Shadows
Chaotica Lyrics
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And then she gets into the shower.
There′s bruises on her thighs,
She's in there scrubbing for an hour.
She can′t remove the smell,
A crimson trail goes down the drain.
This can't be Hell,
Not even Hell can manufacture this much pain.
She drys herself, she combs her hair,
She's got the courage of a soldier.
She puts on clothes, and then she swears
That someday when she′s older,
She′s going to disappear
And melt away in all her dreams,
And stop this endless night of violent tears
And stifled silent screams.
She blames herself when he's mad,
She thinks she′s done something bad,
She thinks it's normal to be sad.
We are the shadows of the abused,
Of the neglected, the beaten and bruised.
We are the misfits, we are the lost,
We are the broken, we paid the cost.
She lays in bed, her eyes are closed,
She pretends that she′s fast asleep.
The door is cracked,
A silhouette enters the room
And starts to creep.
She holds her breath, she squints her eyes,
She bites her lip, gives off a tear.
She tries to slip away to somewhere
In her mind and disappear.
She feels a hand over her mouth,
She knows she's not to make a sound.
She reaches for her teddy bear,
But Teddy′s knocked onto the ground.
Every second feels like hours,
Every night goes on for weeks.
She tries to wipe the stench of cigarettes
And whisky off her cheeks.
Why do you hurt her inside?
You are supposed to provide!
You piece of trash, you need to die!
I hope you die!!!
We are the shadows of the abused,
Of the neglected, the beaten and bruised.
We are the misfits, we are the lost,
We are the broken, we paid the cost.
We are survivors and we have a choice,
We have the right to let out our voice.
We won't go quietly into the night,
We're here to stay and we′ll stay to fight!
We are the shadows of the abused,
Of the neglected, the beaten and bruised.
We are the misfits, we are the lost,
We are the broken, we paid the cost.
I think it′s time we find a new solution,
A revolution, we're done with this war.
I think it′s time we take back what is ours,
Let's heal the scars, we won′t take this anymore!
We are the shadows of the abused,
Of the neglected, the beaten and bruised.
We are the misfits, we are the lost,
We are the broken, we paid the cost.
We are survivors and we have a choice,
We have the right to let out our voice.
We won't go quietly into the night,
We′re here to stay and we'll stay to fight!
We are the shadows of the abused,
We are the empty shell of the used.
We are the damaged, alone in the crowd,
We've got things to say and we′ll say them out loud.
We are discarded but we still have dreams,
We cry on the inside and we hide our screams.
But we escaped, we survived, and we′re free,
It's time for a change, let′s do things differently.
We are the shadows of the abused!
We are the shadows of the abused!
The song "Shadows" by Chaotica tells the story of a girl who is being abused and mistreated by someone close to her. The lyrics describe the physical and emotional pain that she experiences and the way she copes with it. The chorus echoes the sentiment of the song, that the chorus members are "the shadows of the abused, of the neglected, the beaten and bruised." They are survivors and they have a choice, and they won't stay quiet about their experiences anymore.
The opening lines set up the scene of the girl's pain as she tries to wash away the evidence of her abuse in a shower. The following lines highlight the feeling of complete and utter despair and powerlessness that she is experiencing. She blames herself when he is mad because she thinks she has done something wrong. The lyrics show how this kind of abuse can make someone feel trapped, with no way out.
The second verse shows the girl's determination to survive despite the odds against her. She puts on a brave face and tries to envision a better future for herself where she can disappear from her current life. But the chorus highlights that she's not alone, and that others like her have suffered in similar ways. The members of the chorus are the survivors who have escaped their abuse and are now speaking out against it. They are the "shadows of the abused" who refuse to stay silent any longer.
Line by Line Meaning
She wipes the tears out of her eyes,
And then she gets into the shower.
After crying, she tries to wash away the pain in the shower.
There′s bruises on her thighs,
She's in there scrubbing for an hour.
Trying to erase the physical evidence of abuse, she's scrubbing her bruises for an hour.
She can′t remove the smell,
A crimson trail goes down the drain.
She can't get rid of the smell of the abuse, and she watches as the abuser's blood goes down the drain.
This can't be Hell,
Not even Hell can manufacture this much pain.
The pain she feels is beyond comprehension, even for Hell itself.
She drys herself, she combs her hair,
She's got the courage of a soldier.
Despite the pain, she shows strength by bravely getting ready for the day.
She puts on clothes, and then she swears
That someday when she′s older,
She′s going to disappear
And melt away in all her dreams,
She dreams of one day escaping and disappearing into her dreams.
And stop this endless night of violent tears
And stifled silent screams.
She longs for an end to the abuse and the constant tears and silent screams.
She blames herself when he's mad,
She thinks she′s done something bad,
She thinks it's normal to be sad.
Thinking she's responsible for the abuse, she blames herself and thinks it's normal to be sad in this situation.
We are the shadows of the abused,
Of the neglected, the beaten and bruised.
Acknowledging their shared experience, the abused declare themselves as shadows that represent the neglected, beaten, and bruised.
We are the misfits, we are the lost,
We are the broken, we paid the cost.
Describing themselves as misfits, lost, and broken, the abused acknowledge the cost they've paid for their abuse.
She lays in bed, her eyes are closed,
She pretends that she′s fast asleep.
Pretending to sleep, she tries to escape from the abuse.
The door is cracked,
A silhouette enters the room
And starts to creep.
An abuser enters the room, slowly creeping in like a shadow.
She holds her breath, she squints her eyes,
She bites her lip, gives off a tear.
Terrified, she holds her breath and tries to hide her fear while a tear slips out.
She tries to slip away to somewhere
In her mind and disappear.
She tries to escape mentally, disappearing into her mind.
She feels a hand over her mouth,
She knows she's not to make a sound.
The abuser covers her mouth, preventing her from making noise.
She reaches for her teddy bear,
But Teddy′s knocked onto the ground.
Trying to find comfort, she reaches for her stuffed animal, but it falls to the ground during the abuse.
Every second feels like hours,
Every night goes on for weeks.
The abuse feels never-ending, with every moment stretching out into what feels like weeks.
She tries to wipe the stench of cigarettes
And whisky off her cheeks.
She tries to get rid of the smell of the abuser's cigarettes and whisky off her cheeks.
Why do you hurt her inside?
You are supposed to provide!
You piece of trash, you need to die!
I hope you die!!!
The abused question why the abuser would hurt them and want them dead, saying they should have been a provider instead.
We are survivors and we have a choice,
We have the right to let out our voice.
Acknowledging their survival, the abused affirm their right to speak out.
We won't go quietly into the night,
We're here to stay and we′ll stay to fight!
The abused declare that they won't go quietly and will keep fighting for their right to be heard.
I think it′s time we find a new solution,
A revolution, we're done with this war.
Suggesting a need for change, the abused call for a revolution and an end to the war of abuse.
I think it′s time we take back what is ours,
Let's heal the scars, we won′t take this anymore!
Calling for a reclaiming of ownership over their lives, the abused want to heal and take control of their situation.
We are the empty shell of the used.
Describing themselves as mere shells of their former selves, the abused recognize the toll their abuse has taken.
We are the damaged, alone in the crowd,
We've got things to say and we′ll say them out loud.
Acknowledging their damage and loneliness, the abused affirm their intent to speak out in the face of it all.
But we escaped, we survived, and we′re free,
It's time for a change, let′s do things differently.
Despite everything, the abused have escaped and survived and seek to make a change in their situations going forward.
We are the shadows of the abused!
Reiterating their shared experience, the abused declare themselves once again as shadows of the abused.
Writer(s): Stephen Lee Bruner, Donald Mckinley Ii Glover, Ludwig Emil Tomas Goransson, Manzel S. Bush, Khalil Muhammed
Contributed by Mia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.