"Battle Cry" is a song written and performed by Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman,… Read Full Bio ↴"Battle Cry" is a song written and performed by Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon of American alternative rock band Imagine Dragons. It was released on June 2, 2014 as a single promoting Transformers: Age of Extinction a 2014 science fiction action film based on the Transformers franchise. It is notable for being the first theme song in the Transformers film franchise not to be performed by Linkin Park, though the latter's "Until It's Gone" is included on the accompanying video game. The song was later included on the Super Deluxe Edition of the band's second studio album, Smoke + Mirrors (2015).

As part of his efforts to distance Age of Extinction from the previous films in the series, Transformers director Michael Bay sought out a new musical act to soundtrack the film and hand picked Imagine Dragons for the job. "Battle Cry" was written by the group members specifically for use in the film, inspired by the story as pitched to them by Bay. Lead singer Dan Reynolds revealed to Billboard that the aim with "Battle Cry" was to write "in a more cinematic way" to compose a song that was satisfying as a piece of music but also benefited the visual it was set to accompany.

Battle Cry
Imagine Dragons Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Just one more time before I go
I'll let you know
That all this time I've been afraid
Wouldn't let it show
Nobody can save me now, no
Nobody can save me now

Stars are only visible in darkness

Fear is ever-changing and evolving
And I, I feel poison inside
And I, I feel so alive

Nobody can save you now
King is crown, it's do or die
Nobody can save you now
The only sound
It's the battle cry
It's the battle cry
It's the battle cry
Nobody can save you now
It's do or die

Nobody can save you now
King is crown, it's do or die
Nobody can save you now
The only sound
It's the battle cry
It's the battle cry
It's the battle cry
Nobody can save you now
It's do or die

Just one more time before I go
I'll let you know
That all this time I've been afraid
Wouldn't let it show

Nobody can save me now, no
Nobody can save me now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Battle Cry" by Imagine Dragons reveal a powerful message of the determination and perseverance of facing one's inner darkness and the external obstacles one encounters on the way. The first stanza starts with a regretful phrase of "Just one more time before I go" that implies the solemnity of the situation. Then, the singer admits that throughout "all this time," they were scared but did not show it. The following line, "Nobody can save me now, no" shows a defeatist attitude, but the repetition emphasizes the singer's acceptance of the situation.

In the second stanza, the imagery of darkness and stars connote the hopelessness and withering away of life. However, the singer claims to feel "so alive" despite feeling the poison inside. The next lines shift the focus towards the listener, using the metaphor of kings and their battles to ultimately say that no one can save them, and the only thing left is the battle cry. The repetition of the phrase communicates the refusal to give up and go down easily.

Overall, the message of the song seems to be to embrace the adversities that come with life, accept one's fears, and fight on through the darkness. It encourages the listeners to recognize that they are in control of their own lives, and no one can save them, but they can save themselves with the willpower to continue fighting.

Line by Line Meaning

Just one more time before I go
This is my last chance to communicate

I'll let you know
I'm going to be fully transparent

That all this time I've been afraid
I have been scared for so long

Wouldn't let it show
I hid it from others

Nobody can save me now, no
I'm beyond help

Stars are only visible in darkness
Bright things stand out most in the dark

Fear is ever-changing and evolving
Fear is always shifting and growing

And I, I feel poison inside
I feel contaminated

And I, I feel so alive
But alive despite it

Nobody can save you now
You're on your own

King is crown, it's do or die
This is a make or break moment

The only sound
The lone noise is

It's the battle cry
The fight song

Nobody can save you now
You're on your own

It's do or die
It's all or nothing

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Daniel Coulter Reynolds, Daniel Wayne Sermon, Benjamin Arthur Mckee, Daniel James Platzman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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