Ben has released songs on both The Punisher and Fantastic Four soundtracks (the former also features fellow Evanescence co-founder, Amy Lee performing with Seether).
On Tuesday December 16, 2008 he released his Mutiny Bootleg EP, which came free with a copy of Hana Pestle's EP that night. Moody is quoted as saying "there’s a duet between Hana and I on there that won't be on the record and won’t be released anywhere ever again. It’s free because I want this sh*t spread everywhere, so be sure that all your friends share the four songs with as many people as possible!" The EP is therefore available for free download from http://drop.io/benmoodymutinybootlegep.
His debut solo album, All For This, featuring Hana Pestle on backing vocals, has been in the works since 2005 and was released June 9, 2009 on iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Amie Street via his own record label. The physical release is forthcoming.
We Are The Fallen, featuring Ben Moody, John LeCompt and Rocky Gray (all formerly of Evanescence), along with Carly Smithson and Marty O'Brien, debuted on June 22, 2009 with the song "Bury Me Alive."
www.benmoody.com
Sanctuary
Ben Moody Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heavy head in battered hands, the tortured boy kneels
Praying to an empty god to see his end tonight
Father never warned him of the dead that lives within
Tearing through his skin at last
I am not your sanctuary
Try and break through the walls around you
Beat me with broken hands
I will silence you
Just beyond the shadows waits a darkness
Only you, my child, can bear this gift from me
I leave you now to claim your place
Across the great divide
All shall suffer me
I am not your sanctuary
I am not your alibi
Try and break through the walls around you
Beat me with broken hands
I will silence you
I am not your sanctuary
I am not your alibi
Try and break through the walls around you
Beat me with broken hands
I will silence you
I am the enemy
I am not your sanctuary
I am not your alibi
Try and break through the walls around you
Beat me with broken hands
I will silence you
I am the enemy
The lyrics of Ben Moody's song Sanctuary depict a character, seemingly a young boy, who is tormented by internal demons that his father never warned him about. The imagery is dark and the tone is eerie, with the opening line of "Father never warned him of the dead that live within" setting the unsettling scene. The boy is depicted as being in tremendous pain, with his head in his hands and his body battered. He turns to prayer, but it's evident that he doesn't believe in it, calling God empty.
The chorus of the song makes it clear that the singer is not a sanctuary or an alibi for anyone. They are not going to provide protection or cover for anyone else. They vow to silence those who would try to break through the walls around them with broken hands. All of this imagery suggests that the singer has been hurt before and doesn't trust anyone to get close to them, let alone provide safety for anyone else.
The final line of the song makes it clear that the singer is the enemy. This line challenges the listener to ponder on who or what the enemy is. Is it the demons that the boy in the opening lines is facing? Or is it something else entirely? The song leaves interpretation up for the listeners to figure out for themselves, adding another mysterious layer to the overall mood of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Father never warned him of the dead that live within, tearing through his skin at last.
The boy is tormented by the dead inside him that finally come out. His father never warned him about it.
I am not your sanctuary
The singer is not a safe haven or place of refuge for someone else.
I am not your alibi
The singer is not an excuse or justification for someone else's actions or behavior.
Try and break through the walls around you
The singer challenges someone to try and break free from the mental barriers that they have constructed around themselves.
Beat me with broken hands
The singer is willing to endure physical harm and pain from someone else.
I will silence you
The singer will quiet, suppress or subdue someone else.
Just beyond the shadows waits a darkness
There is an ominous darkness lurking beyond the surface that waits to be discovered.
Only you, my child, can bear this gift from me
The singer gives the responsibility of dealing with the darkness to someone else, possibly someone younger or inexperienced.
I leave you now to claim your place
The singer abandons someone, making them responsible for finding their own way and forging their own path.
Across the great divide, All shall suffer me
The singer will cause suffering to everyone, no matter how far apart they may be.
I am the enemy
The singer is not a friend or ally; they are the opposite, an adversary.
Contributed by Madison B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.