When I was 13 years old, my dad was ‘called’ to be a missionary in Honduras… Read Full Bio ↴When I was 13 years old, my dad was ‘called’ to be a missionary in Honduras. As a family, we weren’t ‘cut out’ for the mission field – I had no idea my world was about to be kicked over on its side. One moment I was busy doing homework and planning slumber parties, the next moment I suddenly found myself in a third world country recovering from a hurricane. I went into culture shock as the poverty, disease, and the idea that human life isn’t so precious in other parts of the world… slowly seeped in.

Most children grow up in ‘phases’ – I was given no time for that. I took on the mental weight of an adult the moment I stepped out of that tiny TACA airplane… and into the rest of my life. In fact, the only evidence that I even had a childhood exists in a black 32×17 Rubbermaid trunk. I bought the trunk to protect my books, CDs, and photo albums from the Honduran heat and humidity. Today, I keep the trunk in my closet. It contains stacks of letters from my 8th grade Sunday school class… wishing me well, wishing me luck. It contains letters I wrote to myself… promising myself I would get out alive. It contains the jewelry I wore the day I was kidnapped… the photographs that were taken minutes before it happened, photographs of a dear friend who gave his life so that I could live. It contains fragments of a life that I shut away until now…

When I began writing for this album, I opened the trunk for the first time in years. The overwhelming smell of dark mahogany, coffee, and burning sugarcane (the smell of Honduras) hit me like a wall, and I knew that all the memories I’d stifled were begging to be brought to life. I also knew that I was being presented with a choice: I could let these memories, and the experiences that they represent, cuff me, paralyze me, and make me bitter… or I could turn them into something beautiful… something that other people could relate to and, hopefully, find comfort in. This is my gift.

In The Dark
Amy Kuney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Failure, my friends have left and I'm still here.
Like a hometown jailbird still savoring my senior year.
It makes me restless, to know i'm smart yet play the fool.
As I settle for way less than of what i'm capable

yeah, yeah

So catch me if I jump from the bridge

Be the safety on the gun to my head
Be the weak strand on the rope from the rafters
Be my slippery hand as I fumble the dagger
in the dark.

Stardom, leave nothing to the imagination
Fame and fortune,
You can't go back the way you came from
Unknowingly we sink to the level of animals
I laugh out loud to think we see ourselves as role models

yeah, yeah

So catch me if I jump from the bridge
Be the safety on the gun to my head
Be the weak strand on the rope from the rafters
Be my slippery hand as I fumble the dagger
In the dark. (yeah, yeah)

Take it away, take it away,
take it away, take it away, take it away
my reason for dying
leave it to fate, leave it to fate
Show me a way out of the grave
Out of a day I'm leaving behind me

Take it away, take it away,
Take it away, take it away, take it away
My reason for dying
Leave it to fate, leave it to fate
Show me a way out of the grave
Out of a day I'm leaving behind me

So catch me if I jump from the bridge
Be the safety on the gun to my head
Be the weak strand on the rope from the rafters

Be my slippery hand as I fumble the dagger
In the dark. (yeah,yeah)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Amy Kuney's song "In The Dark" touch upon themes of self-doubt, the pressure to succeed, and the desire for someone to be there for support. The first verse speaks to the feeling of being left behind by friends who have moved on from their hometown, leaving the singer feeling like a "jailbird still savoring [her] senior year." Despite feeling smart and capable, she settles for less, creating a restless feeling within her. The second verse touches on the dangers of stardom and fame, warning that once you obtain it, you can never go back to the life you had before. The line "unknowingly we sink to the level of animals" highlights the idea that the pressure to succeed can lead us to act impulsively and inhumanely.

The chorus of the song repeats the same four lines, each with a different object that could be used to take the singer's life. However, rather than expressing a desire to die, the lyrics seem to be a plea for someone to be there for her, to "catch her" and provide strength and support in moments of weakness. The final verse repeats the lines "take it away, take it away, take it away, take it away, take it away, my reason for dying," followed by a plea for someone to show her a way out of the "grave" she's been stuck in.

Overall, the lyrics of "In The Dark" convey a sense of vulnerability and a desire for connection and support. The repeated refrain of "catch me" shows a need for someone to be there in moments of crisis and for the singer to not feel alone in her struggles.

Line by Line Meaning

Failure, my friends have left and I'm still here.
I feel like I'm stuck in my hometown, watching as my peers move on with their lives while I'm left behind.

Like a hometown jailbird still savoring my senior year.
I feel trapped in my past, living every day as if I'm still in high school.

It makes me restless, to know i'm smart yet play the fool.
I'm frustrated with myself for not using my intelligence to its full potential and settling for mediocrity.

As I settle for way less than of what i'm capable
I feel like I'm not living up to my own abilities and potential.

So catch me if I jump from the bridge
I'm feeling so lost and hopeless that I'm considering self-harm or suicide.

Be the safety on the gun to my head
I need someone to intervene and prevent me from self-destructive behavior.

Be the weak strand on the rope from the rafters
I need someone to help me let go of my destructive thoughts and impulses.

Be my slippery hand as I fumble the dagger
I'm asking for someone to be there for me and stop me from hurting myself or others.

Stardom, leave nothing to the imagination
The glamour of fame and success is not as fulfilling as we imagine.

Fame and fortune, You can't go back the way you came from
Once you've achieved fame and success, it's hard to go back to a simpler, more grounded life.

Unknowingly we sink to the level of animals
As we pursue wealth and success, we can lose sight of our humanity and become more savage or selfish.

I laugh out loud to think we see ourselves as role models
It's absurd that we hold celebrities up as role models when they are flawed and fallible human beings like the rest of us.

Take it away, take it away, take it away, take it away, take it away my reason for dying
I'm begging for someone or something to take away my pain or the reason why I feel so hopeless.

leave it to fate, leave it to fate
I'm ready to surrender to the idea that my future is out of my hands and in the hands of fate.

Show me a way out of the grave
I'm asking for a way out of the darkness and depression that I'm feeling.

Out of a day I'm leaving behind me
I want to move forward and leave my past behind, but I feel stuck and unable to change.

Contributed by Madison F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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