Evanescence is a rock band and is popular for releasing songs that have been instant hits. With songs like My Immortal and Bring Me Back to Life, the band has been applauded for its taste and work.
With its first success in 2003 with Fallen, the debut album, the band returned with a second album called The Open Door in 2006.
The production of the second album was a struggle, as Amy Lee, the lead singer had commented in an interview. And that brings us to the song called Lithium.
The song is a little lesser known than her famous songs, this song is deep and has the same Gothic vibe.
What does the title mean?
The title of the song has sparked many debates, making understanding the lithium lyrics evanescence meaning important. Some believe that it is the drug used to treat psychological issues, such as bipolar disorder. Many fans believed that it was a homage to her boyfriend at the time.
In interviews, Amy Lee stated that she had been working on the song for a while before she recorded it. In fact, she had written the song when she was sixteen and on a guitar.
When she recorded it, she said, she considered Lithium to be anything that will make her feel light and happy.
In interviews, she stated that she had used sadness to make music. She called the word “Lithium” a metaphor to describe her love for sorrow. She said that the title and the song were an indication of her growing older and wiser, hence Lithium.
What does the Chorus mean?
“Lithium, don’t wanna lock me up inside
Lithium, don’t wanna forget how it feels without
Lithium, I wanna stay in love with my sorrow
Oh, but God I wanna let it go”
If you listen to the song, you will hear what Amy Lee means when she says she was in love with her sadness.
The first verse talks about the same thing. She signs about not wanting to be trapped. As she had said, she was in love with her sorrow, the same sorrow made her feel locked up.
The first word of some of the sentences in the lyrics is the key to understanding the lithium lyrics evanescence meaning. She keeps starting every line with the word “Lithium” because she wants to remember to stay happy.
If you watch the video, you’ll see that Amy is trying to fight herself, another key to understanding lithium lyrics evanescence meaning. She also has two versions of herself in the video, the sad Amy and the happy Amy.
Verse 1- What does it mean?
“Come to bed, don’t make me sleep alone
Couldn’t hide the emptiness, you let it show
Never wanted it to be so cold
Just didn’t drink enough to say you love me”
Although some fans believe that the song is about a lover, the truth is this song is about Amy’s pursuit of happiness.
As she explained the meaning behind the name, her journey to find happiness is evident in all the verses. This verse shows her feeling “alone” because she can’t feel happy.
She explains that she simply could not hide her emptiness. When she sings “you let it show” she is referring to her music and songs.
Lee feels cold because of her sadness, one of the key themes in understanding lithium lyrics evanescence meaning. She refers to intoxication by saying she did not drink enough to find her happiness.
What does the pre-chorus mean?
“I can’t hold on to me
Wonder what’s wrong with me?”
She is feeling distressed in the chorus. Amy does not understand how she could not hold on to herself.
She questions herself, looking for answers. These sentences show that Amy feels there’s something wrong with her because she is in love with sadness.
If you’re trying to find the lithium lyrics evanescence meaning, then remember Amy is always trying to find her way away from sadness and low energy.
Verse 2- What does it mean
“Don’t wanna let it lay me down this time
Drown my will to fly
Here in the darkness I know myself
Can’t break free until I let it go, let me go”
This verse is a realization on Amy’s part. She realizes that sadness is only wearing her down. Realizing that it is not letting her grow, she decided to let it go.
Lee realized that loving sadness was only drowning her drive to fly, the drive to be happy.
She realizes to be happy, she has to let her love for sorrow go. It is during this time, she knows that she won’t be able to break free unless she lets go of the part of herself that loves sadness.
Verse 3- What does it mean
“Darling, I forgive you after all
Anything is better than to be alone
And in the end I guess I had to fall
Always find my place among the ashes”
This verse functions as the bridge as well.
Here, you see Amy realizing that she can learn to forgive herself. She uses the word “darling” for herself, signifying that she has come to terms with herself.
Lee realizes that letting go of her sadness will make her happy. She also realizes being happy will allow her to do away with being lonely.
After all, sorrow and sadness make people isolate themselves. Amy must have faced that as well. This is why she realized she has to let those aspects of her life go.
But then, she begins to relapse and think that she had to fall into the trap of sadness. She feels that she always finds herself with broken things, reflected by “ashes.”
What does the Second Chorus mean?
“Lithium, don’t wanna lock me up inside
Lithium, don’t wanna forget how it feels without
Lithium, in love with you
Oh, I’m gonna let it go”
The song ends on a better note. Despite being murky and dark throughout, Amy finds her pace.
The chorus begins as usual. But the ending is a little different.
She talks about how she does not want to forget what it means to be sad. And it is quite common for those who struggle with depression or chronic sadness, they become comfortable with sadness.
Amy possibly could not imagine a life without being in love with being sad. She then accepts that she is in love with sadness.
This is the first time, Amy accepts her love for sadness. This indicates she is finally at a stage to let it go and move to a different part of her life.
She ends the song by accepting her decision to let her love for sadness go.
Concluding Words
At one point Amy Lee stated that Lithium was a product of her feelings for the relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Shaun Morgan (the lead singer of Seether).
Sure enough, the song is not as popular as her other releases. Lithium, however, is one such song that gives you an insight into her mind.
She had created an image of Goth Rock Music composition, with her hair, makeup, and music. But, this song was Amy’s way of finding a better life and happiness.
She had begun to hit creative blocks and used to have these sad moods to write music. Instead of going through the same motions, she wanted to be happier in life. And that is why she wrote and recorded this song.
