“Asleep” tells of the narrator’s desire to die. In his pain and sorrow, he wishes to be comforted as he drifts peacefully into death.

The song was originally released as the b-side for the single “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side,” and was later released in the compilation albums The World Won’t Listen and Louder Than Bombs.

The song is also known for being the first track on the fictional mixtape One Winter created by Charlie, the protagonist and main character of the coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being A Wallflower.