Words as Weapons

I agree, this song is amazing. I love it.

"All I really want is something beautiful to say To never fade away, I want to live forever"

When I hear this I think of Shaun telling us he is on a search to put out that one song that reaches us all and tells us something beautiful. If a musician/poet/author/etc can put out a piece of work that withstands the test of time, they are in some way are immortalizing themselves. In that what their message never fades away even after they are gone (think Imagine by Lennon).

That being said, my interpretation of that specific lyric doesn't seem to match the rest of the song. At face value it does come across as a relationship in which one person is hateful and uses their lies and words to keep the other person down.

I suppose it could be a commentary on how we as a society (in general) have become so hateful in our rhetoric. We are fairly quick to argue and almost demonize anyone who has a opinion different than our own. Subjects such as politics and religion have always raised tempers, but now days with the anonymity the internet provides, it seems there is no shortage of people using their "words as weapons" to cut down others as they see fit.

Or maybe it was just a shitty relationship... lol who knows. ;)

When Seether released Words As Weapons, the band seemed to revive. And Shaun Morgan has seemed to evolve with the beautiful words he's given us with this song. The more I listen to Words As Weapons, the more it dawns on me that Shaun Morgan seems to be writing about himself, which makes a lot of sense when you get to the main chorus lines of, "All I really want is something beautiful to say, to never fade away, I want to live forever".

I don't think Shaun is giving us a run in with a bad relationship. I don't think he's talking about wanting to physically live forever. I think Shaun is talking about a battle within himself, and perhaps not feeling good enough to produce anything that will stay with people for eternity, even after he dies.

After reading about his recent depression with making their recent album, it only makes sense that their hit song on Isolate and Medicate would reflect the inward struggles of darkness within himself. Depression can make you feel worthless, jealous and afraid among many other things. With Shaun, I honestly feel his inward struggles in this song. With each line, I feel he is talking directly to himself, to that deep-seeded, dark, side of himself that is filled with bitterness and hate.

Having said that, here is my full interpretation of the lyrics:

All I really want is something beautiful to say

Keep me locked up in your broken mind I keep searchin', never been able to find a Light behind your dead eyes Not anything at all

IN: I feel, with this stanza, that Shaun is talking to himself, about himself. He feels his mind is broken because of the things he's had to endure, the life he lives, and the struggles he's facing with depression. He feels locked inside his mind, as if he has two sides to his personality. He keeps searching for something beautiful inside himself, but he's never been able to find anything behind his "dead eyes". He sees himself as a shell of a man who has can't seem to find the words to express the beauty of what he really wants to say. He can't find "anything at all". He's nothing, waste.

You keep living in your own lie, ever deceitful and ever unfaithful Keep me guessin', keep me terrified Take everything from my world

IN: He continues to live in the lie that surrounds him. There's more to him than meets the eye, maybe he's let family and friends down and feels deceitful and unfaithful because of it. That dark part of himself is the culprit, constantly making him scared. It seems to hurt those around him, and thus "takes everything" from his world.

Say can you help me right before the fall Take what you can and leave me to the wolves

IN: This is his cry for help, reaching out to those - friends, family, fans - to help him right before he "falls". In other words, help his legacy live on before dies. And once he dies one day, "take what you can" from him, such as his legacy as an artist/musician/poet, and let it live on, then "leave him to the wolves". Let the wolves tear him apart and eat him, let him die (like decomposition).

Keep me dumb, keep me paralyzed Why try swimming? I'm drowning in fables You're not that saint that you externalize You're not anything at all

IN: He doesn't want to know, doesn't want to feel anymore, because every time he tries "why try swimming?" he only loses to something else. This could be religious, or pertaining to lies once again, with the word "fables". He's telling himself he's not the saint that he might try to be, he's nothing. Waste, once again.

It's all so playful when you demonize To spit out the hateful, you're willing and able Words are weapons of the terrified You're nothing in my world

IN: When he puts others down, he's willing to talk about how hateful they are, but words are weapons of the terrified, which he's saying he is, and once again, he's nothing, so he has to let it go.

All I really want is something beautiful to say Keep me guessing, keep me terrified

IN: All he wants is something beautiful to say. But he can only keep guessing what, keeping him terrified of saying it.

All I really want is something beautiful to say You keep livin' in your own lie

All I really want is something beautiful to say To never fade away, I wanna live forever!

IN: He wants to say something beautiful to the world, but he keeps living the lie he's in, so he can't. He wants something beautiful to say, that will live on forever and ever. He wants "live forever" through his words, but his words are weapons, and they terrify.

Dumb interpretation? Too far? I don't know, I almost get a religious feel to this too, in which I can relate to being mentally exhausted by religious people trying to convert me, and Shaun has written similar bitterness for religious people in the past. So if Shaun isn't directly talking about himself here, I feel he's talking about people who bother him, not necessarily one person.

This song runs deeper than just a "bad relationship" thing. When I hear this song I feel the emotion in it, I feel the envy and pain that was put into it. Either way, even if this interpretation sucks, it's still a great song, one that truly will live on forever.

I can't help but think most all of Seether's songs are about a relationship with a narcissist.. I just got out of a relationship with a narcissist and upon listening to these lyrics closer, they all resonate with me. Fur Cue, Words as Weapons, No Resolution, Here and Now, Yeah, Country Song... It's strange how they all seem like he's reflecting on his relationship with a narcissist.. There could be more songs, I don't know. I'm just now really listening to these lyrics... Even more eery, is that I never listed to Seether until my ex-Narc downloaded them onto my itunes.... Anyone else hear this???

I love love love the sound of this song. As to its meaning?? ..clearly someone is deceitful in their personality deceitful in relationship. Someone living in their own lie...etc

"Say can you help me right before the fall Take what you can and leave me to the wolves"

So this person is basically consuming another and then throwing them away. And one way of destorying is by their words. (theme of the song)

I dont get the want to live forever though.

I have a question for the native speakers, What does the line especially the word fable in this context "Why try swimming? I'm drowning in fables" mean exactly ?

Thank you

I love this song and have always loved seether. Does anyone know which song on the isolated and medicated album says "it's not fair that your not the person you want to be" or so,etching like that? I can't find it.

luv the song

@Drophammer77 I wish ALL the best for you. And thank you! It's a horrific experience. I'm not sure what the worst thing of all is. Being married to, loving and living with a psychopath or narcissist and not knowing.. Or the closure that never comes.. I will listen to that song. Good luck in everything you do :) Peace

I am not sure what this is actually about but I feel most of these lyrics could be my words to my mother. Ever chorus, just about event word in this song makes me thing of my 'relationship' with her. I 44. I have kids and I'll never be over what she has done or the person she is.

My thoughts: He was hurt by someone he cared about, who abused him, mostly verbally. This made him realize just how powerful words can be. He is moving on from them and instead of bringing people down, he wants to use words for their power to do good. He will take his experience and build people up instead of breaking them down like was done to him.