Had Enough by Breaking Benjamin Lyrics Meaning – A Hard-Hitting Analysis of Greed and Retribution
Lyrics
Make sure you get them first
The apple of your eye
The rotten core inside
We are all prisoners
Things couldn’t get much worse
I’ve had it up to here
You know your end is near
You had to have it all
Well, have you had enough?
You greedy little bastard, you will get what you deserve
When all is said and done
I will be the one
To leave you in the misery and hate what you’ve become
Intoxicated eyes, no longer live that life
You should have learned by now, I’ll burn this whole world down
I need some peace of mind, no fear of what’s behind
You think you’ve won this fight, you’ve only lost your mind
You had to have it all
Well, have you had enough?
You greedy little bastard, you will get what you deserve
When all is said and done
I will be the one
To leave you in the misery and hate what you’ve become
Oh, oh, oh
Hold me down (I will live again)
Hold me down (I will break it in)
Hold me down (better in the end)
Hold me down
You had to have it all
Well, have you had enough?
You greedy little bastard, you will get what you deserve
When all is said and done
I will be the one
To leave you in the misery and hate what you’ve become
Heaven help you
Heaven help you
Amidst the churning sea of rock anthems grappling with angst and rebellion, Breaking Benjamin’s ‘Had Enough’ stands out as a ferocious critique of insatiable greed and the inevitable downfall it entails. On the surface, the track slashes through the soundscape with razor-sharp guitars and Ben Burnley’s investing vocals, but it’s the depth of lyrics that demands a closer inspection.
The song, hailing from their 2006 album ‘Phobia’, is not merely a series of chords and a catchy chorus. It’s a narrative steeped in the darkness of human desire and the karmic balance that seeks to correct it. Let’s wade into the psyche of ‘Had Enough’, dissecting the layers that compose its compelling directive to the listener and the potent message it departs.
The Apple of Discord: Decoding the Temptation and Turmoil
At its core, ‘Had Enough’ draws upon the imagery of the original sin, ‘the apple of your eye’ symbolizing an irresistible temptation that leads to corruption. The ‘rotten core inside’ juxtaposes external allure with internal decay, suggesting a moral rot that accompanies the pursuit of superficial desires. It’s an old tale spun into a modern tune, resonating with age-old wisdom about the perils of human avarice.
This dichotomy is not just poetic, but a call to scrutiny of the self and others. It’s not merely about the object of desire, but the lengths one will go to satiate an ever-expanding hunger. The song reflects an individual at breaking point, having witnessed the fallout of unchecked ambition, ready to turn the tables on the ‘greedy little bastard’ who must reap what they’ve sown.
The War Within: A Fight for Peace of Mind
‘Intoxicated eyes, no longer live that life,’ sings Burnley, alluding to a consciousness awakened from the stupor of excess and the realization that the battle is not against external foils but against one’s own demons. ‘I need some peace of mind, no fear of what’s behind,’ suggests a yearning for a return to simplicity, to a state of being untainted by the toxicity of greed.
This is not a retreat but a reclamation, a declaration of war against the forces of materialism that hold one in an iron grip. ‘I’ll burn this whole world down’ is the ultimate refusal to play by the rules of a game rigged by the covetous few. It’s the dissolution of chains, a pushback fraught with the violence of breaking free.
The Anti-Anthem: When All Is Said and Done
‘When all is said and done, I will be the one’ signals a reckoning, a balancing act where the perpetrator of selfish deeds faces their comeuppance. It’s a bitter anti-anthem where the triumph is not in achieving victory over others but in leaving the greed-infested antagonist to wallow in the ‘misery and hate what you’ve become.’
In this stark reality, success is not measured by wealth and power but by the integrity of one’s soul. It’s a subversion of the classic rock narrative that often idolizes the rise to the top, no matter the cost. Here, the cost is clear, and it’s been deemed too high – the final line drawn in indelible ink.
The Rejection of Materialism: A Hidden Message Unveiled
Beneath the overt confrontation with an unnamed adversary lies a deeper resistance to the societal constructs of fulfillment. ‘Had Enough’ is not just one person’s rage against another but a mirror to a culture obsessed with ‘having it all.’ It’s a defiant stand against a conveyor belt of consumption, where the end product is not joy but an endless void demanding to be filled.
This song then serves as an anthem of liberation, urging listeners to break free from the shackles of material lust that lead only to spiritual bankruptcy. It’s about valuing the human element, the intrinsic worth over the dazzle of the material world, an age-old battle reignited with the fire of modern rock music.
The Line That Lingers: ‘Heaven help you’
Among the hard-hitting lyrics, the repeated plea ‘Heaven help you’ acts as a sobering reminder of the inevitability of moral justice. It’s a line that echoes long after the music fades, a curse or perhaps a prayer that lingers in the conscience.
It implies a higher power observing the deeds of men, silent but not unseeing. Whether one takes it as a threat or a divine plea for salvation, it embodies the song’s spirit – a visceral cry for justice in a world enamored with the material, a call deeper than the depths of greed, one that seeks to restore cosmic balance.
