Dreams Are More Precious (2008) – Enya

When I heard this Enya track again recently, I assumed it was already in my collection. Nope. Dreams Are More Precious seems to be one of her most frequently played songs, at least based on my casual observation. Yet it doesn’t appear in her Spotify top five, and what surprised me most is that her most-streamed song is I Don’t Wanna Know (feat. Enya and P. Diddy) – a song I’d never heard of.

Dreams Are More Precious is not in my very top tier of Enya, but it’s still lovely and leaves me in a tranquil mind space. Her sound (new age and world music) is so recognisable, and sometimes she gets a raw deal because of how much her “sound” saturates the commercial landscape, with each track akin to the other. But when I do hear her music – which is on the odd occasion – I feel more blessed for the experience.

We may also be a little late to the party with this one. The lyricist of the song (and Enya’s principal lyricist), Roma Ryan, has described the song as a kind of Christmas lullaby, and once you read the lyrics, it becomes even more evident that the festive season is shining through – which I suppose, technically, we are still in. Oh, and a joyous New Year’s Day (2026) to you fine folk!

“‘Dreams are more Precious’, I would describe it as a lullaby, a Christmas lullaby. The title comes from the line ‘dreams are more precious than gold.’ The dreams are not dreams a mother would have for her child of success or that you are dreaming during the night and it’s just you are churning over the events of the day. It’s more inner strength, awareness of others, the qualities that you would associate with Christmas, spirituality, these are the true dreams I think.”
– Roma Ryan

‘Dreams Are More Precious‘ comes from Enya’s 2008 holiday-themed album, ‘And Winter Came…‘. According to the description in the video below – The song’s comforting and peaceful nature aligns with the album’s introspective winter theme, offering a message of hope and the importance of dreams. The music was composed by Enya, with lyrics by Roma Ryan.

The album ‘And Winter Came… was recorded between 2006 and 2008 with Enya and her longtime collaborators, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. It features ten original tracks with lyrics sung in English. As with her previous albums recording took place at Aigle Studio, the Ryans’ home studio in Killiney, County Dublin.

Enya has stated that the importance of Roma Ryan and her late husband Nicky Ryan’s contributions is such that without them, Enya would not exist.

The album reached the top 20 in a host of counties, including No. 8 on the US Billboard, No. 6 in the UK, No. 7 in Australia and No. 1 in Belgium.

[Verse 1]
Come! See! High above
Come! See! High in the heavens
A new star shining bright;
Out of the darkness comes a light

[Verse 2]
Come! Hear midnight chimes
Come! Hear bells that are ringing
And from some distant shore
Sounds of a journey echo on

[Refrain]
This is the night
They say
Everyone wants a dream
This is the night
They say
Nothing is as it seems

[Verse 3]
Come! Sleep! Close your eyes
Come! Sleep! Give me your sorrow
And I’ll keep watch for you
Until the dawn is breaking through
Until the morning wakens you

[Interlude]

[Verse 4]
Come! Dream through the night
Come! Dream, and then tomorrow
You’ll see your heart will know
Dreams are more precious than gold
Dreams are more precious than gold
Dreams are more precious than gold

References:
1. Dreams Are More Precious – Enya Fandom
2. And Winter Came…- Wikipedia