Understanding
Understanding - Evanescence Lyrics


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"You hold the answer deep within your own mind,
consciously you’ve forgotten it.
That’s the way the human mind works.
Whenever something is too unpleasant and too shameful for us to entertain
we reject it, we erase it from our memory.
But the imprint is always there…"

We wash it all away,
we wish it all away,
we hope it all away,
Can't cry it all away…

The pain that grips you
The fear that binds you
Releases life in me
In our mutual shame we hide our eyes
To blind them from the truth that finds a way for who we are…

Please don't be afraid
When the darkness fades away
The dawn will break the silence screaming at our hearts

My love for you still grows
This I do for you
Before I try to fight the truth my final time.

"We're supposed to try and be real
and when you feel alone, you are not together, and that is real."

Can't wash it all away
Can't wish it all away
Can't cry it all away
Can't scratch it all away

Lying beside you
Listening to you breathe
The light that flows inside of you burns inside of me
Hold and speak to me
Of love without a sound
Tell me you will live through this and I will die for you
Cast me not away
Say you'll be with me
For I know I cannot bear it all alone.

“You're not alone, honey, Never. Never.”

Can't fight it all away
Can't hope it all away
Can't scream it all away
It just won't fade away, no...

Oooh.. can't wash it all away
Can't wish it all away, yeah, yeah yeah.
Can't cry it all away
Can't scratch it all away, yeah....

Can't fight it all away
Can't hope it all away
Can't scream it all away
Move it all away!
Move it all away!

“But the imprint is always there, nothing is ever really forgotten”

God please don't hate me
Because I'll die if you do
Because I'll die if you do




Because I'll die if you do
Because I'll die if you do

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Understanding by Evanescence delve into the complexities of the human mind and the internal struggles we often face when dealing with unpleasant or shameful experiences. The opening lines suggest that deep within our minds, we hold the answers to our pain, but we consciously forget them. This is a defense mechanism of the human mind, as it rejects and erases memories that are too difficult for us to confront. However, despite our attempts to wash away, wish away, or hope away the pain, it still lingers within us.


The pain and fear that grip and bind us are described as a release of life in the singer. This implies that by acknowledging and embracing our pain, we can find healing and personal growth. However, the shame we feel causes us to hide from the truth, avoiding confronting our own shortcomings and vulnerabilities. The lyrics convey the idea that it is essential not to be afraid when the darkness fades away because eventually the truth will reveal itself and bring emotional liberation.


The sincerity and love the singer feels for someone become evident in the lines, "My love for you still grows, this I do for you. Before I try to fight the truth my final time." Here, the singer is expressing their commitment to confronting their own personal truths, with the hope that it will lead to a stronger connection with their loved one. It implies that facing and accepting our own truths can deepen our relationships and allow us to live authentically.


Throughout the song, there is a repeated assertion that we are not alone, despite the challenges we face. The lyrics encourage the listener to seek comfort in the presence of others, emphasizing the importance of support and empathy. The repeated phrase, "You're not alone, honey, Never. Never," serves as a reminder that we are not alone in our struggles.


The lyrics conclude with a plea to God, suggesting desperation and the fear of being rejected. The line, "Because I'll die if you do," reflects the intensity of their emotional state, implying that without love and acceptance, they feel their life would lose meaning. This final plea encompasses the overarching theme of the song, emphasizing the need for understanding, connection, and genuine acceptance from others.


Line by Line Meaning

You hold the answer deep within your own mind,
You possess the solution to your struggles within your consciousness, although you may have chosen to forget it.


consciously you’ve forgotten it.
You have intentionally erased it from your memory.


That’s the way the human mind works.
It is a natural tendency for the human mind to reject and erase unpleasant or shameful thoughts.


Whenever something is too unpleasant and too shameful for us to entertain
Whenever something is too distressing and embarrassing to acknowledge


we reject it, we erase it from our memory.
We consciously choose to discard and forget about it.


But the imprint is always there…
However, the mark of those memories always remains.


We wash it all away,
We attempt to cleanse ourselves of the pain and guilt.


we wish it all away,
We desire for those troubling memories to vanish.


we hope it all away,
We hold onto the hope that those painful experiences will disappear.


Can't cry it all away…
We are unable to alleviate the pain just by shedding tears.


The pain that grips you
The agony that consumes you


The fear that binds you
The fear that restricts you


Releases life in me
Stirs emotions and a sense of vitality within me


In our mutual shame we hide our eyes
When we share a feeling of disgrace, we avoid facing the truth


To blind them from the truth that finds a way for who we are…
We try to cover our eyes to prevent the reality of our true selves from coming to light


Please don't be afraid
Please do not feel frightened


When the darkness fades away
When the gloominess and uncertainty dissipate


The dawn will break the silence screaming at our hearts
A new beginning will shatter the silence that torments our souls


My love for you still grows
My affection for you continues to expand


This I do for you
I engage in this act for your sake


Before I try to fight the truth my final time.
Before I make a final attempt to deny the reality


We're supposed to try and be real
We are meant to strive for authenticity and genuine connections


and when you feel alone, you are not together, and that is real.
When you experience solitude, it signifies a lack of togetherness, which is a genuine feeling


Can't wash it all away
We cannot entirely erase all of our troubles


Can't wish it all away
We cannot make all of our difficulties disappear with a mere wish


Can't cry it all away
We cannot simply cry out all of our pain


Can't scratch it all away
We cannot physically remove all of our distress


Lying beside you
Resting next to you


Listening to you breathe
Attentively hearing your breath


The light that flows inside of you burns inside of me
The radiance within you ignites a flame within me


Hold and speak to me
Embrace and communicate with me


Of love without a sound
Describing love that is expressed silently


Tell me you will live through this and I will die for you
Assure me that you will survive these challenges, and I am willing to sacrifice myself for you


Cast me not away
Do not abandon me


Say you'll be with me
Promise that you will remain by my side


For I know I cannot bear it all alone.
Because I am aware that I cannot endure everything by myself


You're not alone, honey, Never. Never.
You are not alone, my dear, never and absolutely never.


Can't fight it all away
We cannot completely battle against all of our burdens


Can't hope it all away
We cannot rely solely on hope to make everything vanish


Can't scream it all away
We cannot scream out all of our pain and troubles


It just won't fade away, no...
Those difficulties simply refuse to disappear


Oooh.. can't wash it all away
Oh, we cannot completely wash away all of our worries


Can't wish it all away, yeah, yeah yeah.
We cannot entirely wish away all of our problems


Can't cry it all away
We cannot solely rely on tears to cleanse us of our pain


Can't scratch it all away, yeah....
We cannot erase all of our troubles through physical actions


Can't fight it all away
We cannot fight against all of our struggles single-handedly


Can't hope it all away
We cannot hope to make all of our troubles vanish


Can't scream it all away
We cannot scream away all of our pain and troubles


Move it all away!
We must move away from these burdens


But the imprint is always there, nothing is ever really forgotten
However, the impression of those memories always remain, nothing is truly erased


God please don't hate me
Please, God, do not despise me


Because I'll die if you do
Because if you do, my soul will perish


Because I'll die if you do
Because if you do, my existence will cease


Because I'll die if you do
Because if you do, my being will fade away.


Because I'll die if you do
Because if you do, my life will come to an end.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@kainenburgess64

A very good interpretation of the song. "The pain that grips you ...
... releases life in me"
-- One person has just revealed to his deepest, heartbreaking secrets to his partner. I'm sure many of you have felt this: when you and another person you love have a moment where your heart's desires are poured out for each other to see, it's unbelievably liberating*, and you're like "Oh my God, I'm not alone in this .. I never imagined I'd find someone to share this with." Sharing something mutual and so deep is like *freeing yourself from the bonds of the silence that you've set upon these secrets ("Releases life in me").

"In our mutual shame ...
... from who we are"
-- Both these two people deal with their problems by withdrawing from the outside world, because no-one else understands them.
(nb: This isn't always true; just because no-one around you doesn't understand you, doesn't mean there's NO-ONE in the whole world who isn't feeling exactly what you feel - it just takes the hand of fate to find each other. Like the song says, "You're never alone honey .. never." :) Anyway ..

"Please don't be afraid ...
... screaming at our hearts"
-- She is telling him (or him to her, if you want :P), "Don't be scared when the next day dawns, because now that we've shared everything, we can get through this together, and not fight the battle alone anymore." The line "The dawn will break the silence screaming at our hearts" means that by the time morning comes, what they shared the previous night would have truly sunken in, and they now realised how to fight their fears.

"The life that flows inside of you,
Burns inside of me"
-- The life that he's endured, though it seems normal and the only reality for him, seems so utterly cruel to her and burns her inside, makes her sad for her partner's despair. :(
This line is the most powerful one in the whole song to me.

"Hold and speak to me ...
... bear it all alone"
-- The couple are exchanging vows of mutual trust; basically "Promise me you'll get through this and I promise you that I'll be with you until the end. Don't reject me, because I can't live without you." This also ties in with "God, please don't leave me .. because I'll die if you do."

"Can't wash it all away ..." etcetera.
-- No matter how hard they try, neither of them can erase the past



@anakinsharksuerink7550

5:43-5:52
You can just feel and hear the pain in Amy's voice.

This is such a deep song.

Evanescence is my favourite band, I absolutely love their music, it touches my heart and soul so much.

I LOVE YOU AMY LYNN LEE😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

This band will always be apart of me and it will always have a VERY special place in my heart❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤



All comments from YouTube:

@madeleinep.828

This is probably the most hauntingly beautiful song I’ve ever heard.

@tawanahickey9234

High school is going to go over it and it is a good idea of what you want you can do it and it is a chance to look at my schedule to see what happens with your new job and best of luck to you have a lot of fun and you can do that but I'm not sure how to get to it this 🙌🙌🎉😎😎🙌😎🙌😎🎉😎🙌😎🙌😎🎉😎

@JoseHernandez-vw4qu

DA

@tawanahickey34

@@JoseHernandez-vw4qu S.A.

@tawanahickey34

Hi

@IAmWhatIAmMG

Perfect description 😍

2 More Replies...

@NickRyanBayon

I think the meaning of this song is we need to open our eyes to our pain, accept it, wether it be a dark past, a tragedy that haunts us, out own inner darkness whatever it is, look into it and when you do you can break this cycle, and you can end your suffering and really heal, even though the event still happened the event isn't what hurts us still but rather the act of rejecting it. You can't wash any of it away, can't wish any of it away, can't cry any of it all away or even try and rip any of it away because that's the pain the act of rejection causes it. Just accept it and you won't suffer anymore, be healed by accepting while also becoming stronger by embracing yourself how you are. Great song!

@cheriechicwanda

"The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive", Looking for Alaska

@methandtopology

great interpretation :)
to cookie: "To Forgive is to Suffer" -Death

@mexieskimo605

Cookie Cream I'm currently reading that book. It's amazing.

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