blackrapture October 20th, 2005 11:16PM  
To me, with the knowledge of the song and the video, I would say that this song is more relational than personal. I heard somewhere that it was about the writer's girlfriend deciding to get an abortion. That does fit in with all the lyrics and the video. When he says "Send away for a priceless gift." He could be talking about a child, sent away for (being made through intercourse). "One not subtle, one not on the list."

This child won't be a subtlety to their normal lifestyles, and it wasn't planned it was accidental. "Send away for a perfect world, one not simply so absurd." Here comes the idea or concept of abortion. In a perfect world that wouldn't be necessary, abortion in his eyes may be absurd. "In these times of doing what you're told, you keep these feelings no one knows." He doesn't object because it's his girlfriend's "choice" her "right" so he does what he is told must be done but inside he disagrees he feels as though he is ending a life. " Whatever happened to the young man's heart, swallowed by pain as he slowly fell apart. And I'm starring down the barrel of a 45, swimming through the ashes of another life, no real reason to accept the way things have changed staring down the barrel of a 45!

"With these decisions he recognizes his role as a man, his possible role as a father. Whatever happened to the young man's heart. He lost it to this decision or indecision(pain) which swallowed it and now leaves it fallen apart, lacking. "Staring down the barrel of a 45" Here is his indecision which I see represented in the 45.. Swimming through the ashes of the life of his unborn child, aborted. No real reason to accept that this life has been ended, still faced with indecision. "Send a message to the unborn child, keep your eyes open for awhile." I think he is expressing anger, in a fit of rage saying you'll only have awhile to keep your eyes open. "In a box high up on a shelf, left for you, no one else, there's a peice of a puzzle known as life, wrapped in guilt sealed up tight." Here he could be seeking comfort in the fact that the child's life would have been painful. *repeat chorus* "Everyone's pointing their fingers, always condemning me. Well, nobody knows what I believe. I believe. and i'm staring down the barrel of a 45, swimming through the ashes of another life, no real reason to accpept the way things have changed staring down the barrel of a 45!"

"everyone's pointing their fingers, always condemning me." People frown upon him getting his girlfriend pregnant or her having an abortion. "well nobody knows what I believe. I believe." he has kept his disagreement with her decision secret as stated earlier. (in the video it would appear that he states what he believes to her and she gets mad at him) he goes through staring down the indecision (45) again.

This is just what I get from the song and refelct on everytime I listen to it. Shinedown is one of the most kick ass bands out there and they never cease to amaze me with their talent. they keep it real and even if my interpretation of this song isn't even close to theirs, they still have my respect.

ivefoundaway October 25th, 2005 02:24PM  
I saw Shinedown in concert last year in December 2004 and Brent Smith (the lead singer) explained it was a time in his life when it was real dark and a man almost shot him with a Colt 45. He planned to write to his unborn child that he loved him and his wife that there was a box on a shelf that was his that one day his son or daughter could look at in time.

anonymous January 16th, 2007 11:12PM  
well you can put ten different people in front of a painting at a musuem and chances are that all of them will say it means something different, only the artist truly knows what
his work of art means. But that shouldn't impact its impact on you because based on where you are in life your emotions may influence your interpretations. Shinedown is just one of those bands that can influence so many people in so many ways. So if any of these interpretations help you reflect your soul on it because that's what I think music is about.

anonymous May 11th, 2007 03:53PM  
This song is not about suicide or abortion, if you ever see them play this live, he usually tells you this song is about hope and says never give up. In the first verse he is in the middle of a struggle, feels the weight if the world is on his shoulders and he could never get a break. He feels the world puts too much pressure as your get older. In the pre-chorus he is thinking of his life when he is younger, wishing that life could be that simple again, and how the world smothered him. In the actual chorus he is in a struggle inside his own head, can�t figure any way out, has suicidal thoughts, and doesn�t understand why his life has changed the way it has. In the second verse he wants to send a message to everyone, especially the young and innocent, that life is complicated and it can throw you down. He wants them to know this before it happens unexpectedly like it did him. In the next part he is saying how much pressure the world has put on him, �pointing their fingers�, and how they could not understand what he really feels or needs. Overall this song is not about suicide, it is really about a struggle with oneself, and how cruel life and the world can be at times. This is a story of someone who struggled through a tough time, and how they wanted life to be like it was when they were younger. They were hit with the reality that life will never be what they thought it would be, and through this experience they want to let anyone who has not experienced this know what can happen, how life can tear you down, but don�t give up. The message of this song is never give up, there is always hope, but be prepared. I put this together both from experience and watching these guys live, Brent
Smith shows the real emotion behind this song.

anonymous June 16th, 2007 08:43PM  
Im sorry to say this but everyone on this site, who is trying to interpret Brent Smith is wrong, if you want the actual meaning, brent says it on an radio interview. Just copy and paste this:

http://wmmr.com/includes/news_items/3/875/brent_shinedown_01.mp3

into your browser. It is an audio clip about the lead singer, and near the end of the clip, it tells the meaning of the song.

anonymous August 14th, 2007 04:45PM  
No, no, no, you see, in an interview, he stated that the 45 isn't a gun, it's a metaphor for the world and what each day brings. He said that the song is about learning to accept yourself and become comfortable with yourself and your life. The song is basically about moving forward and never looking back.

YouCantKillHeroes November 18th, 2007 09:00PM  
Brent Smith said in an interview that the craziest fan-related thing that has ever happened was when a boy asked to see them after one of their concerts. The boy ended up giving them the 45 gun that his father had shot himself with. He said that this song helped him try to understand and cope with his grief.

timmahtheturtle March 29th, 2009 05:08PM  
Well to be honest I have listened to this song over and over again And It's about how messed up the world is.

shndwn06 April 16th, 2009 10:53PM  
I will start by saying that Brent Smith's lyrics are the hardest to interpret out of any other artist. If you think this song has a suicidal message, you are wrong. The song is one big analogy of life. Life is not pretty. Your not always gong to have it your way, you won't always get what you want. It will always be that way. "And there's no real reason to accept the way things have changed" in your life. End of story.

anonymous June 2nd, 2009 03:42PM  
I just love this band, they put so many to their songs. anyway , i think this song is about person who knows he is about to die and try to do sth good in life which i think is giving priceless gift - a piece of life puzle to unborn child so he could make world a better place. At part 3 a bit of persons life flashes in lyrics - '' everyone is pointing their fingers...''. and in chorus almost everyting is understandable exept "berrel of 45'' well i think it's like that persons soul has came out and staring at 45 year old berrel - his own body. Well that's the way that i see this song , if you think the same - rate !!! xD

anonymous July 1st, 2009 12:17AM  
To me, the song is basically telling a tale of how life can change from a young man's mind into a dark dark world where you can lose yourself very easily due to whatever the factors may be. The song compares the visions of a young carefree person to those of the one who is stuck in a hole, with no reason to not find a way out. The puzzle of life is where individuality comes into play and that box high up on a shelf just for you is simply finding yourself and no one else can do that for you. Like I have heard Brent say before, if you do not do things for yourself than you will never stick with it. Not if you are trying to please someone else. To me, this song goes hand in hand with the newer hit "Second Chance"...

anonymous August 16th, 2009 10:32PM  
I'm almost positive that he wrote that song after almost killing himself because his grandmother died. she was a very big influence on him and when she died he wanted to kill himself

anonymous September 22nd, 2009 06:36PM  
I always thought it had something to do with age. When you grow up and get an adult, even when you don't want to. I see it as a man who is 45 years old and he's looking back on his life, his younger years. He realises he is getting older. That's how I have always seen it, but that's because I had the same problem. I'm getting older and older, youth is not turning back and I always have this feeling that I miss out so many things in life.

Alexi October 9th, 2009 02:04PM  
I was doing a project on the second world war, specifically the Holocaust, and I heard this song, that was playing in the background of a Holocaust photo slide, and I thought the song was about the Holocaust, if you listen to the words, it's actually kinda similar.