# Nightmare quote

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nightmare-quote/63049>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 23, 2001, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nightmare-quote/63049 "2001-04-23T21:25:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nightmare-quote/63049/1 "2001-04-23T21:25:31Z")

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What is the origin and context of this quote? I cannot find it in the Net

When you’re alone in the middle of the night  
and you wake up in a sweat and a hell of a fright;  
When you’re alone in the middle of the bed  
and you wake up like someone hit you on the head;  
You’ve had a cream of a nightmare dream  
and you’ve got the hoo-ha’s coming to you…  
Hoo hoo hoo.

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nightmare-quote/63049/2 "2001-04-23T22:31:40Z")

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The only reference I could find attributed it to T.S. Eliot. Maybe that will help?

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nightmare-quote/63049/3 "2001-04-23T23:31:57Z")

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I found it on page 136 of Eliot’s _Collected Poems 1909-1962_. Faber and Faber, 1974.

There are other editions, your pagination may vary.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nightmare-quote/63049/4 "2001-04-23T23:37:45Z")

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Forgive that partial citation. Cut and paste SNAFU.

The title I found it under was “Fragment of an Agon (1936).”