What If Sleep Token Was About Gay? (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Not a fan-theory, just one way to interpret the lyrics

Introduction

At some point in my listening journey, I decided to view the lyrics of Sleep Token through the lens of two men who are in or want to be in a relationship, but one or both of them are closeted. They want to be open, to love each other freely, but something is holding them back, whether it’s society, shame, internalized homophobia, or any other number of things. This then evolved into viewing the fiction (lore) of the band through this lens.

The singer (Vessel) is struggling with his attraction, his desire, his sadomasochism, and his lover’s apparent reticence. Whether it’s an otherworldly being, a fellow worshiper, or even both, these feelings are consuming him, intoxicating and overwhelming.

This is, as the subtitle states, not a fan-theory in the sense that I am theorizing on the lore, nor am I even really saying that anything here is what Vessel is actually singing about. This is me having fun. I do have theories, but this ain’t one of them.

Necessary Assumptions/Acknowledgments

Some assumptions must be made to establish the grounds. As I prefer to play with theory in the fiction (kayfabe) and not try and figure out what Vessel is “actually” writing about, this does heavily favor Sleep as an otherworldly deity and their relationship as a metaphysical one. I am also operating under the assumption that not every song is addressing Sleep directly, but many are.

I will primarily be using lyrics and lyrical themes to support this interpretation, but I may occasionally refer to interviews (primarily to support Sleep as a deity.) I have read ‘Teeth of God’ but I don’t really think I can work with a comic that has no dialogue. I also do not have Instagram or Twitter, and while I have perused the band’s social medias, I again am mostly playing in the fictional space here, and want to avoid drawing too much nonfiction into it. Because I am mostly looking at lyrics and what Vessel has chosen to say, I will not be analyzing the two covers (Hey Ya! and Is It Really You?) because, while they may have something to say in the narrative space of Sleep Token’s fiction, they are not words written by Vessel himself, and so analyzing them would not be helpful for this endeavor.

This essay is written after a challenge from my loving husband, who knew that I would take it as a challenge, and knew I was autistic enough to write a cited essay with headings and shit. Love you

Who or what is Sleep?

In this interpretation, Sleep is a being that is not the fans (a valid interpretation!) and is initially separate from Vessel. As stated, I operate under the assumption that Sleep is what He is stated to be in the lyrics and in the fiction: a powerful god-like being that reached out to Vessel and demanded worship. I believe this is supported by lyrics and by the band’s social media accounts, and I won’t stray far from that.

As for Sleep’s goals and desires, I am utterly fascinated by the words in the music video for “Fall for Me”: "The truth is I am due a harsh lesson, In truth itself and how bitter it can be. Will you teach me? The truth is, I am ugly, I am inadequate, I am lost. I am no God. The truth is, I want, to want, to live. And so do you. I just can't do this any longer. I am afraid, Are you afraid I want to understand what it is to let go. So for now let me serve as a living drama of your pain. If we are to be submerged then let us be submerged together."[FALLVID] It is obvious that Sleep is as desperate as Vessel, though not for the same thing. They need each other, but neither is giving the other what they want.

Sleep may not be a god, but He is something that is not human, something that has a hold over Vessel but also relies on him. Their relationship is a strange one: Vessel loves Sleep and worships Sleep and gives Sleep what He wants/needs: the feelings of being alive, of being human. Sleep longs to know what it’s like to live a mortal life, to feel all the angst and joy and love and hate that comes with it. To this end, he demands that Vessel offer up his misery and his pain.

This interpretation of their relationship also ties into my interpretation of the lyrics as expressing repressed homosexual attraction. Sleep wants Vessel to share everything, wants to force Vessel to feel everything… What would you do if you were approached by a powerful being, awe-inspiring and intoxicating, who hints that you will get what you desire if only you worship...and when you are finally face-to-face (so to speak), the form before you is a man. “I know you love me,” He says, “and I know you love me like this.”

Who or what is Vessel?

As stated, this interpretation does exist solely within kayfabe, so Vessel is interpreted as a man who was visited by Sleep, and called to worship Him. The band’s music are simultaneously his offerings and his communications with Sleep, the being that he not only worships but is obsessed with, in either a romantic sense or a sense of wanting validation and acceptance of his offerings...or both! (Hint: in this interpretation, it’s both.)

Vessel’s relationship with Sleep has changed him, turning him into something inhuman but not on the level of Sleep’s power. Grappling with this change, grappling with the angst and anguish of his situation, grappling with unfamiliar feelings of attraction have him reeling, but his dedication to Sleep pushes him on.

What about the pronouns

The matter of pronouns is one that, frankly, I don’t really give much thought. After all, it is widely accepted that Vessel is directly addressing Sleep in songs and, in the rare case that pronouns or gendered terms are used, the lyrics use female. However, outside of lyrics, Sleep is exclusively referred to as “He” and “Him.” So what gives? My answer is this: Sleep is not human, and has no reason to conform to our gender binary. Either Sleep is both male and female, or He is neither. It ultimately doesn’t matter, even in this interpretation, what Sleep “really” is. What matters is the form, and it is clear that, at least some of the time, He appears to Vessel in a form that Vessel interprets as male.

How would you handle being so deeply in love with a form you’d never thought (or been taught not to think) attractive? Maybe you’d change the pronouns in your lyrics, desperate to make sense of your attraction. Maybe no.

It does appear that Vessel addresses two people in his lyrics, one of whom is Sleep. The other seems to be a human lover, more grounded in this reality. The identity of this human lover is never hinted at, and due to the potential of digging too deep into the nonfiction world, I do not explore this too deeply. They are referred to using female pronouns as well, again in the rare case that pronouns are used.

One

The first EP, ‘One,’ immediately presents us with Vessel’s tormented attraction. The first track, ‘Thread the Needle,’ opens the journey with curiosity and a kind of sensuality that will permeate the discography going forward. In particular, “we can spend the night in fascination” reveals that what is being experienced by both parties is something new, something to explore. Sleep is getting to experience what Vessel has to offer Him, and Vessel is caught off guard, but intrigued, by what he is feeling in response. This song also introduces another running theme of the discography in the lyrics, “You turn the lights down.” Much of this relationship will be characterized by both literal and metaphorical darkness, particularly in intimate moments. A feeling of shame and secrecy infects what should be enjoyed and, as will be revealed later, what Vessel wants to experience in the light.

‘Fields of Elation’ also gives off a sense of sensual wonder. The lyric ‘your name is a sin I breathe like oxygen,’ refers simultaneously to Sleep being something unholy (see later lyrics such as ‘I am sanctified by what’s below’), and to the common cisheteronormative notion that homosexual desire is sinful. Vessel acknowledges both of these facts, but he is already intoxicated and enamored with Sleep. Sin is on his mind, but he’s not letting it stop him.

This EP also introduces the persistent trouble in Vessel’s paradise. ‘You don’t really love, you just hate to be alone,’ Vessel laments. Is Sleep’s lack of love due to a true inability to love, or is it Vessel? This thought will always be on his mind. Sleep’s solitude is another consistent through-line in lyrics, as are Vessel’s doubts that his devotion will be rewarded or his affection returned.