Released: 2017
Aight, let’s dive into the deep, introspective pool of XXXTENTACION’s “Everybody Dies In Their Nightmares,” y’all. Right off the bat, this track is a straight-up confessional booth—X pours out his struggles with inner demons and the claustrophobia of his own mind. The themes draped all over this piece are mental health and the search for peace, with a nocturnal backdrop where his thoughts run wild and the pain feels raw.
X opens up the track with that haunting, sing-song vibe, “Don’t go, don’t go to sleep.” It’s like he’s warning us, or maybe himself—sleep brings nightmares, and he ain’t tryna face his deepest fears when the lights go out. It’s more than just insomnia; it’s a battle to keep the dark thoughts at bay. When he’s saying he’s “Tired of feelin’ like I’m trapped in my damn mind,” it’s that sense of being caged in his own headspace, like every thought is a dead end.
Peep the lines “Tired of feelin’ like I’m wrapped in a damn lie / Tired of feelin’ like my life is a damn game.” Here’s where X gets real about the falsity and façade he’s feelin’ all around him. It’s like every move he makes is part of some twisted game he can’t win. And when he drops “Nigga really wanna die in the nighttime,” it’s a glimpse into his darkest desires, where the night’s silence gets loud, and death seems like a release from the mental turmoil.
The refrain where he repeats “Tired of feelin'” paints this relentless cycle of emotional exhaustion. Homie’s worn out from the constant tug-of-war in his psyche. The piercing honesty comes through strong when he says, “Only time I feel pain, when I’m feelin’ love.” That right there? That’s X acknowledgin’ the paradox of human emotions—a vulnerability that stings because when he opens up, it inevitably leads to hurt.
Then, X addresses his isolation with “I’ve been feelin’ really lost, duckin’ all attachments / I don’t really go outside ’cause I hate traffic.” This ain’t just about literal traffic, nah—it’s a metaphor for life’s chaos, the hustle of human interaction that he’s trying to escape. He’s dodging emotional connections, too, calling ’em “fire starters like lit matches,” ’cause he knows they can ignite into something painful real quick.
The song loops back to the chorus, reinforcing the cyclical nature of his struggles. X smacks us with the hook again and again because that’s exactly how his mind’s working—stuck in the same loop of hopeless thoughts, night after night, looking for a way out.
Through the mantra-like repetition at the end, “Nigga really wanna die in the nighttime,” X lays it all bare—a stark portrait of a brother wrestling with the darkest impulses when the rest of the world is quiet. The haunting repetition is like an echo in an empty room, a reminder that these thoughts are ever-present, and even as he’s telling himself to stay awake, to “stay up and don’t go to sleep,” there’s a sense of inevitable surrender to the nightmares that wait in the darkness.
X’s “Everybody Dies In Their Nightmares” is more than just a track; it’s a vivid, sorrowful glance into his soul. His bars are layered, the repetition is purposeful, and the pain is palpable. It’s a reflection on the rawness of depression and the search for solace that often feels just out of reach.
