I'm Too Lucid

Lyrics

[Intro]

Stephen, it's 3:00 AM in that Stanford lab again.
The polygraph needles scratching secrets onto paper rolls.
I'm awake inside the dream, too sharp, too clear.

[Verse 1]
You, old machine, with your ink arms dancing.
Hooked to my scalp via silver electrodes, cold gel from 1981.
LaBerge watching, his quote echoing: lucid dreaming, more real than any screen.
I signal with my eyes, left-right, proving I'm here, aware.
The room at 68 degrees, antiseptic wipe scent clinging.
Black coffee cup, half-empty on the desk, bitter steam gone cold.

[Chorus]
I'm too lucid, polygraph, can't you see?
Wires tangle like dream vines, pulling me deep.
False awakening, clock with thirteen hours, pine forest air in my lungs.
But your needles know, scratching the truth: I'm not out yet.
Address me gently, machine, hum your mechanical heartbeat.

[Verse 2]
REM cycles peak, volitional communication, Perceptual and Motor Skills journal, page 727.
Subjects unnamed, their journals lost in data stacks.
I feel the prickle, electrodes on skin, anchoring surreal clarity.
What if empowerment turns unnerving, emotions uncharted?
You capture waves, but miss the human gap, the lingering forest scent upon waking.

[Bridge]

Oh, polygraph, you're my tether tonight.
In this dim fluorescent glow, I journey through impossible rooms.
But your paper trail grounds me, reminds me of the lab's dry air.
Too lucid, yes, but tell me, machine, is this resilience or just a vivid trap?

[Outro]

Stephen's virtual reality, senses at full strength.
I'm too lucid, but morning comes, electrodes peeled away.
Your rolls of paper, my proof of being awake in sleep.