A tarpaulin covers and shields from weather, and is read as temporary shelter and makeshift protection. It can also stand for something being kept under wraps until later.
Does the traditional reading fit your dream, or did it mean something else to you?
My Cosmic Code has a private dream journal. Write a dream down and the app picks out the symbols in it, shows what dream books say about them and, over time, which words recur across your entries. The journal is stored on your device only.