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Darkness Within Lyrics

Here in the darkness that I lay depression heavy in its weigh
And how my body aches to leave to sing its final eulogy
My sons I love you evermore and though the road beckons once more
I see the damage that I've done in search for redemption
But I am just a broken man whose soul cries out to understand
How the madness shatters me upon the stage on bended knee
I scream out loud at skies above that answer mute, bereft in love
I struggle not to fall from grace or sing the hymns of my disgrace

We build cathedrals to our pain, establish monuments to attain
Freedom from all of the scars and the sins, lest we drown in the darkness within

Mystery's forgotten chords I strum in vain to please the lord
But he has never answered me, my faith has waned eternally In empty men who pass along, the woes of all religions wrong
But now the shadowed veil it falls, heed the clarion call
So pray to music, build a shrine, worship in these desperate times
Fill your heart with every note, cherish it and cast afloat
'Cause God is in these clef and tone
Salvation is found alone, haunted by its melody, music, it will set you free (let it set you free)


We build cathedrals to our pain, establish monuments to attain
Freedom from all of the scars and the sins, lest we drown in the darkness within

Music my savior (save me)
Song Info
Submitted by
mayfield1114 On Sep 20, 2011
10 Meanings

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Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

It's about how music becomes like religion for so many people, a way to get through the hard times.

My Opinion
Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

As far as I can tell, the meaning is exactly opposite of what onliberty posted below.

The first verse is mostly reflection on his life; how he has sought redemption and answers. He's shouted to the "skies above" (God), but received no answers or love in return. Still he tries to do whatever might be expected of him, even in the absence of such guidance.

The second verse is very clear. Robb says that God doesn't answer men, all religions are wrong, and those who have followed religions remain empty. He then says to instead pray to music, worship music, because music is the source of freedom and salvation; music is God.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

If you really want to know what this song is about watch this. https://youtu.be/dnCLyYnNRe0

Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

it's not "breathed lung" it's "bereft of love" "shadow vail falls he'd declare and call" should be "shadow veil falls, heed the clarion call"

Lyric Correction

Those were two lines I wasn't quite sure of, but i was pretty sure someone would correct me. Thanks man, i'll edit it now. It's a f*ckin' awesome song.

To me, the line "establish monuments to obtain", sounds more like "establish monuments to attain" (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/attain).

Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

you missed the word "Here" at the beginning also it's not "History's" it's "Misery's" and I think it's "waned" instead of "weened".

Thank you for the lyrics, been searching them for about 4 days, hope you publish the whole album lyrics, it's awesome.

edit: it sounds like "Mystery" in the acoustic version, so it is probably that word instead of "Misery"

hey bro! i found the lyrics pretty easily when i opened the booklet in the album i paid for! funny that hey?!?!

maybe you should try that you thieving fuck!

hey bro! i found the lyrics pretty easily when i opened the booklet in the album i paid for! funny that hey?!?!

maybe you should try that you thieving fuck!

Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

for any who are interested, just got back from the machine head bloodstones and diamonds gig where they told us where Darkness Within came from! Turns out Dave McClain gave Rob the chords which Rob thought were amazing but he just could put down any lyrics to match. For about 5 months or so, he was dry and he found himself in a dark place. Then one day, after dropping his kids off at school, it suddenly came to him, he pulled over to the side of the road in the pissing rain and took out his phone and wrote the songs lyrics in their entirety in 20 minutes

Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

If I combine the youtube explanation with my previous interpretation, I'd say the following:

With this song he explains to his sons how music has in retrospect been a way to deal with his pains, depressions and regrets. By giving the feelings a reflection in the real world (music), they become something he can hold on to when he threatens to drown in emotional swamps. By giving feelings a sound, they are no longer short-lived, they have been given monuments everyone can experience, cathedrals he can go to in desperate times.

I would not go as far as claiming that he really considers music a deity, but he does advise to worship music (because all other worshiping was in vain for him) and hopes that its power will set his sons free from despair.

(Disclaimer: Music (and other art) is what it means to you. If a different interpretation means more to you, when it makes you scream, cry and/or orgasm, then hold on to that interpretation.)

My Interpretation
Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

Who the hell cares if the lyrics are correct. I came here to read what people believe the song means to them not a fight about the lyrics.

Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus” --Blaise Pascal

Every single one of us a hole in our soul that we are trying to fill. God put in there on purpose to point the way back home. Nothing satisfies and we try anything and everything to fill this hole and find meaning in our life.

We are looking for salvation everywhere - some try to find it in drugs, others marriage, others philosophy, others their career, still others music. Nothing satisfies until we find the only thing that can fill that hole - Jesus Christ.

As Augustine said, "Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."

Keep putting our great music, but you'll only find disappointment if you expect something other than God to provide what only God can.

Were you actually commenting on what you think the song means, or were you just trying to preach? Because what you wrote is exactly opposite of the meaning of the lyrics printed above.

Do you think meaning is only what we happen to think at a given moment? Don't you realize that Rob is singing about something deeper here? He recognizes that there is a hole in his soul that he is trying to fill. In his life he has had a negative experience with religion, so tries to fill that hole with music. But don't you realize that even music itself testifies to something deeper?

Therefore, the meaning of the song is deeper than what he's simply written about, even if he may not realize it himself. He is using music...

@onliberty I disagree on several levels.

First, this song is comprised of words which were strung together in sequence by a man. They mean whatever that man intended them to mean. The fact that he chose a very literal writing style for this song makes it easy to see his intention. He says that he has tried religion, and his conclusion is that all religions are wrong. You're saying that only Jesus Christ can fill the hole in his soul. But being an American born in the 1960's, there's a 92% chance he already tried...

Cover art for Darkness Within lyrics by Machine Head

Maybe if this douchebag had BOUGHT THE CD he could have corrected his ridiculous lyric interpretation by now, instead of replying "oh i think i got it correct but i dont know, because i dont have a lyrics booklet, because I didnt buy the CD"

Here are the correct lyrics, asshole:

Here in the darkness that I lay Depression heavy in it's weigh And how my body aches to leave To sing it's final eulogy My sons I love you evermore And though the road beckons once more I see the damage that I've done In search for redemption But I am just a broken man Whose soul cries out to understand How the madness shatters me Upon the stage on bended knee I scream out loud at skies above That answer mute, bereft in love I struggle not to fall from grace Or sing the hymns of my disgrace

We build cathedrals to our pain Establish monuments to attain Freedom from all of the scars and the sins Lest we drown in the darkness within

Mystery's forgotten chords I strum in vain to please the lord But he has never answered me My faith has waned eternally In empty men who pass along The woes of all religion's wrong But now the shadowed veil it falls Heed the clarion call So pray to music, build a shrine Worship in these desperate times (in the lyrics book it actualls says "listen in these desperate times, but he doesn't say that) Fill your heart with every note Cherish it and cast afloat Because god is in these clef and tone Salvation is found alone Haunted by it's melody Music, it will set you free Let it set you free

Music my savior (SAVE ME)

Go buy the album you cheap bastards

Lyric Correction

I bought the CD the day it came out in America, notice the first comment is four days before it was released here? That's because I couldn't fucking wait for it, and listened to it on youtube since I TOOK THE DAY OFF WORK to go buy the CD and listen to it all day. Be a bitch if you want, but do it somewhere the fuck else.

hey dipshit, some people now adays buy music off of itunes which doesn't come with the damn lyrics. so get off your high horse and go buy it for me. I'll continue to spend money on the band and not their fucking label and proudly paid 140 bucks for VIP tickets to meet them

 
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