Imagine Dragons are a pop band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. … Read Full Bio ↴Imagine Dragons are a pop band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band currently consists of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and bassist Ben McKee. They first gained exposure with the release of their single "It's Time", followed by their debut album Night Visions (2012), which resulted in the chart-topping singles "Radioactive" and "Demons". Rolling Stone named "Radioactive", which held the record for most weeks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the "biggest rock hit of the year". MTV called them "the year's biggest breakout band", and Billboard named them their "Breakthrough Band of 2013" and "Biggest Band of 2017", and placed them at the top of their "Year in Rock" rankings for 2013, 2017, and 2018. Imagine Dragons topped the Billboard Year-End "Top Artists – Duo/Group" category in 2018.

The band's second studio album Smoke + Mirrors (2015) reached number one in the US, Canada, and the UK. This was followed by their third studio album Evolve (2017), which resulted in three chart-topping singles, "Believer", "Thunder", and "Whatever It Takes", also making them the artist with the most weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. The album reached the top five in many countries. The band's fourth studio album Origins (2018) featured the single "Natural", which became their fifth song to top the Hot Rock Songs chart. The band has since released Mercury – Acts 1 & 2 (2022), a double album featuring the US top 5 hit "Enemy", and Loom (2024), their first album without longtime drummer Daniel Platzman. Despite their popularity and commercial success, the band's music has been consistently met with mixed critical reception.

Imagine Dragons won three American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, one Grammy Award, one MTV Video Music Award, and one World Music Award. In May 2014, the band was nominated for 14 Billboard Music Awards, including Top Artist of the Year and a Milestone Award, which recognizes innovation and creativity of artists across different genres. In April 2018, the band was nominated 11 more times for Billboard Music Awards.

Imagine Dragons have sold more than 74 million albums and 65 million digital songs worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. They have also earned 160 billion streams across music platforms. They were the most streamed group of 2018 on Spotify, the first rock act to have four songs, "Radioactive", "Demons", "Believer", and "Thunder", to surpass one billion streams each, and the only group in RIAA history to have four songs certified higher than Diamond. According to Billboard, "Believer", "Thunder", and "Radioactive" were the three best performing rock songs of the 2010s.

Second Chances
Imagine Dragons Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Older than water, stubborn as stone
There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around
Oh these days, oh these days get heavy

I get older and life fades but you remain

Open up again I believe in second chances
Please let me in, oh I believe in second chances
I won't break you
I will not let you down
Open up again, I believe in second chances

Quicker than lightning, whiter than bone
If you can erase it then I can atone

Oh these days oh these days get heavy

I get older and life fades but you remain
Open up again I believe in second chances
Please let me in, oh I believe in second chances
I won't break you I will not let you down
Open up again I believe in second chances

Forgive me
Forgive me

Open up again I believe in second chances
Please let me in, oh I believe in second chances
I won't break you I will not let you down
Open up again, I believe in second chances

Goodnight

Goodnight
Goodnight
Goodnight
Goodnight
Goodnight
Goodnight
Goodnight

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Imagine Dragons' "Second Chances" paint a picture of someone who is set in their ways and unyielding. They are "older than water," a reference to the stubbornness and immobility of rocks in a stream that have been worn down over time. The singer sings about how such a person will find it difficult to find forgiveness for all that they have done. The imagery of the song is powerful, and it conveys the weight of the mistakes and regrets that can accumulate over a lifetime. The repetition of the phrase "oh these days get heavy" places emphasis on the burden that the singer is carrying.

The second verse of the song shifts in tone, with the singer expressing a belief in second chances. They acknowledge the inevitability of aging and the fading of life, but they hope that forgiveness and the opportunity for redemption remain. The repetition of the phrase "I believe in second chances" reinforces the central theme of the song, and it serves as a reminder to the listener that it is never too late to make a change.

Overall, "Second Chances" is a poignant and powerful song about the human experience of regret and the desire for forgiveness. Its themes are universal, and the imagery and metaphors used by Imagine Dragons give the song a timeless quality.

Line by Line Meaning

Older than water, stubborn as stone
Referring to someone who is well-established in their ways and difficult to change due to their long-standing habits and beliefs.

There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
At a certain point, you can't blame your actions on your past experiences anymore and you must take responsibility for your current behavior.

Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
Life can be overwhelming and burdensome at times, causing difficulty in moving forward.

Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
Describing the intense emotions and feelings that can be experienced but are often not visible to the outside world.

There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around
Sometimes it's too late to ask for forgiveness and expect to be welcomed back with open arms.

I get older and life fades but you remain
Life is fleeting but some things and people endure the test of time and stay constant in your life.

Open up again I believe in second chances
Asking for another opportunity to make things right and prove that you've changed for the better.

Please let me in, oh I believe in second chances
Emphasizing the desire and belief that the other person will give them another chance to make amends and start fresh.

I won't break you
Promising that their actions won't hurt the other person again and cause them additional pain.

I will not let you down
Promising that they won't repeat the same mistakes and let the other person down again.

Quicker than lightning, whiter than bone
Describing actions that happen unexpectedly and suddenly, almost too fast to comprehend.

If you can erase it then I can atone
Acknowledging that what was done cannot be undone, but promising to make up for it in any way possible.

Forgive me
A simple plea for forgiveness and understanding.

Goodnight
A final farewell, implying the end of a conversation or relationship.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN ARTHUR MCKEE, DANIEL COULTER REYNOLDS, DANIEL JAMES PLATZMAN, DANIEL WAYNE SERMON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS