Quinine is a compound, used both as medical treatment and as a flavor in tonic water, known to cause vivid dreams as a side effect. Here, the singer wants to cure herself of her lovesickness as if curing malaria with quinine, but she’s also trapped in quinine’s arresting dreams.
[Intro]
Nothing stops the dreams
Nothing stops the dreams
Nothing stops the dreams
Nothing stops
Nothing stops
[Verse 1]
I’m good all day
I keep my edges clean
I work, I play
By rules and reasoning
And I’m trying for a quiet mind
To burn through mine like quinine
And all night I’m a kite on fire
You’re in my dreams
And my head’s hotwired
To the last thing I need
And you’re all that I want and
Until I’m asleep
I can keep all these thoughts off but
[Hook]
Nothing stops the dreams
Nothing stops the dreams
Nothing stops the dreams (nothing stops)
Nothing stops the dreams (nothing stops the dreams)
[Chorus]
There must be a part of me still holding on
Still holding on
Still holding on to you
And I can’t shake the girl awake
Or make her appreciate the truth
It’s no use
[Verse 2]
And I've been sleeping in my sister’s clothes
Hoping you won’t find me
But I can’t escape; you've always known
Where I do my hiding
In every other dream we meet to reconcile
And in the morning I know I’ll wake up
Another shade of wrecked inside
This sleep doesn’t bring a lot of rest and I
I stay tired
Nothing’s half as good as us
We were hand to glove to cuff
Nothing
Nothing’s half as good
[Chorus]
There must be a part of me
Still holding on
Still holding on
Still holding on to you
And I can’t shake the girl awake
Or make her appreciate the truth
It’s no use (It must be)
It must be a part of me
Still holding on (it must be)
Still holding on (it must be)
I’m still holding on to you
But I can’t shake the girl awake
Or make her appreciate the truth (holding on, holding on)
It’s no use
[Hook]
Nothing stops the dreams (nothing stops the dreams)
(Nothing's)
Nothing stops the dreams (nothing’s half as good as us)
Nothing stops the dreams (nothing’s)
Nothing stops
(Hand to glove to hand to glove to hand to glove to cuff)
[Bridge]
I knew better when we met and then I knew you instead
I never even wonder “whether"
No, with us it was always “when"
Cause you’re the last thing I need and
You’re all that I want and
Until I’m asleep
I can keep all these thoughts off but
[Outro]
I’ve still got the dreams
I’ve still got the dreams
I’ve still got the dreams
Quinine was written by Dessa.
Quinine was produced by Lazerbeak & Paper Tiger.