The Novice
Broken Lyrics
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In The Novice, Broken sings about losing oneself and losing control. The singer admits to lying to themselves and dying within themselves, while trying to shed and erase themselves. They are waiting for something to awaken them, but are left with no choice but to self-medicate to recreate. This self-destructive behavior is held responsible by the Novice, who struggles to keep their ego aligned as the shadows come alive to their eyes. The search for divinity leads them to expose their souls to insanity, and the singer must question their own existence to make sense of it all.
The underlying theme of this song seems to be self-destruction and the search for meaning in one's existence. The lyrics suggest that the singer has lost control and is struggling to maintain their sense of self. The Novice is portrayed as someone who is also struggling, but is complicit in the self-destructive behavior. The repeated refrain to self-medicate and recreate, strip the mind to redefine, manipulate to stimulate, and crucify to purify all suggest a cyclical pattern of self-destruction and rebirth.
Interestingly, the lyrics seem to suggest a certain level of self-awareness on the part of the singer. They know that what they are doing is destructive, but seem incapable of stopping it. The Novice is held responsible for their own complicity in this destructive pattern. The shadows that come alive to their eyes may represent the darker aspects of their psyche that are being exposed through this process of self-destruction and rebirth.
Line by Line Meaning
I have lost myself, can't control myself, feeding on myself, bleeding on myself, lying to myself, dying within myself, trying to shed myself, so to erase myself, waiting for something to awake me, you leave me with no choice but to Self-medicate to recreate.
I am struggling with my identity and self-destructing through self-harm and deception. I feel trapped in this cycle and without any other options, resort to using substances to try and escape and start anew.
Strip the mind to redefine. Manipulate to stimulate. Crucify to purify.
In order to progress and grow, I must unlearn what I thought I knew and rewire my thoughts. This involves going through pain and discomfort to achieve purification of my soul.
The Shadows come alive to the Novice's eye as his ego struggles to keep him aligned.
As I strive to understand the world and my place in it, my own self-importance and ego blind me to the truth and prevent me from seeing things as they truly are.
We expose our souls to insanity as we reach in search of divinity.
In our pursuit of spiritual enlightenment or connection to a higher power, we may risk our own sanity and well-being as we delve deeper and expose ourselves to the unknown.
My Novice I hold you responsible and I cannot change the inevitable. I must question my existence to make sense of this.
I am responsible for my own actions and cannot escape the consequences. I must reflect on my life and choices to find meaning and purpose in the struggles I go through.
My novice I can't control this you must find your way. You have become a part of this we are just the same. Now lie still and...Self-medicate to recreate.
I cannot guide others on their journey to self-discovery, they must find their own path. We are all going through similar struggles and pains. As we face our demons and try to start anew, we must use whatever means necessary - even if it means turning to substances to cope.
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.