Their debut album From Them, Through Us, to You was released March 27, 2007 through Roadrunner Records whom the band signed with shortly after releasing their EP entitled The Disappearance of Adalia.
Madina Lake themes its music in a town created in the mind of the bass player, Matthew Leone. It is set high in the American mountains, and, isolated from human contact, has remained in a 1950s themed era. The music provides an outlet for the band's views on politics, culture, and the media's obsession with celebrity status. The theme behind the band's music is in relation to the mystery of Adalia. The album artwork shows images of her and the mysteries behind her and the town of Madina Lake.
Madina Lake released their second offering and follow up to From Them, Through Us, To You, with Attics To Eden on the 5th May 2009. Filled with a progressed sound and fresh vibe, Attics To Eden certainly delivers on all levels; from the infectious lyrics in the chorus of "Not For This World" to the slower paced memorable "Through This Pain", the band look set to storm the world and add to their ever growing loyal fan base.
The band have since been recording their new EP, 'The Dresden Codex', and have released new songs 'They're Coming For Me' and 'Hey Superstar!'.
In April 2011, Madina Lake confirmed that they had left Roadrunner records and signed with Sony. The band's third studio album, World War III, was their first on their new label. It was the third and final installment of their concept trilogy, which concludes the Leone brothers' tales of a metaphorical universe and was released on September 13, 2011. (Hey Superstar Songfacts).
Me vs The World
Madina Lake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For everything I never said
When you were here
And so I'm burning up photographs
Of what was a perfect past
'Cause I'm still here
But I'm barely holding on
Choking on the difference
Between me and the world
And ever since you've been gone
I've been torn apart
I know that you can't hear me but
I'm still hurt
And I wish you were here
It's so hard that I try to bury it
Pretend that you didn't exist
So I can be strong
But I feel sick
And I feel diseased
'Cause everyone abandons me
And I can't move along
'Cause I'm barely holding on
Where did I go wrong
Choking on the difference
Between me and the world
And ever since you've been gone
I've been torn apart
I know that you can't hear me but
I'm still hurt
And I wish you were here
I can not pretend you didn't exist
Misery is just a state of mind
Hiding from the world's no way to live
So I'll convince myself that I'll be fine
I'll be fine
But since I lost you I'm barely holding on
Where did I go wrong
Choking on the difference between
Me and the world
And ever since you've been gone
I've been torn apart
I know that you can't hear me but
I'm still hurt
So I look up to the stars
And wonder out loud
Why everything I had in life
Has fallen from my arms
Can you even hear this song?
I'm screaming at the clouds
Screaming to a galaxy
That never cared at all
That I need you here
The song "Me vs The World" by Madina Lake is a heart-wrenching expression of grief and guilt after losing someone who was once close to the singer. The opening lines convey a sense of regret and self-hatred for not expressing what the singer wanted to say before the person left. The burning of photographs, which capture memories of a perfect past, is indicative of the intense pain and inability to move on. The singer is barely holding on and is trying to figure out where they went wrong.
The chorus reinforces the theme of the profound difference between the singer and the world, and how this difference is causing a sense of choking. The person's absence has left the singer torn apart, and the pain lingers on despite knowing that the person can no longer hear the cries of pain. The singer talks about trying to bury the memory of the person to be strong, but it only makes them feel sick and diseased.
The bridge signifies a turning point in the song, where the singer acknowledges that they cannot pretend that the person never existed. Misery is a state of mind, and hiding from the world is not a way to live. However, even though the singer convinces themselves that they will be fine, they are still holding on, barely.
Overall, the song addresses the pain of losing someone and the guilt and self-loathing that often come with it. The personal suffering that the singer endures is palpable, and the feeling of being lost and alone when the world does not care is devastating.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I try not to hate myself
I struggle to not feel negatively about my own actions
For everything I never said
I regret not expressing things I should have
When you were here
While you were still present in my life
And so I'm burning up photographs
I'm destroying memories of a time that once brought me happiness
Of what was a perfect past
The images I'm destroying are a memento of my idealized past
'Cause I'm still here
I'm still alive
But I'm barely holding on
I'm struggling to cope with my situation
Where did I go wrong
What action of mine led to things getting worse?
Choking on the difference
I'm struggling to accept or understand how things are now
Between me and the world
I feel disconnected from everyone and everything around me
And ever since you've been gone
Since you aren't around anymore
I've been torn apart
I've been emotionally devastated
I know that you can't hear me but
Even though you're not here, I'm still speaking to you
I'm still hurt
I'm still in pain
And I wish you were here
I wish you were back in my life
It's so hard that I try to bury it
It's difficult to face my emotions without feeling overwhelmed
Pretend that you didn't exist
I try to ignore or block out memories of our time together
So I can be strong
By doing so, I can try to appear resilient
But I feel sick
Deep down, I feel ill or unwell
And I feel diseased
I feel like something is fundamentally wrong with me
'Cause everyone abandons me
It seems like everyone in my life eventually leaves me
And I can't move along
I'm unable to progress in my life
I can not pretend you didn't exist
I can no longer ignore or deny our past together
Misery is just a state of mind
My unhappiness is simply a mental state
Hiding from the world's no way to live
Avoiding the world and my problems won't solve anything
So I'll convince myself that I'll be fine
I'll try to believe that everything will eventually work out
I'll be fine
I'll be okay
But since I lost you I'm barely holding on
Despite my efforts to stay strong, losing you has made it difficult to cope
So I look up to the stars
I gaze at the sky above me
And wonder out loud
I vocalize my thoughts without caring who hears me
Why everything I had in life
Why did I lose everything I once had?
Has fallen from my arms
It feels like everything slipped out of my grasp
Can you even hear this song?
I wonder if you're able to hear me, wherever you are now
I'm screaming at the clouds
I'm shouting aimlessly into the sky
Screaming to a galaxy
I'm shouting to the universe as a whole
That never cared at all
It feels like the world doesn't care about my struggles
That I need you here
I need you to be by my side to help me through this
Contributed by Callie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.