The song's lyrics tell a narrative of putting a child to bed, but then taking a darker turn by indicating something is wrong with the child and that their dreams are now nightmares filled with pain and fear. It incorporates elements from common childhood prayers and nursery rhymes but changes the words to be more sinister and morbid. The song uses these techniques to contrast the normally comforting rituals of bedtime with the unknown terrors that could be happening outside of a child's imagination as they sleep.