He along with his daughter Casey Lee Williams also create the soundtracks for RT's other animation RWBY
I Burn
Jeff Williams Lyrics
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White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.
Black the beast descends from shadows.
Yellow beauty burns gold
Mirror, tell me something.
Tell me who's the loneliest of all?
Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?
Born with no life... into subjugation
Treated like a worthless animal
Stripped of all rights
Just a lesser being
Crushed by cruel ruthless human rule
When it started
All we wanted was a chance to live our lives
Now in darkness
Taking anything we want and we will rise
We'll rise
We'll rise
From shadows
We'll descend upon the world
Take back what you stole
From shadows
We'll reclaim our destiny
Set our future free
And we'll rise
And we'll rise
Above the darkness and the shame
Above the torture and the pain
Above the ridicule and hate
Above the binding of our fate
Come at me,
And you'll see,
I'm more than meets the eye.
You think that,
You'll break me,
You're gonna find in time.
You're standing too close to a flame that's burning,
Hotter than the sun in the middle of July.
Sending out your army but you still can't win,
Listen up silly boy cuz I'm gonna tell you why.
I burn.
Can't hold me now
You got nothing that can stop me.
I burn.
Swing all you want.
Like a fever I will take you down.
The lyrics to "I Burn" by Jeff Williams tell a story of oppression and uprising. The first verse, "Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest. White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test. Black the beast descends from shadows. Yellow beauty burns gold." is a description of the four main characters in the show. They are Ruby Rose (red), Weiss Schnee (white), Blake Belladonna (black), and Yang Xiao Long (yellow). Each color represents a different aspect of their personalities and the trials they face. The second verse asks "Mirror, tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest of all?" This lyric is significant because each character struggles with loneliness in their own way. The following line "Fear of what's inside of me. Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?" speaks to the internal struggle that each character faces. They are all forced to confront their own demons throughout the show.
The chorus of the song is a rallying cry for rebellion. "From shadows we'll descend upon the world. Take back what you stole. From shadows we'll reclaim our destiny. Set our future free." This is where the themes of oppression and uprising come into play. The last verse talks about how the characters were "Born with no life... into subjugation. Treated like a worthless animal. Stripped of all rights. Just a lesser being. Crushed by cruel ruthless human rule." This verse highlights the injustice that the characters face and sets the stage for the rebellion that they will lead.
Overall, "I Burn" is a powerful song that speaks to themes of oppression, rebellion, and inner turmoil. The lyrics are emotive and paint a vivid picture of the struggles that the characters face. The chorus is especially impactful as it captures the spirit of resistance and defiance.
Line by Line Meaning
Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.
My dreams are filled with the color red, like roses. It takes me to where you rest.
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.
White is a color that always desires but never feels satisfied or fulfilled. It is weighed down by a test given by royalty.
Black the beast descends from shadows.
A beast that is black in color appears from the shadows.
Yellow beauty burns gold.
A beautiful thing that is yellow in color burns like gold.
Mirror, tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest of all?
I ask the mirror to tell me who is the loneliest person of all?
Fear of what's inside of me. Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?
I fear what is inside of me. Can a heart be so cold that it turns to stone?
Born with no life... into subjugation. Treated like a worthless animal. Stripped of all rights. Just a lesser being. Crushed by cruel ruthless human rule
Born into a life where I have no real existence. I am oppressed and treated like a worthless animal. All my rights are taken away and I am insignificant. I am oppressed by inhumane human rules.
When it started. All we wanted was a chance to live our lives. Now in darkness. Taking anything we want and we will rise. We'll rise. We'll rise.
At the beginning, all we wanted was an opportunity to live our lives. Now we are taking anything we want, even in darkness, and we will rise. We will rise, and we will rise again.
From shadows. We'll descend upon the world. Take back what you stole. From shadows. We'll reclaim our destiny. Set our future free. And we'll rise. And we'll rise.
We will come down from hiding and take back what was stolen. We will take hold of our destiny and set our future free. And we will rise, and we will rise until we are victorious.
Above the darkness and the shame. Above the torture and the pain. Above the ridicule and hate. Above the binding of our fate.
We will rise above the darkness and the guilt, the suffering and the agony, the insult and the hatred, and the powerlessness of our fate.
Come at me, And you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye. You think that, You'll break me, You're gonna find in time. You're standing too close to a flame that's burning, Hotter than the sun in the middle of July. Sending out your army but you still can't win, Listen up silly boy cuz I'm gonna tell you why. I burn.
If you attack me, you'll realize that I have more capabilities than what you assumed. You think you can defeat me, but you will find out eventually. You are standing too close to a blazing fire, hotter than the sun in the middle of July. You may send out your army, but you will still not be able to defeat me. Listen to me: I will tell you why I burn with such fervor and determination.
Can't hold me now. You got nothing that can stop me. I burn. Swing all you want. Like a fever, I will take you down.
You cannot hold me back at this point. You have no means to stop me. I am aflame with passion and will take you down like a wildfire. So go ahead and try; swing all you want, but I will burn you down.
Contributed by Riley C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.