When I Sleep, Your Eyes Close
I wrote and recorded this song in 2016. It was intended for a film (that I was ultimately fired from, lol). The song is very easy to play, as I tried to pick the low hanging fruit and not outsmart myself. This was especially important as the score had be in under a deadline.
The opening guitar riff was initially only played once or twice in the piece. The music coordinator for the film jumped on a phone call with me, and asked me to come up with a version that used that riff throughout. I thought that was pretty astute. Gosh, that guy is probably more responsible for writing this song than I am!
This song’s title “When I Sleep Your, Eyes Close” is derived from Pablo Neruda’s poem, Sonnet XVII. The song (and poem) signifies a love that is so pure, unconditional, and natural — that it feels like an inherent part of oneself. It’s how I feel about my wife, and my son. I am them — they are me.
This piece is available on all streaming services:
How to play When I Sleep, Your Eyes Close | fingerstyle guitar
The guitar tab for this song is beautifully written across 2 pages. I recommend this piece for beginner guitar players and up. Enjoy! The guitar tab is available below:
My song structure looks like this, in accordance with the guitar tab:
Verse, Chorus 2x, Post Chorus
Verse, Chorus 2x, Post Chorus, End
[guitar tab] **When I Sleep, Your Eyes Close – Evan Handyside | fingerstyle guitar
This song is played in standard tuning, with a capo on the 2nd fret.
P.S. If you’re interested in my right-hand technique. Here’s how to do it.