“Sleep”, composed in 2000, was originally set to the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost. However, at the time of composition, the Robert Frost Estate did not allow the poem to be public domain, so Whitacre decided to ask his friend and brilliant poet Charles Anthony Silvestri to write new words to the music he had already written. Eric has recently stated that, even though the Frost poem has passed into the public domain, he will not be releasing the original.