According to the Fiction Songfacts, this track was written by the band's dr… Read Full Bio ↴According to the Fiction Songfacts, this track was written by the band's drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan three days before he was found dead on December 28, 2009, making it the last song ever to be written by The Rev.

The song itself was originally going to be called 'Death', but was changed to 'Fiction', one of Sullivan's nicknames.

Fiction
Avenged Sevenfold Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now I think I understand
How this world can overcome a man
Like a friend we saw it through
In the end I gave my life for you

Gave you all I had to give
Found a place for me to rest my head
While I may be hard to find

Heard there's peace just on the other side

Not that I could
Or that I would
Let it burn
Under my skin
Let it burn

Left this life to set me free
Took a piece of you inside of me
All this hurt can finally fade
Promise me you'll never feel afraid

Not the I could
Or that I would
Let it burn
Under my skin
Let it burn

(Aaah, aah, aahah, ah)
(Aaah aah aah aah aah ah)
(Aah aah aah aah aah ah)

I hope it's worth it
Here on the highway, yeah
I know you'll find your own way
When I'm not with you

So tell everybody
The ones who walk beside me, yeah
I hope you'll find your own way
When I'm not with you tonight

I hope it's worth it
What's left behind me, yeah
I know you'll find your own way
When I'm not with you

So tell everybody
The ones who walk beside me, yeah

I know you'll find your own way
When I'm not with you tonight

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Avenged Sevenfold's song "Fiction" seem to be about the concept of sacrifice in relationships. The first verse describes how the world can be too much for one person to handle on their own, but that with the support of others, anything is possible. The writer then says that he gave everything he had to his friend, and he found a place to rest his head. The implication here is that he died for his friend or gave up something important to him. The next verse seems to be about carrying a part of that friend with him after his sacrifice. He's saying that he's found peace on the other side, and he wants his friend to not be afraid anymore.

The chorus repeats the phrase "let it burn under my skin" several times. The repetitive nature of the chorus emphasizes the idea that the sacrifice that the writer made is deeply ingrained in him. He can't forget it or let it go. He's carrying the memory of his friend with him always. The bridge seems to indicate that the writer hopes his sacrifice was worth it. He's on the "highway," alone but traveling somewhere he needs to be. He hopes that the people who were beside him before will find their way without him. He's giving them their freedom but hoping for the best.

Overall, the song "Fiction" tackles a difficult and emotional topic. It deals with the aftermath of sacrifice in relationships, and the impact it can have on those who are left behind. The lyrics may also be interpreted as a message of hope and encouragement, as the writer seems to be trying to inspire his friends to continue without him and live their lives to the fullest.

Line by Line Meaning

Now I think I understand
I finally comprehend something that eluded me previously.

How this world can overcome a man
How the world can be overwhelming to some people and they may struggle to cope.

Like a friend we saw it through
We approached our struggles the way friends might, together.

In the end I gave my life for you
I sacrificed my life for you, at the end of it all.

Gave you all I had to give
I gave you everything I had.

Found a place for me to rest my head
I finally found a place to rest, to find some peace.

While I may be hard to find
I might be difficult to locate or be elusive.

Heard there's peace just on the other side
I've heard that there's peace on the other side of life.

Not that I could
It's not that I couldn't do something.

Or that I would
It's not that I wouldn't do something.

Let it burn
Let it suffer the consequences of its actions.

Under my skin
Deeply personal or causing a strong emotional reaction.

Left this life to set me free
I've left this world to be free from something that was holding me back.

Took a piece of you inside of me
I've internalized a part of you that will forever be a part of me.

All this hurt can finally fade
All the pain that I was feeling can finally go away.

Promise me you'll never feel afraid
Make a covenant to never feel scared or intimidated again.

I hope it's worth it
I hope the effort or the price paid for something is justified.

Here on the highway, yeah
Here on the road, traveling.

I know you'll find your own way
I have faith that you'll figure things out for yourself eventually.

When I'm not with you
When I'm no longer around to help or guide.

So tell everybody
Spread the word to everyone around you.

The ones who walk beside me, yeah
Those who are close to me and support me.

What's left behind me, yeah
What I've left behind, my legacy.

I know you'll find your own way
I'm confident that you'll find your path forward.

When I'm not with you tonight
When I'm not here physically, tonight.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward, James Sullivan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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