This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Take the time just to listen
When the voices screaming are much too loud
Take a look in the distance
Try and see it all
Chances are that you might find
That we share a common discomfort now
I feel I'm walking a fine line
Tell me only if it's real
Still, I'm on my way
(On and on it goes)
Vacant hope to take
Hey, I can't live in here for another day
Darkness has kept the light concealed
Grim as ever
Hold on to faith as I dig another grave
Meanwhile, the mice endure the wheel
Real as ever
And it seems I've been buried alive
I walked the fields through the fire
Taking steps until I found solid ground
Followed dreams, reaching higher
Couldn't survive the fall
Much has changed since the last time
And I feel a little less certain now
You know, I jumped at the first sign
Tell me only if it's real
Memories seem to fade
(On and on it goes)
Wash my view away
Hey, I can't live in here for another day
Darkness has kept the light concealed
Grim as ever
Hold on to faith as I dig another grave
Meanwhile, the mice endure the wheel
Real as ever
And I'm chained like a slave
Trapped in the dark
Slammed all the locks
Death calls my name
And it seems I've been buried alive
Take you down now
Burn it all out
Throw you all around
Get your fucking hands off me
What's it feel like?
Took the wrong route
Watch it fall apart
Now you're knockin' at the wrong gate
For you to pay the toll
A price for you alone
The only deal you'll find
I'll gladly take your soul
While it seems sick
Sober up quick
Psycho lunatic
Crushing you with hands of fate
Shame to find out when it's too late
But you're all the same
Trapped inside, inferno awaits
Evil thoughts can hide
I'll help release the mind
I'll peel away the skin
Release the dark within
This is now your life
Strike you from the light
This is now your life
Die buried alive
This is now your life (what's it feel like?)
Strike you from the light (let me take in your soul)
This is now your life (what's it feel like?)
Die buried alive (let me take in your soul)
This is now your life
Die buried alive
When the voices screaming are much too loud
Take a look in the distance
Try and see it all
Chances are that you might find
That we share a common discomfort now
I feel I'm walking a fine line
Tell me only if it's real
Still, I'm on my way
(On and on it goes)
Vacant hope to take
Hey, I can't live in here for another day
Darkness has kept the light concealed
Grim as ever
Hold on to faith as I dig another grave
Meanwhile, the mice endure the wheel
Real as ever
And it seems I've been buried alive
I walked the fields through the fire
Taking steps until I found solid ground
Followed dreams, reaching higher
Couldn't survive the fall
Much has changed since the last time
And I feel a little less certain now
You know, I jumped at the first sign
Tell me only if it's real
Memories seem to fade
(On and on it goes)
Wash my view away
Hey, I can't live in here for another day
Darkness has kept the light concealed
Grim as ever
Hold on to faith as I dig another grave
Meanwhile, the mice endure the wheel
Real as ever
And I'm chained like a slave
Trapped in the dark
Slammed all the locks
Death calls my name
And it seems I've been buried alive
Take you down now
Burn it all out
Throw you all around
Get your fucking hands off me
What's it feel like?
Took the wrong route
Watch it fall apart
Now you're knockin' at the wrong gate
For you to pay the toll
A price for you alone
The only deal you'll find
I'll gladly take your soul
While it seems sick
Sober up quick
Psycho lunatic
Crushing you with hands of fate
Shame to find out when it's too late
But you're all the same
Trapped inside, inferno awaits
Evil thoughts can hide
I'll help release the mind
I'll peel away the skin
Release the dark within
This is now your life
Strike you from the light
This is now your life
Die buried alive
This is now your life (what's it feel like?)
Strike you from the light (let me take in your soul)
This is now your life (what's it feel like?)
Die buried alive (let me take in your soul)
This is now your life
Die buried alive
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Great version of a great song,
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I think "Save Me" is much more clearly the mourning song on this CD. I think "Buried Alive" is about not enjoying life to the fullest because we're so busy and we get frustrated and we lock up our feelings, and then end up feeling alone and trapped. You might call it depression but I think it's something different, more of a pile of frustrations. I totally relate right now.
The first verse is about what to do now.
"Take the time just to listen" Try to hear something important that someone is trying to say
"When the voices screaming are much too loud" When we're extremely busy and everyone wants our time
"Take a look in the distance Try and see it all" Look for something longer term, beyond what you're dealing with
"Chances are that you might find That we share a common discomfort now" You are not the only one that feels this way, and there is someone who cares and understands
"I feel I'm walking a fine line Tell me only if it's real" I feel alone, and I need someone to help me see clearly what's important
"Hey, I can't live in here for another day" I don't want to feel this alone anymore
"Darkness has kept the light concealed" Another reference to being confused and not seeing clearly
"Grim as ever" Everything looks bad
"Hold on to faith as I dig another grave" This is the important line. The grave is a metaphor for burying your feelings, burying your frustrations, and trying not to deal with them. Faith feels like the only thing left, and you try to keep going but you are really messed up.
"Meanwhile the mice endure the wheel" Everyone has stuff to deal with, but instead of letting it bury their feelings, they just keep chugging along and are fairly happy.
"Real as ever" Reality is what we make of it
The second verse describes how we got here.
"I walked the field through the fire Taking steps until I found solid ground Followed dreams reaching higher" Working hard, dealing with adversity, trying our best
"Couldn't survive the fall" When you put everything into your work, and it comes apart ...
"Much has changed since the last time And I feel a little less certain now" It's happened before, but this time it seems worse, and it seems you are more alone, and less sure of what's really important
"You know I jumped at the first sign Tell me only if it's real" We jump to the wrong conclusion that things are terrible, and we don't have help, and everything is going wrong, and again we need someone to tell us what's real
"Memories seem to fade On and on it goes Wash my view away" It gets harder to remember when things were good, and it doesn't end, and you just want it to go away
The rest is about if you don't make the right choices, and isolate yourself, you become truly alone and tormented and "in hell" even though still alive. I'd prefer not to think too much about that part.
I need to go tell a few people that I care about them and I'm sorry. I hope this helps someone else, too.