anonymous October 21st, 2006 11:31PM  

Lithium is a medication for bipolar disorder, I think that makes sense in this song.

anonymous October 29th, 2006 01:46PM  

This song is clearly about loving someone and them not loving you back ('just didn't drink enough to say you love me'). Lithium is a drug which shows being addicted to someone, but even though its hurting you you don't want to let go, even though you know you have to. "darling, I forgive you after all, anything is better than to be alone" shows that although this person doesn't love her she doesn't feel anger towards him and that she would rather keep loving him and be in pain than be alone.

Chris October 31st, 2006 11:03PM  

I think this song is more personal rather than about someone she loved. I believe that it contributes to the song but only in the sense that it is a contributing factor (or only factor) to her depression, which she is using lithium to cure. The litium helps her out of her depression- but at the same time locks up who she is, takes away her prblem(s), her sadness, which is...Who she is. It makes her happy, but takes away what has become her.

anonymous November 5th, 2006 08:41PM  

In a recent interview, amy said that the song to her wasn't literal, but more of a metaphor about numbness, and happiness. Like looking at happiness in a negitive way, almost as if its "uncool" to be happy or something. Almost as if she's afraid of being happy.

Chocolate November 12th, 2006 05:36AM  

Lithium as in lithium carbonate, a common ingredient found in mood stabilizers. It's about when you get into a certain degree of depression, you don't seem to want out. When you have what you need to make you happy, it's not that easy to choose to simply "let it go." lithium is a choice whether or not to become a normal person again...Or to keep living life like how it is familiar to you.

I think the verses are about her personal life because she said she wrote the song for her, and not for anyone else. They're probably the things that triggered her depression. She's dropping you right into her life, and letting you see her side of the story, namely, trying to make you see that it is reasonable why she wants to remain depressed.

anonymous November 26th, 2006 10:31AM  

Lithium is a Metaphor for happiness from a negative point of view

don’t wanna numb myself n not feel myself anymore

the choice between the comfort of sorrow, or the idea of happyness

Amy January 17th, 2007 01:45AM  

I just wanna say that Ive taken lithium and it is NOT an antidepressant. It is a mood stabilizer prescribed to bipolar people to keep them from getting manic (abnormally up not depressed). If Amy Lee is literally referring to lithium, then she probably is talking about the emotional prison cell the drug leaves you locked in. When your on it, you become totally zombified.

anonymous January 24th, 2007 12:26AM  

Okay I have been doing tons of reading on this particular song....most of it written by people OTHER than Amy lol! But I did run across some stuff that seems legit about 1. Amy NOT actually being bipolar (wasn't that the boyfriend?) and 2. Her point to the song NOT being directly connected to the drug literally. Having said that I have to say that even if it was MEANT to be metaphoric, the song speaks to me on literal terms.

I am bipolar. I do not take lithium I take depakote. But I absolutely relate to the drug with this song. I know that for me and others in my family (lucky me ended up with it genetically) it can be really hard to take a mood stabilizer. A lot of other posters have mentioned this in different ways. For one, depending upon how long you've gone without a diagnosis, the depressive episodes can be devastating and yet so familiar and safe that one can want to resist leaving them...(...here in the darkness I know myself...). And often the manic state is such a relief to the depression that the thought of taking something to reduce the mania is scary - and for some it can even be emotionally paralyzing...somebody already referred to the 'zombie' state....(..don't want to.....drown my will to fly...). Yes I am just picking on that one section of the song, but if you can get the jist of what I'm saying it is easy to relate the actual use (and fear) of a mood stabilizer to this entire song....aptly named Lithium.

So in my opinion Amy needs to be applauded for how staggeringly accurate her metaphores are when applied to the actual use of a mood stabilizing drug. I was in disbelief when I learned she was not bipolar because to read the lyrics to this song I automatically felt ...WOW she has BEEN THERE!!!! And hence, this is now my absolute favorite song!!!!

anonymous February 11th, 2007 03:18AM  

THIS SONG IS ABOUT AMY AND HOW SHE HAS BEEN SAD FOR SO LONG THAT IT IS THE ONLY WAY SHE KNOWS HERSELF AND HOW SHE IS RELUCTANT TO LET GO OF THAT SADNESS. LITHIUM STANDS FOR WHATEVER THING IT IS WHICH HAS POTENTIAL TO MAKE HER HAPPY BUT FOR HER TO ACCEPT AND FOLLOW THIS "LITHIUM" SHE MUST LET GO OF THE SADNESS WHICH HAS BECOME HER.

Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.
(DOESN'T WANT TO LOCK UP THE PART OF HER WHICH IS SADNESS)
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without...
(DOESN'T WANT TO FORGET THE SAD PART OF HER}
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow.
(KIND OF SELF EXPLANITORY)
Oh but god I want to let it go.
(BUT AT THE SAME TIME SHE WANTS TO BE HAPPY AS WELL AND HAVE THE "LITHIUM")

Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone.
(SPEAKIN TO WHATEVER OR WHOEVER THE "LITHIUM" IS)
Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show.
(SHE LET HER EMPTYNESS SHOW)
Never wanted it to be so cold.
(SHE DIDN'T PLAN ON BEING SO SAD BUT NOW ITS A WAY OF LIFE)
Just didn't drink enough to say you love me.
(SHE FINDS IT HARD TO ACCEPT THAT SHE LIKES BEING HAPPY)

I can't hold on to me,
wonder what's wrong with me.
(BECOMING HAPPY=LOSING GRIP ON THE OLD/SAD PERSON)

Don't want to let it lay me down this time.
(DOESN'T WANT TO LET THE HAPPINESS OR "LITHIUM" BECOME HER)
Drown my will to fly.
(SHE IS RESISTING THE URGE TO BECOME HAPPY)
Here in the darkness I know myself.
(SHE IS FAMILLIAR WITH THE SAD HER WHICH IS WHY SHE FINDS IT HARD TO BE HAPPY)
Can't break free until I let it go.
(SHE CANT BE HAPPY TILL SHE LETS GO OF ALL THE SADNESS)
Let me go.
(TALKING TO THE SADNESS)

Darling, I forgive you after all.
(SHE FORGEVES HERSELF FOR GOING BACK TO SADNESS)
Anything is better than to be alone.
(COS THE SAD PART OF HER IS LIKE A OLD FRIEND)
And in the end I guess I had to fall.
(IT NEVER WOULD HAVE WORKED OUT ANYWAY)
Always find my place among the ashes.
(THERE IS ALWAYS A PLACE FOR HER IN SADNESS)

This song is one of the most powerful on The Open Door and I reckon is interesting cos of its different view of happiness.

The opinion of a sixteen year old school student...

anonymous March 10th, 2007 02:57AM  

Bipolar (manic depression) drugs such as lithium often leave the patient feeling like a zomby .. a dead, cold, empty emotional state .. where one feels trapped in some otherworldy dimension .. neither sadness nor happiness, life nor death.

The song describes this state - whether due to this drug, or life situations, such as a bad relationship.


-jeremy099

anonymous April 10th, 2007 04:56AM  

Well I find that in the song Lithium symbolizes happiness and it is about the choice between happiness and depression. I know it sounds kind of odd but it is hard to get over depression. The last words "I'm gonna let it go" refer to the fact that she is going to try to be happy and enjoy life.

anonymous April 14th, 2007 06:22AM  

Amy Lee does NOT use Lithium in a literal term! This is a quote from her explaining it: “ It's not literal, it's not literal about the drug for me, I've never taken lithium before. It's sort of a metaphor about numbness and happiness and sort of like, it's me looking at happiness in a negative way because I've always been, you know, kind of afraid to be happy. Like with the band and the art and everything else, it's always like I'm never letting myself break through into the happiness it seems like, because it's not cool or something. And describing happiness is lithium, it's like saying 'that's numbness, I won't be able to be an artist anymore if I'm happy', which is hilarious because that's just not true, I'm happy. So it's like this fight within the song of like 'do I do this and get out of here and get happy or do I wallow in it like I always do?' and it's cool because at the end of the song I say 'I'm going to let it go', like I am going to be happy.”

anonymous April 18th, 2007 06:28AM  

Ok so her life has been bad for a while and she's accepted it but now someone comes along and to be with them she has to let go of the sadness and be happy...duh!

anonymous May 17th, 2007 08:03AM  

Well, I agree with those ones who say it's about happiness.She says that she is so used to sorrow and when she starts to feel a great happiness after a long time without any hint of hapoines,she doesn't want to leave her sorrow behind.Because she thinks it makes her numb and blind and it doesn't let her think and decide healthily.She is almost afraid of being happy but she realizes that no one would want such a sad girl around and decides to change.She says she guesses she had to be happy one day (and in the end I guess I had to fall) and she is always sad and its time for change (always find my place among the ashes).Its related to Lithium, because just like that kind of happiness Amy is talking about (the kind which is fake and numb,almost sickening),Lithium keeps you happy and takes away your pain but makes you forget your old self and feel numb and empty either, because as you know, some patients are so used to pain that it is almost a part of them and if you take it away from them they don't feel like human anymore. So Lithium was the best metaphor they could ever find for such kind of hapiness. I think Amy Lee has written it very intelligently.

anonymous June 4th, 2007 05:29PM  

Lithium is yes, a drug but the whole interpretation is too narrow. It's generally about letting go. Releasing things which are ruining you and your life. Lithium can almost always makes you unhealthly dependentable of it, like alcohol, cutting, etc, and I, personally, believe "Lithium" is about independance.

anonymous June 8th, 2007 12:42PM  

She just says "Just didn't drink enough to say you love me" because the song is about Sean (Seether) who had alcohol problems, but I'd agree it's about addiction to him. (If you're into Evan you know the song is about him) Maybe it'd help to find out the chemical characteristics ...

anonymous June 14th, 2007 05:12PM  

In an interview Amy said that lithium was just a metaphor, that the song was about being in love with your sorrow ("I wanna stay in love with my sorrow")but wanting to be happy. In the interview she said "lithium is definitely a metaphor, I felt like I was in love with my sorrow...i get into these moods that are not so much depressed just a strange low.....but at the same time I just wanted to be free and be happy". but she decides to be happy ("i'm gonna let it go")

sicslipknotxx June 29th, 2007 05:56PM  

I completely understand what she's saying... I'm on lithium and feel the same way...shes saying she doesn't want to rely lose the dark sad part of her...she doesn't want to forget who she rely is...taking lithium can change all that...she doesn't want to get better and has become accustomed to being messed up. It's who she is and lithium screws all that up, it also tastes really bad and is fun when you snort it....:)

erika
aka
hippie whore
aka
blue moonshine
aka ecstasy

anonymous June 30th, 2007 09:18PM  

Lithium maybe a drug for bi-polar disorder, but the song is saying that she(Amy Lee)has an addiction for Lithium, and she wants to still be with the other half and sometimes she wants the other half to go away. And when she says "come to bed don't make me sleep alone" She is probably talking to a boyfriend so then she wouldn't really be "alone" and stuck with the other half in her subconscious.

AvengingSpirit12 July 13th, 2007 11:47PM  

Actually, this song represents a dilemma. Amy [though not in real life] is in a dilemma: should she stay in the comforts of sorrow, or should she take the pill and be happy. The water is a symbol of her sorrow, which is why, at the end, she is walking away from it [referencing the lithium music video]