Ahaha,see what I did there?!
Today,we're "Breaking" up a "Benjamin" song!
Ahaha,haha,ha...
I crack myself up.
Anywho,what urged me to do this,was that I got another one of the ridiculous comments from El earlobo,and decided it was time to clear things up.
So to do that,I'm not only breaking apart a Breaking Ben song,I'm doing the same for Three Days Grace,mainly because I don't think you UNDERSTAND them.
So to start off,we'll do the Three Days Grace song.
Song-Animal I have Become-Three Days Grace-(C) 2006. Any "swears" censored for El-bow's safety.
I can't escape this h*ll,
So many times I've tried.
But I'm still caged inside.
Somebody get me through this nightmare,
I can't control myself!
So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become!
Help me believe it's not the real me,
Somebody help me tame this animal!
(This animal, this animal)
I can't escape myself.
(I can't escape myself)
So many times I've lied.
(So many times I've lied)
But there's still rage inside.
Somebody get me through this nightmare,
I can't control myself!
So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become!
Help me believe it's not the real me,
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become!
Help me believe it's not the real me,
Somebody help me tame this animal!
Somebody help me through this nightmare,
I can't control myself!
Somebody wake me from this nightmare,
I can't escape this h*ll!
(This animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal)
So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
(This animal I have become)
Alright,so I chose the song Animal I have Become for this. Anyone like Elbow-lo,who doesn't support the band or song,is probably criticizing the song at this very moment,I get it. It's under the metal genre on iTunes,and it does have very little swearing,and Adam's signature growl in it.
But instead of looking at it really blankly,let's find the deeper meaning.
So as far as I know,the song is about Adam's addiction,and how he was before he went into rehab,and changed.
I can't escape this h*ll!
So many times I've tried!
But I'm still caged inside.
Somebody get me through this nightmare,
I can't control myself!
Alright,I've interpreted this as Adam fight over his addiction. Think about it! He can't escape the fact that he was addicted,even if he had tried to quit. He needed help to quit his bad habits.
So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become!
Help me believe it's not the real me,
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become!
Help me believe it's not the real me,
Somebody help me tame this animal!
When Adam was addicted,he obviously didn't care about who he was hurting,because he was changing. In the line "Help me believe,it's not the real me," he could be talking about the fact that it WASN'T really him,it was the alcohol and oxycontin controlling him.
I can't escape myself.
(I can't escape myself)
So many times I've lied.
(So many times I've lied)
But there's still rage inside.
Somebody get me through this nightmare,
I can't control myself!
Adam can't escape the fact that he's addicted. He could also be referring to the fact,that at the time,Adam was depressed. "So many times I've lied." Adam's wife Naomi has stated that she didn't realize it had gotten THAT bad. "There's still rage inside." When Adam did go to rehab,he probably was a bit upset,since he was still addicted,and it was probably hard to quit.
Getting a bit figurative,he used "animal" to describe himself as someone who had probably turned viscous,maybe like a wolf.
"Vampires are better,werewolves are hairy."
Ok,maaaybe not a wolf. XD But that's not the point. Alright,now look at the original lyrics again. Do they seem so bad now,or actually have a story to them? El limbo,you look to,you could learn something. :) Plus,if you really want to,connect it to something personal to YOU! Doesn't it remind you a bit of book characters,like Tigerstar,Scourge,maybe even Ari from the Maximum Ride series? I'm sure Adam didn't have that intended while writing the song,but hey,I'm sure he'll just be happy if you were able to connect the song to something. :)
Continuing on with this,I decided it'd also be a good example if I used a Breaking Benjamin song,with a more complicated meaning.
Song-Dance with the Devil-Breaking Benjamin-(C)2006
Here I stand,
Helpless and left for dead
Close your eyes,
So many days gone by
Easy to find what's wrong,
Harder to find what's right
I believe in you,
I can show you that
I can see right through
All your empty lies
I won't stay long,
In this world so wrong
[Chorus]
Say goodbye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Trembling,
crawling across my skin.
Feeling your cold dead eyes,
stealing the life of mine.
I believe in you,
I can show you that
I can see right through
All your empty lies.
I won't last long,
in this world so wrong.
[Chorus]
Say goodbye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Hold on, hold on.
[Chorus]
Say goodbye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Hold on, hold on.
Yep,I used Dance with The Devil. Alright people,go ahead,say it.
"Omg he's a devil worshipppaarrrr."
"Benjamin has a song called Dance with the Devil-He must be evil!"
Alright,if you think that,you're wrong. For this song,it'll be a bit harder to break(still cracking up over it. XD) down,since you think of this song in perspective.
First off,let's think of this in a religious aspect. Remember,this is not to offend anyone,I don't judge by your religion. I'm merely stating facts,that's all. :)
Say goodbye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Ben has never personally stated what religion he is,but you can easily infer that he's Christian,just by the way he talks in some of his songs,such as Dear Agony. But as far as this song goes,think of the lyrics. "Don't you dare look at him in the eye." Could he be doing the exact opposite of what you might have thought he was doing? Could he be telling you to stay away from evil,instead of worship it?
I believe in you,
I can show you that
I can see right through
All your empty lies.
In these lines,maybe he could be talking about his religious views,right? He believes in evil,and he can see right through evil. Alright,now I'm going to move onto a different perspective,I don't want to get too deep in the religious views. :)
What if he's talking about a PERSON that he views as evil?
Say goodbye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
Don't you dare look at him in the eye,
as we dance with the devil tonight.
He's known to sing about his life experiences,so he could just be doing that in this song. I know that also around this time,there was a huge dispute with an ex-bandmate,and Ben got sued because of it. I do know Ben wrote one song about the drummer,but I'm not sure if he made more than one on the record. Maybe this is another song about him?
I won't last long,
in this world so wrong!
He could be referring to alot of things in this line. I mean,first of all,he could be making a comment about the world itself,maybe something terrible had happened around that time. Or maybe,he's referring to his own world. Maybe something crushed him so much,that he could have made a song about it. Dare I go far enough to say,possibly an ex-girlfriend? I mean,it fits some of the other songs on the album,like Diary of Jane. "As I burn another page,as I look the other way. I still try to find my place,in the Diary of Jane." Interesting,huh?
What if he's talking about the exact opposite,maybe a rival,or an issue with a family member? Although we'll probably never know what the song is really about,now you have a list of possible explanations to the song,creating some sort of story along with it,right? And just as you could with the Three Days Grace song,you can have your own connection with the song. I'm sure Ben wasn't intending you to have the same connection as he does,right? What about Bluestar,and Tigerstar? See,now you have some sort of meaning behind the song,besides the classic, "Omg he's a devil worshipaaarrrrrr," haha. XD
Also,may I put out there,Ben has stated that he doesn't believe in violence. Ben would never hurt anyone,you could tell that just by his personality. :)
So,Elbowlo,do you see now? Both bands write songs that people can connect to,and that them themselves can connect to. You see,music is a metaphor,and always means something to the writer.
Sometimes.
On a lighter note,I just made this massive rant,and didn't get distracted on-
*le gasp!*
"I don't believe in violence."-ce.
Yup.
I'd also like to point out some of the things that both bands have done for people.
So Adam once said that a girl approached him on tour once,and told him that if it wasn't for the song "Home," she probably wouldn't be there today.She connected the song so much to her situation,that apparently it saved her life.
Besides that,their songs have spread important messages,like don't ever give up on life,you can always turn things around,and to "break" away from bad influences.
Ben's song have connected to so many people over the years,probably doing the same as Adam did-saved people's lives. Both of the guys have taught so many people that it's never too late to change things,including myself.
Also,what about Brad,Neil and Barry? They also could be considered as giving as Adam. Brad's oldest son has incurable cancer,yet he still goes on with the band,earning money for the James Fund along with that. Neil has supported the Herbie Fund throughout the years,helping kids who need medical treatment,but can't afford the price. And Barry? Well,I guess you could say that he's taught people to express themselves. :)
Alright,this is getting sappy,so I'm going to stop wasting my time,and get to the point.
So-wait,I've already gotten to the point...so....
I guess my work here is done. XD
Seen!
~Jersey
Too long;didn't read. XD
