Lyric discussion by inthepretendworld 

Cover art for Unknown Soldier lyrics by Breaking Benjamin

This song is about borderline personality disorder (which I have). For example:

the title "unknown soldier" - with borderline personalty disorder there is usually a confusion about identity and not knowing anything about ones self, this can manifest itself as constantly shifting values and beliefs.

The word "borderline" is the first line in the whole song.

"dead inside" - people with borderline personality disorder often feel dead inside, empty and hollow. Self-injury is commonly used to not only makes ones self "feel alive" but also to deal with unwanted stimuli and emotions.

"count me in, violent, lets begin, feeding the sickness" - Borderline personality disorder is often accompanied by uncontrollable anger, which can sometimes turn into a psychotic episode where one loses control over their actions.

"show me what it's like, to dream in black and white, so I can leave this world tonight" - another term for borderline personality disorder is "extreme black and white thinking" (or emotional dysregulation disorder). There is no grey area, for example friends are either your best friends ever or you never want to talk to them again, and there is no in between.

"so I can leave this world behind" - statistically, 8-10% of borderline complete suicide.

"It only hurts just once, They're only broken bones, Hide the hate inside" - Borderline personality disorder is usually accompanied by self-injury (not just cutting, any self-injury inflicted), this is often used for several reasons. 1)to combat the feeling of being dead inside, making one feel alive. 2)people with borderline personality disorder often feel worthless and self hate, this leads to engaging in self-destructive activities 3)to leave a state of dissociation. In dissociation, one often views themselves in the third person or has lapses in reality, for example ill be helping my mom make dinner and ill just reach down and grab the heating coil in the over SEVERLY burning my hand, but then "snap" im back to the moment right before i open the oven, it actually never happened (me grabbing the heating coil in the oven), but there is no way to determine whether im dissociating or not. This leads me to question whether what im experiencing at any given moment is actually reality or another dissociation.

I so agree with you, that's really what this song is about for sure. I had a "girlfriend" I while ago with Borderline and it's really sad how painful life can be for them I really feel for those with borderline, But its really hard for other people/me to to be able to understand them fully and adept after them:( Anyway it never worked out so now she hates me and never want to see me again hehe.. :/

Good written you! +

I agree completely that the main there is BPD. I'm wondering if the author had a person in their life with BPD. I have an ex son-in-law that had it, and my soon to be ex wife has a milder form of it. The black and white thinking is very predominant. It's as if they are in a fantasy - and so "dream in black and white" is fitting. One week I'm a terrible husband and father, the next day I'm wonderful and can do no wrong. It's a dream world.

The uncontrollable rage is another one that...

@inthepretendworld Don't make me laugh. It is NOT about BPD unless in your head you happen to have the sad fortune of hearing helicopters too.

It is about WAR. It is a soldier in war.

Falling to Pieces - ever watched a war movie? Ever asked anyone who has the balls to fight in a war? Kill a man and you can very well fall to pieces.

The line about feeding the sickness - war is a sort of sickness.

Dream in black and white - sheltered fools who have never fought in a war think all it is, is...