Selene by Imagine Dragons Lyrics Meaning – A Dive into the Celestial Emotions of Love and Loss

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Imagine Dragons's Selene at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

To the top of all the world
To the tasteless underworld
To the center of your heart, oh Cleopatra is the only one you loved
To the demonstrated smile
To the lonely love child
Destination desolation, tell me when you reach the brink of life
Just a picture on your wall
Thats nice, what a metaphoric fall
Typically, I was a validation on your sleeve
Oh what an indication
To the center of the pain
Through your tattered window pane
To the middle of your heart

Resolutions and lovers in the kitchen
Love is clueless and destiny is wishing
This is my heart, it’s on the line, Selene

This is not what I expect, this is not what I expect
I can see it in your tears and now they’re crowning me the Caesar
Typically, I was a validation on your sleeve
Oh what an indication
To the center of the pain
Through your tattered window pane
To the middle of your heart

Resolutions and lovers in the kitchen
Love is clueless and destiny is wishing
This is my heart, it’s on the line, Selene

This is my heart, it’s on the line, Selene

Resolutions and lovers in the kitchen
Love is clueless and destiny is wishing
This is my heart, it’s on the line, Selene

Imagine Dragons have long been masters of embedding profound emotion into catchy melodies, and ‘Selene’ serves as no exception. Beneath the surface of this compelling track, there lies a tapestry of symbolic references and raw humanity that begs for a deeper understanding.

Exploring themes of love, destiny, and the fragility of the human heart, ‘Selene’ transports listeners through an introspective journey. The intricate lyrics fuse the mystique of ancient mythology with the universal complexities of modern relationships, creating a song that resonates on multiple levels.

A Mythical Love Unraveled – Selene’s Heart and The Ceasar’s Crown

From the onset, ‘Selene’ invokes the grandeur of ancient history, intertwining the immortal tales of Cleopatra’s tragic romance with the celestial figure Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon. The song captures the intensity of an all-encompassing love, one that traverses the heights of the world and the depths of the underworld, underscoring the eternal quest for a connection as profound as Cleopatra’s storied passions.

Imagine Dragons carefully crafts a poignant parallel between the storied love of yore and the contemporary aches of the heart. The mythical reference serves to magnify the weight of the protagonist’s emotions, contrasting the grandiose with the intimacy of personal sentiment, blurring the lines between history and the sensations seizing the heart in the present.

Through the Tattered Window Pane – The Vulnerability of Modern Love

The repeated motif of the ‘tattered window pane’ offers a visceral visual for the listener while diving into the pains of love and existence. It suggests a barrier that once provided protection now exposes one to the elements of pain and reality. It’s a reflection of how time and tribulations wear down the defenses one puts up, and despite the decay, there is still a yearning for true connection—to find the middle of someone’s heart.

The pains and vulnerability highlighted in ‘Selene’ are universal experiences that resonate deeply, creating a bond between the listener and the melody. As the song progresses, the shattered illusions of love are likened to a metaphoric fall—beautiful, yet filled with desolation.

Love on the Kitchen Front – The Domestic Arena of Romance

In ‘Selene,’ the kitchen emerges not just as the physical heart of a home but as a metaphorical battleground for love. The line ‘Resolutions and lovers in the kitchen’ carries the domesticity of relational struggles, with lovers caught between fresh starts and the mundane reality of shared spaces.

The contrast of ‘love is clueless and destiny is wishing’ offers a potent critique of the unpredictable nature of romance. Beneath the harmonies lie questions of autonomy and fate, whether the path of the heart is ours to choose or a tapestry woven by destiny’s indifferent hands.

The Metaphoric Fall and the Price of Revealing Your Sleeve

Imagine Dragons poignantly encapsulates vulnerability in the imagery of ‘just a picture on your wall,’ driving home the transient nature of memories and relationships. This line is simultaneously a surrender to and defiance of the impermanent—what was once revered may now simply be decor, echoing a fall from grace or significance.

In the modern lexicon of love, to wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve means to openly reveal vulnerability. The song manipulates this phrase, touting the protagonist’s past consideration as a ‘validation on your sleeve,’ signifying a badge worn proudly by the beloved until no longer needed. It ponders the cost of such openness in an ephemeral world.

Unlocking ‘Selene’s’ Hidden Meaning – A Celestial Dance of Desire and Despair

The song’s title itself, ‘Selene,’ invokes the warmth of moonlit reverie but suggests a deeper subtext when dissected. Selene, as a goddess of the moon, symbolizes change and cyclical nature—the waxing and waning of emotions, the ebb and flow of love. The protagonist’s heart is ‘on the line,’ perhaps alluding to the line that divides light from dark on the moon’s surface, a metaphor for the uncertainty of love’s survival.

Furthermore, crowning oneself a ‘Caesar’ amid a tide of tears reflects a Pyrrhic victory in love—a triumph that costs dearly, leaving one to rule over the remnants of a once-great love story. This celestial dance of desire and despair embodies the song’s hidden depths, painting a portrait of love’s fleeting magnificence amidst human fragility.