What Lies Beneath by Breaking Benjamin Lyrics Meaning – Unearthing the Depths of Emotional Turmoil
Lyrics
Hold it in
Start a fight
You won’t win
Had enough
Let’s begin
Never mind
I don’t care
All in all
You’re no good
You don’t cry
Like you should
Let it go
If you could
When love dies in the end
So I’ll find what lies beneath
Your sick twisted smile
As I lay underneath
Your cold jaded eyes
Now you turn the tide on me
‘Cause you’re so unkind
I will always be here
For the rest of my life
Here we go
Does it hurt
Say goodbye
To this world
I will not
Be undone
Come to life
It gets worse
All in all
You’re no good
You don’t cry
Like you should
I’ll be gone
When you fall
Your sad life
Says it all
So I’ll find what lies beneath
Your sick twisted smile
As I lay underneath
Your cold jaded eyes
Now you turn the tide on me
‘Cause you’re so unkind
I will always be here
For the rest of my life
Don’t carry me under
You’re the Devil in disguise
God sing for the hopeless
I’m the one you left behind
So I’ll find what lies beneath
Your sick twisted smile
As I lay underneath
Your cold jaded eyed
Now you turn the tide on me
‘Cause you’re so unkind
I will always be here
For the rest of my life
Breaking Benjamin’s track ‘What Lies Beneath’ remains a powerful staple in the post-grunge landscape, resonant with raw emotion and laden with meaning. As Benjamin Burnley, the frontman and creative force behind the band, weaves a tale of love, betrayal, and the search for truth, the deceptively simple lyrics open a window into a tumultuous human heart.
The complexity of relationships and the pain of uncovering the harsh realities within them is a theme that courses through the veins of this song. Beneath the heavy guitar riffs and impassioned vocals lies a narrative which speaks to the agony of being entwined with someone who presents a facade to the outside world, while harboring a darker nature beneath the surface.
The Opening Strike – A Battle Cry for the Hurt
The song kicks off with a sense of confrontation that sets the stage for an emotional showdown. The lines ‘Take a breath, Hold it in, Start a fight, You won’t win,’ suggest a final straw moment—the lead-up to a long-anticipated clash. The fierce determination in these words is an anthem for anyone who has ever felt trampled by a force they once leaned on for support.
In these verses, Burnley captures the essence of a breaking point, the instance where enough is enough, catapulting us into the psyche of someone prepared to fight back against the emotional suffocation they’ve long endured.
Unveiling the Facade – The Quest to Reveal True Intentions
A recurrent theme in ‘What Lies Beneath’ is the drive to expose the truth hidden behind a ‘sick twisted smile.’ The use of contrasting imagery – the warmth expected of a smile against the chill of sickness and twist – speaks to the betrayal of expectations in personal bonds.
Burnley’s portrayal of the antagonist’s ‘cold jaded eyes’ underlines not just an emotional detachment, but a weary familiarity with deception. It’s a striking visual for listeners, as eyes are often said to be windows to the soul. Here, they are barriers to a cold and calculating interior.
The Inescapable Hook – When a Melody Marries Melancholy
Musically, ‘What Lies Beneath’ intertwines melodic hooks with a gravitational pull of gloom that is quintessential Breaking Benjamin. The seamless transition between the verse’s brooding tones and the chorus’ crescendoing power chords exposes the inner turmoil outlined by the lyrics.
This sonic landscape creates the backbone for the emotional charge the song carries, offering a resonating vessel for the mixture of defiance and despondency that the lyrics articulate.
Eternal Presence – Decrying the Devil in Disguise
As the song progresses, the lyrics ‘Don’t carry me under, You’re the Devil in disguise, God sing for the hopeless, I’m the one you left behind’ carve out a sanctuary for the forsaken. It’s a cry to the heavens, asking for solace in the face of deceit and abandonment.
This powerful plea goes beyond mere disillusionment—it is a battle hymn for the solitary and an acknowledgement of the harsh realization that one must sometimes stand alone in the aftermath of a corrupted love.
Memorable Lines – The Residue of Resilience
‘I will always be here, For the rest of my life’ – these lyrics can be seen as a double-edged sword, indicating both a declaration of enduring strength and the inescapable scars left behind by intimate treachery. The repetition of these lines imbues the song with a persistent resolve.
With these words, Breaking Benjamin affirms a relatable truth: the wounds of the past may remain, but so does the capacity to endure and persist. It’s an epitaph for the love that has died and a testament to the survivor’s unyielding presence beneath the layers of pain and deception.
