What does Going Under mean?

Evanescence: Going Under Meaning

Album cover for Going Under album cover

Song Released: 2003


Going Under Lyrics

Now I will tell you what I've done for you
Fifty thousand tears I've cried
Screaming, deceiving and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me, going under

Don't want your hand this time, I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not...

  1. sodeep
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    Sep 9th 2012 !⃝

    ok Ive been reading a lot of interpratations for this song on the official Evanescence website it says this song is about the break up of a destructive relationship its also about how she is wanting to get over it
    dont want your hand this time
    Ill save myself
    maybe Ill wake up for once

  2. anonymous
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    Aug 18th 2012 !⃝

    Okay this is a bit of a guess, but I think it's about Ben Moody. I read on Evanescence Reference that Amy hinted that The Last Song I'm Wasting On You was about Ben, and I've always felt that there's a connection between the songs, Going Under written when she was still struggling against an abusive partner, and TLSIWOY after, when she's rid of it. I mean, TLSIWOY was written around the time Ben left. I also automatically thought of the song being about Ben when I saw the music video, how in the beginning he seemed overwhelmed and at the end his face flashed to that creepy one, and she looked scared. I think that might represent that when he's overwhelmed or depressed or something just isn't perfect for him, he takes it out on her. That's just what I think, I don't mean to offend anyone with it, it makes sense to me, so I'm saying it. Thanks:)

  3. anonymous
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    Jul 20th 2012 !⃝

    I have read a lot of your comments, to me it seems she is in love with him and he doesnt return the feeling, leaving her feeling unloved and with a yearning for him. She may feel God has done this to her so she decieves Him. As for the screaming and bleeding part, maybe she slits her wrist in attempt to let the pain flow out in blood. She is drowning or falling further for this guy driving her further from God. And she cant let this love keep driving her away from God and other loved ones. Or in other words... She cant keep going under.

    Im just guessing thia becuz I have fallen for a guy. And it hurt when my bff asked him out. But i never revolted against The Lord.

  4. anonymous
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    Jul 10th 2012 !⃝

    i think that the soong means either one of two things:

    she is sick and tired of people using her for who she is and what she has or
    she is bieng over powered by a boyfriend that wont listen to her.

  5. anonymous
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    Jun 24th 2012 !⃝

    This song has always seemed like it's me singing to my Eating Disoreder & Self-Harm issues. When I read/sing these lyrics it feels like I am telling my demons how I feel. I'm a musician and no song has ever spoken to me like this one has.

  6. anonymous
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    May 31st 2012 !⃝

    I believe this song is about someone dealing with a partner who has Borderline Personality Disorder.
    "I'm going under
    Drowning in you
    I'm falling forever
    I've got to break through
    I'm going under "
    I believe this is reflective of how the partner gets sucked into the BPD's world.
    "Blurring and Stirring the truth and the lies
    So I don't know what's real and what's not
    Always confusing the thoughts in my head
    So I can't trust myself anymore
    I'm dying again "
    Blurring of reality is a big part of dealing with a BPD partner.
    "So go on and scream
    Scream at me I'm so far away
    I won't be broken again
    I've got to breathe I can't keep going under"
    I believe this relates to the emotional boundaries you need to set up when dealing with a BPD partner and the BPD's resulting feelings that they no longer have control or that you are going to leave them.
    My humble two cents.

  7. anonymous
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    Feb 24th 2012 !⃝

    didn't you watch the music video? its bout LSD. i think that she probably was high on acid while performing in a concert and she is trying to relate to her horrible experience.

  8. anonymous
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    Feb 6th 2012 !⃝

    I see it as someone relaying all that's happened and is sick of how forgiving, how much she wants him to be by her side but throws each change down the drain, and finally cutting the line and leaving him for dead as he has done all this time.

    "Now I will tell you what I've done for you
    Fifty thousand tears I've cried
    Screaming, deceiving and bleeding for you"
    She is now in a better position than the guy and giving him the wake up call of everything that she was put through because of that him.

    "And you still won't hear me, going under" he is still ignorant, and refuses to listen to the changes she's constantly giving him.

    "Don't want your hand this time, I'll save myself
    Maybe I'll wake up for once"
    She doesn't want the help, his comfort or anything false he has to give, she'll help herself and maybe feel better for once.

    "Not tormented daily, defeated by you
    Just when I thought, I reached the bottom"
    No longer tortured by the ignorance he constantly gives and reaching the final resort of leaving him out of her life forever.

    "I've died again, I'm going under
    Drowning in you, I'm falling forever
    I've got to break through, I'm going under"
    She keeps finding herself forgiving him,still believing at some point he'll take that chance and fix things for the better but it will never happen. She has got to break this habit and forget.

    "Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies"
    Mixing around her thoughts, trying to make it what it really isn't.

    "So I don't know what's real and what's not
    So I don't know what's real and what's not
    Always confusing the thoughts in my head"
    In away, doing it once more and trying to give him more chances than he deserves, trying to convince herself of what isn't going to happen.


    "So I can't trust myself anymore"
    She can't trust her opinon anymore on the whole situation.

    "So go on and scream
    Scream at me, I'm so far away
    I won't be broken again"
    She's getting over it,after so long will finally let him reap whats been sown.
    "I've got to breathe, I can't keep going under"
    She has got to leave him, she can't keep drowning in his pit of lies.

  9. anonymous
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    Feb 3rd 2012 !⃝

    Hate to break it to you guys and girls out there. This song is actually about me, because, I mean, I'm perfect. hahahaha just kidding.
    In all honesty I do like to think that the song is about her problems dealing with the rise to fame. It is hard for anybody that has to get up on stage and perform for thousands. Especially when you know that all of those people are die hard fans and all desire one thing, HER. The pressure of knowing that you might have any large number of people ready to listen to your every whim would be immense. You may even begin to see those fanatics as something other than human, because it is unreal what lengths and trials they would go through just to see and hear you on stage. Having thousands of people constantly thinking about her and her music could possibly be very overwhelming. She could have been feeling that she was "going under" constant inspection from others and was having trouble dealing with it.
    I really can't be sure, these are just my interpretations from what I had seen in the music video. Everyone is free to interpret it in any way that makes them happy. Just a very versatile song.

  10. anonymous
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    Dec 29th 2011 !⃝

    I picture this like an abusive relationship. Eventually, the guy gets sentenced to life in prison. The girl goes over for visiting hours and they talk on the phone with the booths. She starts with a serious tone, with blank, yet passionate facial expression.

    "Now I will tell you what I've done for you."
    (I gave you all this and this is how you thank me?!)

    "Don't want your hand this time. I'll save myself."
    (It's so over.)

    Then, she starts cringing and contorting her face like she's gone mad when going into and progressing through the chorus. She gets a smile from that of an insane person.

    During verse 2, she start putting pictures against the glass of all of his things that he cares about. They have all been either burned, mangled, vandalized, or any combination of the three.

    During the chorus this time, the girl starts smirking as the guy starts yelling into to the phone.

    During the bridge, she places her hand against the glass, knowing that he can't touch her. It's as if she's saying, You can't get to me anymore.

    When the song ends, she leaves.

    It does seem a bit twisted and may be rated as poor, but at least I shared my point! :)

  11. anonymous
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    Oct 12th 2011 !⃝

    i saw in a concert when she was singing she point up with her hand in the moment that she was saying "drowning in you" but why to the sky who is in the heavens that made her mad.
    sometimes she is so expresive that make you understand what is happen on her head.

    she is wonderful but you can see that she had much pain in her past.

    this pain is just too real.......

  12. anonymous
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    Oct 11th 2011 !⃝

    HI everyone

    Funny because my interpretation IS about a guy lol!

    In my humble opinion, its about a gal who's had an affair/relationship/boyfriend whos she's done almost everything for, and he's taken her for granted in many ways

    "screaming decieving and bleeding for you, and you still don't hear me"

    "blurring and stirring the truth and the lies, so I dont know what's real and whats not"...wow this to me, seems like a man who's lying to both her and his wife.

    Strong song to whatever you make of it I'm sure. LOVE Evanescence!!!!

  13. anonymous
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    Sep 4th 2011 !⃝

    Amy Lee said this song is about the abusive relationship that inspired most of the songs on "Fallen". In this song, she's at the end of her rope; she realizes she can't stay in the relationship any longer.

  14. anonymous
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    Jun 20th 2011 !⃝

    Look, Amy has written so many songs. So many of them are about abusive relationships, a few of which are about her short (yet successful) struggle with drugs as a result of one of these relationships (this particular relationship was the one that eventually prompted "Bring Me to Life"). Listen, fellow interpreters! Her songs, listened to in the correct order, tell her story! Anyway, my interpretation is--well, she´s in yet another abusive relationship. Aye, it sounds very Christian (I myself am Catholic). But Amy Lee herself said, "We are not a Christian band. The media just wants us to be." Thus there is no INTENDED Christian/religious meaning behind this song. However, I will reiterate that this song is about an abusive relationship that´s affecting her in more ways than meets the eye. By the time she recognizes it, she´s screwed and can´t get out of the trap, or at the very least will have one hell of a time getting out of the trap.

  15. anonymous
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    May 30th 2011 !⃝

    This reminds me so much of celeb relationships. Especially the music video. Basically, I think it's about her boyfriend cheating on her and/or putting her through hell. He eventually leaves her but she's not gonna sit and cry about it. And in the end he sees that she's more successful than him and comes crawling back to her but she rejects him and leaves him there.




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