Breaking Benjamin: Breaking the Silence Meaning

Breaking the Silence Lyrics

I'll keep my sights on waking dream
I gave my life to the vile be me
I am but one of a dying breed
Hate kills this world, but it won't kill me
(Wake up! I break up the silence, I, I break up the silence)
I'm breaking the silence I'm falling...

1. anonymous

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   Nov 8th 2022 !⃝

   This is definitely about hurting someone you care about, but regretting it afterwards.
   "I'll keep my sights on waking dream"
   Keeping sights on a waking dream is like looking at the light at the end of the tunnel (the darkness of the tunnel and the light at end are exactly, unreal (the dream) becoming real).
   
   "I gave my life to the vile beneath" and "I am but one of a dying breed" make sense together, he did wrong (giving life to the vile beneath), but there isn't many like him (there are actually many like this, but that's about the feeling of being the only one who did that, which is a common feeling for those who did wrong)
   
   "Hate kills the world, but it won't kill me"
   You can even hear the singing to change, this line is about hope, the hate could be from the victim and/or from himself.
   
   "Wake up the victim of violence. Shut the breath of the lifeless"
   I ended up with many interpretations of this line, but one aligns well with the rest. It is the feeling of regret, victim of the violence is the victim he hurt, it's about reversing what he did, attempting to fix what we broke is very common after breaking stuff.
   
   "I'm breaking the silence, I'm falling apart for you", as a personal experience, hurting one you love and talking about is really hard, because you know everyone will blame you. However, he is falling apart, it's not said what is hurting inside this bad that he is falling apart but it could be the guilt, the missing person, ideals of the person or even religious beliefs that condemn his behavior.
   
   "I'm chasing the righteous becoming a part of you" He is trying to be a better person, to come back with the one he hurt.
   
   "Fake plastic life, full of wasted years"
   fake, plastic, wasted make much sense together, "fake" and "plastic" almost mean the same thing, "wasted" completes the meaning, it's about pretending, in a close relationship, you can't be the one at fault without pretending to be right.
   
   "Love lost inside, diabolic fear" strangely enough, in such a situation. This lines applies to both the victim and the predator. The predator fears hurting again, so he can't love anymore. The victim, is scared of getting hurt again, so can't love anymore.
   
   "I feel no fault for the fault I feel" It points to many things, the ego all of us have, trying to tell us that we weren't at fault, but you still know that you did wrong, so you still feel the guilt. It also points to the confusion created by this internal struggle.
   
   "Hope drains this world, but it won't drain me"
   Hope gives you a boost at first, to achieve what you want (must be the person he hurt), however, it might end up draining you, because you work hard but don't achieve anything, so it starts to backfire.
   
   "Run" this part, is not about physically running, but is about giving up. No matter how much hope you got, you sometimes just wanna run away
   
   The last line "I'm breaking the silence, I'm falling down with you" in such a situation, only the predator doesn't feel the guilt, sometimes the victim also feels the guilt. That's what makes this song interesting, both sides of such a horrible situation can relate to this song. This line is about both of them feeling the hurt. Also it could express the worry, that he thinks the victim is still getting hurt (which might or might not be true)
   
   You can clearly see a confusion in the lyrics, the confusion could be because breaking benjamin usually keeps the lyrics vague, or could be a part of the lyrics itself, trying to show the confusion you might feel in such a situation.
   
   
   This is my interpretation, which may or may not be true. It's best to come up with your own interpretation of bb songs
   
2. anonymous

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   Apr 28th 2017 !⃝

   I think the bottom line of this song is just an expression of anger at abuse. I think it's encouraging people to come forward and speak out against abuse they are experiencing. To break the silence.
   
   I saw the other comment, and I think whoever wrote it was on the right track, but he/she ignored the line: "I'm breaking the silence," which I think is the most important line.
   
   I'm not sure it was written about any one person, I think it's just about violence and abuse in general.
   
   I mean, I could be way off. Then again, Breaking Benjamin writes songs that can be interpreted in several different ways, so Ben (the writer/singer) probably wants you to interpret it in your own way. A lot of bands do that, like Starset, Three Days Grace and others of that sort.
3. anonymous

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   Feb 16th 2017 !⃝

   "I am but one of a dying breed." There aren't too many people like him.
   
   "I gave my life to the vile beneath" He didn't mind giving in to his inner demons and lust.
   
   "Wake up the victim of violence. Shut the breath of the lifeless" This is referring a girl who is keeping silent about what took place, be it; physical or verbal abuse, rape, or something along the lines of being a "victim of a violent situation, possibly a crime"
   
   "I'm falling apart for you." He is broken and being destroyed by her silence, or by her in general, or by the way she was treated (by him or another). This line can indicate that he cares about her or even loves her.
   
   "I'm chasing the righteous becoming a part of you." This could be taken as he is following her example in seeking what's good in life, although he can thrive in a darker world full of hate and hopelessness. He's looking for ways to feel connected to her and has found that chasing the light gives him a better understanding about her, or even her mindset. He was a vile guy who gave into his weaknesses but he's turned his back on those things, only to be closer to her.
   
   I interpret the song this way, but there can be a number of other meanings; sobriety, affairs, etc.
   To me, it seems like he lost someone he cared about. Either he was the one inflicting this turmoil on a girl (which could be any kind of abuse or rape, or danger, whatever you interpret), or he watched a girl go through something dark in her life that she should have spoke up about. Or he inflicted the pain on her; he is trying to reconnect with her "chasing the righteous".
   
   He's falling apart for her; due to missing her, still loving her, still wanting her, and partly due to the silence.
   
   Her silence in the lyrics could be; breaking up with him and not wanting to talk to him ever again(cutting him out of her life), her lack of motivation to tell the truth about what happened to her, or a general silent treatment people give to others when they're angry.
   
   He doesn't like the way she's dealt with, being vague, "things" and it's breaking him.
   
   "RUN" This line could be him telling her to run from the situation or to run from him, because he will likely strike again.
   
   Pre-warning her shows he is at conflict with his own demons inside. Some of the lines in this song show the instability in the "man's mindset".
   
   "Love lost inside" could be the girl or the guy can no longer love another or anyone. It could mean the girl stopped loving him, indicating they were in a relationship. It could be the guy stopped loving her.
   
   "Diabolic fear" she's afraid he'll hurt her again. Or he's afraid that it'll continue to hurt him knowing she doesn't love him.
   
   "I feel no fault for the fault I feel" This can mean he knows he is to blame, but he doesn't feel guilty about it, or he feels only partially guilty. The could be referring to the love that was lost or the "violent" situation that she was victimized in.
   
   I referred to the male as "he" but that doesn't mean the lyricist did any of the things above. Artists write creatively about all sorts of subjects.

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