It’s Been Awhile by Staind: Lyrics Meaning And Interpretation
Staind is an American Rock band that was created in the year 1995. The story of Staind began in 1993 when the lead vocalist of the band, Aaron Lewis met the lead guitarist Mike Mushok at a Christmas party. Their friendship hit off from that party, and they ended up creating a band together. They also brought in Johnny April (bassist and backing vocalist), and Jon Wysocki (drummer) and formed their band. For the next few years, the bank toured the Northeast and performed in various places to gain a huge amount of regional fan following. This helped their band identity to grow.
In the early years, the bank only covered various songs, but in November 1996, they released their first album ‘Tormented’ which was not a success. Later they performed in a show where Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst was so impressed by them that he signed them to Flip Records. After which they released their first album ‘Dysfunctional’. Their next album ‘Break the Cycle’ was a big hit, and it secured number one position on the US 2001 song chart. This was the beginning of their successful career.
In 2003, Staind released another album ’14 Shades of Grey’. After releasing this album, they took a break for 2 years. Post that they released their album ‘Chapter V’ which again secured the top position in the US charts. The singles and videos compilation was released by the bad in 2006 which then secured the top 3 positions on U.S. Billboard Top 200 list. Since then, the band has been creating some great music. Although they take breaks from music very often, whenever they come back into business, they create some amazing work.
Let us now understand It’s Been Awhile lyrics meaning.
What Does the Title Mean?
Before understanding It’s Been Awhile lyrics meaning, it is important that you understand the title of the song. Having a clear idea about the title of the song will help you understand It’s Been Awhile lyrics meaning better.
This song was a part of their album ‘Break the Cycle’ which was released in the year 2001. It was the song, along with “Fade’, ‘Fore You’, and “Outside” that made this album a hit. The song “It’s Been Awhile” also made its way to the Billboard Top 10 chart. The album sold millions of copies all across the world. Its success made it one of the best-selling albums of the year.
The title of the song ‘It’s Been Awhile’ explains everything that the singer wants to say. The title of the song will bring questions into the mind of the audience. It has been a while from what exactly? The singer in this song says how it has been a while since he has been happy and sober in his life. It speaks about the good times that he has spent with his lover but now every good thing in his life has disappeared. The singer also goes on to say how he tends to mess things up for himself and nobody, but he is to be blamed for all the mishaps in his life. The song titled, ‘It’s Been Awhile’ explains how it has been a while since his life was on the right track.
Read the whole article to know more about It’s Been Awhile lyrics meaning.
Verse 1: What Does it Mean?
And it’s been awhile since I could hold my head up high
And it’s been awhile since I first saw you
And it’s been awhile since I could stand on my own two feet again
And it’s been awhile since I could call you
The first verse of the song shows how messed up the singer’s life is. It speaks about all the problems in his life including his addiction, relationship, and confidence. In the first line of the verse, we can see how it has been a while since he has held his head up meaning he hasn’t felt confident about himself. It talks about how he has been missing his lover as their relationship has ended mostly because of him.
Chorus: What does it mean?
And everything I can’t remember
As fucked up as it all may seem
The consequences that are rendered
I’ve stretched myself beyond my means
The chorus speaks about how he has been repeating all his mistakes which have led him to destroy all the good things in his life, including his lover. It talks about how it has been a while since he has felt joy. He goes on to say that because of his deeds, now he has to deal with the consequences.
Verse 2: What Does it mean?
And it’s been awhile since I could say that I wasn’t addicted and
It’s been awhile since I could say I love myself as well and
It’s been awhile since I’ve gone and fucked things up, just like I always do
And it’s been awhile, but all that shit seems to disappear when I’m with you
In the second verse of the song, the singer openly speaks about his addiction and how that has made him hate himself. It is his relationship with drugs that has destroyed all other relationships in his life. He goes on to say that he had stopped doing drugs when his lover was around, but he blames himself for ruining every good thing in his life. He says how he is becoming a drug addict again and it is only his lover who can bring him back from the darkness. “Just like I always do” here signifies how he blames himself for the end of the relationship. He also says that when he is on drugs, everything in his life seems to be alright.
Bridge: What Does it Mean?
Why must I feel this way?
Just make this go away
Just one more peaceful day
In the bridge of the song, we see him requesting his lover to come back and spend one day with him. He believes that right now, he is feeling like a mess, but all this could go away if his lover would come back. It is only his lover who can give him peace.
Verse 3: What Does it mean?
And it’s been awhile since I could look at myself straight
And it’s been awhile since I said I’m sorry
And it’s been awhile since I’ve seen the way the candles light your face
And it’s been awhile, but I can still remember just the way you taste
This verse could have two possible interpretations. The first one could be that he is missing his lover a lot. The third line could mean that as his lover is no more in his life, he is missing her face every day. This verse could also mean that as he is a drug abuser or an addict, he still remembers how it tastes. This verse could have several meanings, but the basic idea is how he is trying to move on, but he cannot forget the past.
Chorus: What Does it mean?
And everything I can’t remember
As fucked up as it all may seem to be, and I know it’s me
I cannot blame this on my father
He did the best he could for me
Most of the time, children blame their negative traits on their fathers. But in this part of the song, he says how only he is to be blamed for his negative traits of messing things up. He has successfully messed up his love life and has been an addict, but his father cannot be blamed for this. His father tried to raise him to be a good man.
Outro: What Does it Mean?
And it’s been awhile since I could hold my head up high
And it’s been awhile since I said I’m sorry
The outro of the song shows how sad he is. He realizes his faults and understands that he has made some terrible mistakes in life. That is exactly why he does not have any respect for himself. He also says that he realizes his faults, but he has not said sorry to all the people that he has hurt including himself.
This song is about a man who is trying to be honest with himself by accepting all the mistakes that he has made in the past. This man realizes that if he has to survive, he needs to be fearless and stand up for himself. I hope reading this article has helped you understand It’s Been Awhile lyrics meaning.
