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears

Sing with me, just for today

Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

Yeah, sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear

Sing with me, just for today

Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

Dream on

Dream until your dreams come true

Dream on

Dream until your dreams come true

Dream on

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear

Sing with me, just for today

Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear

Sing with me, just for today

Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

Songwriters: Steven Victor Tallarico