Can't sleep, clown will eat me
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| Revision as of 17:47, 13 April 2006 Angmering (Talk | contribs) someone previously added this as a "See also" at Behind the sofa, so doing the reverse here ← Previous diff |
Current revision Angmering (Talk | contribs) someone previously added this as a "See also" at Behind the sofa, so doing the reverse here |
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"Can't sleep, clown will eat me" is a stock phrase that has become a popular joke-explanation for insomnia.
The original source of the phrase is The Simpsons episode Lisa's First Word. It depicts a flashback to Homer Simpson building his son Bart a clown bed to sleep in. However, thanks to Homer's questionable crafting skills, the clown has a highly menacing appearance, so Bart stays up chanting "Can't sleep, clown'll eat me...Can't sleep, clown'll eat me..." He is so scared he even imagines it talking to him with the threat of "If you should die before you wake.. MWAHAHAHA!!" Bart is therefore suffering from coulrophobia (fear of clowns) as well as clinophobia (fear of going to bed) and phagophobia (fear of being eaten).
Later, Alice Cooper made a song based on the concept called "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" ("I can't close my eyes, I never close my eyes / See, they're always there with that funny hair").
In the penultimate Queen of Wands strip, the main character Kestrel lies awake the night before a cross-country move musing "Can't sleep. Future will eat me."
The phrase (with plural clowns) has also been put on shirts and buttons by the store Hot Topic.