I’m probably not the first to tell you this, but the exact quote is “Can’t sleep...clown will eat me.”
Dragon Town [A. Cooper, 2001]
Can’t Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me
Don’t sing me lullabies
I won’t close my eyes,
I can’t close my eyes
It’s true,
I’m doomed
‘til dawn
shines through
Got too many things to do
Got friends to see,
I can’t miss a thing
It’s true,
I’m through
I’m screwed,
unglued
I won’t close my eyes, I can’t close my eyes,
I never close my eyes
You see, they’re always there with funny hair,
Oh, I’m so scared
It happens to me every night
Can’t sleep, the clowns will eat me
They always want to take a bite
Can’t sleep, the clowns will eat me
And if you think this isn’t real
I’ll show you wounds that never heal
To them I’m just a happy meal
Can’t sleep, the clowns will eat me
Make the coffee black as night
Help me through the night
I know their appetite for me
I’m meat
but I’m sweet
as can be
And if I do too much booze
I begin to snooze
I hear the big old floppy shoes
It’s true,
I’m stew,
unchewed
I won’t close my eyes, I can’t close my eyes,
I never close my eyes
See, they’re always there with that funny hair,
Oh, I’m so scared
It happens to me every night
Can’t sleep, the clowns will eat me
They always want to take a bite
Can’t sleep, the clowns will eat me
And if you think this isn’t real
I’ll show you wounds that never heal
To them I’m just a happy meal
Can’t sleep, the clowns will eat me
“Can’t sleep, clown will eat me”
Inspired by an event in Simpsons writer Mike Reiss’ childhood,[6] young Bart does not want to give up sleeping in the crib to make way for his newborn sister.
Noticing Bart’s affection for Krusty the Clown but unable to afford a professionally built Krusty-themed bed, Homer decides to build a bed with Krusty’s likeness to please his son.
However, because of Homer’s poor handicraft skills, the bed takes on a sinister appearance and frightens Bart, especially in the darkened room.
In his first night in the new bed, far from “laughing himself to sleep”, Bart imagines that the face on the headboard of the bed comes to life, intoning with sinister glee, “if you should die before you wake...”, before collapsing into evil cackling.
The next morning, Bart is curled up into the fetal position on the floor next to the sofa downstairs, repeatedly uttering the phrase “can’t sleep, clown will eat me...”. The catchphrase inspired the Alice Cooper song “Can’t Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me” from the 2001 album Dragontown.
The phrase has since found its way into popular use.
You can email him and tell him *he* got he wrong as I prefer to quote the eternally erudite Alice rather than Bart Simpson.....:)
www.AliceCooper.com
Good luck.
;]