Sarah Brightman - Sleep Tight

Sarah Brightman - Sleep Tight Lyrics

[1x_dYfQOWVw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x_dYfQOWVw[/video]

We saw fantasia in a far off land
Cry for the living in the desert sand
They waited underneath a splintered moon
To hear the beating of an ancient tune
Sleep tight
The reaper's waiting in the wings
Sleep tight
To reap a man of many things
Sleep tight
Look through the eyes of destiny
Sleep tight
We find the kingdom but he holds the key
I met a seer who believes and dreams
Our blood is running through eternal streams
Dust you'll return and dust you shall remain
'Cause that's the only heart that beats and beats again

My questions:
How do you know that 'The reaper's waiting in the wings' is not 'The reapers waiting in the wings'?
I cannot discern 'wings' from 'winds'? I do not hear it as such, maybe it is mistaken, what about 'winds'?

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/...g+in+the+wings
be waiting in the wings
to be ready to be used or employed instead of someone or something else
Usage notes: In the theatre, the wings are the sides of the stage which cannot be seen by the people watching the play, where actors wait until it is their turn to walk on to the stage.

http://www.usingenglish.com/referenc...the+wings.html
Idiom Definitions for 'Waiting in the wings'
If someone is waiting in the wings, or in the wings, they are in the background, but nearby, ready to act on short notice.

'The Reaper's waiting in the wings'
The Reaper is Death - as in 'The Grim Reaper'
'waiting in the wings' - originally a theatrical term for the part of the stage hidden from the audience where actors await before they step onto the stage. Now a wider metaphor for some event or person waiting in the background that is, so to speak, like the actor, awaiting their cue to enter.
In this case, Death is waiting in the wings - a poetic metaphor for 'Death awaits us all.'

'Sleep Tight'- is a 20th century phrase used when wishing someone a good night's sleep, it means 'sleep soundly'.

Recently I have seen 'Sleep Tight' used as a phrase in place of 'R.I.P.' (Rest In Peace) when commemorating someone who has died. It seems to me this song reflects this relatively modern usage of the phrase.

Thanks bluejacket,
totally agree.
I know something about reapers and Death. The Death commands reapers similarly to God-angels relations. The thing that bothers me is the shortened forms:
it is difficult for me to distinguish it's as it has or it is for example. It is a common knowledge: the Death depicted as a reaper, but there are also a lot of contexts containing the plural, for example recently I watched all the episodes of 'Dead Like Me' where the life of reapers is the main theme.

Originally Posted by bluejacket

Recently I have seen 'Sleep Tight' used as a phrase in place of 'R.I.P.' (Rest In Peace) when commemorating someone who has died. It seems to me this song reflects this relatively modern usage of the phrase.

Yes that is the core/main meaning for me while the "general" 'sleep soundly' is second having not the weight of 'R.I.P.', I think it is well established already and it is just perfect to express compassion.