Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: hip-hop
Song Meaning of “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill
Dreams and Nightmare by Meek Mill paints an unvarnished and brutally honest portrait of the struggles of persevering in the face of adversity, and of believing in yourself even if others don’t.
The track opens with a story of when the rapper was younger, providing a bleak and uncompromising look at the poverty and challenges growing up on the streets of Philadelphia. He takes us through his journey, at times where he’s scraping by and feeling like he’s beaten down by life.
But he never gives up, with his fight-or-flight instinct kicking in. He knows that his dreams can still lead to something great, which is the source of strength that keeps going in order to make it through the toughest of times.
Then, as the chorus kicks in, we hear a very slow and deliberate sample that hints at the plodding nature of life. At this moment, we get a sense of duality, the need to never give up and to keep pushing on, while also feeling powerless to the events that happen around us.
The verses take us back to Meek Mill’s struggles, but here we begin to sense a ray of hope. Even through it all, he still believes in the promises of his dreams, and — most importantly — never stops believing in himself.
The lyrics of this powerful and hard-hitting track points to a clear message: no matter how beaten and bruised we might feel, we can’t ever give up on ourselves.