What does Sweet Sacrifice mean?

Evanescence: Sweet Sacrifice Meaning

Tagged: Revenge [suggest]
Album cover for Sweet Sacrifice album cover

Song Released: 2007


Sweet Sacrifice Lyrics

It's true, we're all a little insane.
But it's so clear,
Now that I'm unchained.

Fear is only in our minds,
Taking over all the time.
Fear is only in our minds but it's taking over all the time.

You poor sweet innocent thing.
Dry your...

  1. anonymous
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    Jan 26th 2010 !⃝

    this song actually reminds me of something im going through right now. it talks about a poor innocent girl, when i was little, i was placed in abusive situations almost daily. this song kind of helps me in the way that it says the one day that person will drown in my lost pain. so all i gotta do is dry my eyes and testify...

  2. anonymous
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    Nov 20th 2009 !⃝

    I also agree in the place of the whispering, i sleep to die- where they waited in cells to be killed, our Burning ashes- where they were burned at the stake.

  3. anonymous
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    Nov 20th 2009 !⃝

    I agree with Chris, like they feared the witches, and they were totally just in their imaginations, but it completely overshadowed their life, and like, she would possibly be in the perspective of the witch, saying that shes the sacrifice, like when they sacrificed innocent people, thinking that they were witches, and the chorus is where the judge and the people being trialed were arguing, Judge: "sweet, innocent" thing, just stop crying and testify Girl: you love to hate me, im your sacrifice. And I especially agree with his perspective after watching the video, where she is mystic, and witch-like.

  4. anonymous
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    Sep 1st 2009 !⃝

    i agree woth whoever said it was a kinda follow up to fallen because if u look at songs like going under she go,s im drowning in you,shes not drowning anymore she kinda like freed from this person and when she go's
    ''poor sweet innocent thing,dry your eyes
    and testify,you know you live to break me
    dont deny.''
    i think shes reffering saracasticly towards a ex and going quit playing the innocent one here you werent innocent,you loved to break and tear me down,and tho i was afraid of you im not anymore it was in my mind,so kinda like call me when youre sober tho idk if she is reffering to the same person as she wass in that song.

  5. anonymous
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    Jul 17th 2009 !⃝

    This song could mean a number of things. To me, my interpretation, would have to be about a girl who got raped & she's been really messed up over it for awhile, maybe even in denial. Now she realizes what happened to her, and shes doing okay but shes still so afraid of doing a lot of things. So now, she wants revenge and shes going to get it.

  6. anonymous
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    Jun 19th 2009 !⃝

    I think the whole song is about fear itself.

    "It's true, we're all a little insane, but it's so clear now that I'm unchained" could mean that when she was afraid, she could see how irrational fear was, but once she was free of the fear (unchained) she could see just how manipulative the emotion could become.

    "Fear is only in our minds taking over all the time" is self explanatory.

    "You poor sweet innocent thing, dry your eyes and testify, you know you live to break me, don't deny, sweet sacrifice" The poor sweet innocent thing being what was causing her fear, she wants whatever was causing the fear to admit to being a manipulative lie - not real at all, but it was still causing her to shift her life around just to avoid her fear.

    "One day I'm gonna forget your name, One sweet day you're gonna drown in my lost pain" She's going to get past all of her fears, and all those that caused those fears will be afraid for themselves instead of causing fear in others.

    "You poor sweet innocent thing, dry your eyes and testify, and oh you love to hate me, don't you honey, I'm your sacrifice" Basically the same as before, but the line "oh you love to hate me" is basically saying that what causes her fear causes hate, and everything is against her.

    "Do you wonder why you hate? Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes?" Meaning she doesn't know what causes all the fear and hate everyone feels, and all these emotions are causing people to make mistakes they can never get past unless they can push past the fear.

    Then it just repeats.

  7. songinterpreter95
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    May 9th 2009 !⃝

    I think that it means that she used to be doing something that she knew was bad for her, but she kept doing it anyways. When she broke off from it she was relieved from the suffering about choosing right or wrong about it. She didn't want to tell anyone about it, and making her think about it made her suffer. But she had to come out and say it, to warn other people about the things that it could cause, and the stress and greif it could be.

  8. anonymous
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    Nov 20th 2008 !⃝

    Well this song is about a woman that is trying to get to amy, trying to steal her life and her man. Amy knows this is what she is doing and asks her to just come out with it.
    "You poor sweet innocent thing.
    Dry your eyes and testify.
    You know you live to break me. Don't deny."
    Amy knows she will get rid of this woman who is trying to take over her life.
    "One day I'm gonna forget your name,
    And one sweet day, you're gonna drown in my lost pain."
    Her dreams are haunted by this woman because she can just see this woman taking everyhting she has.
    "(I dream in darkness
    I sleep to die,
    Erase the silence,
    Erase my life,
    Our burning ashes
    Blacken the day,
    A world of nothingness,
    Blow me away.)"
    shes knows this is irrational and says fear is only in our mind.
    "Fear is only in our minds,
    Taking over all the time.
    Fear is only in our minds but it's taking over all the time."
    Amy gets over this and still believes this woman has no control over her or her lover. She confronts her and points out her mistakes.
    "Do you wonder why you hate?
    Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes?"
    This woman is making amy out to be the sacrifice so that she may love amy's man. Instead, by the end, the woman is the sweet sacrifice



  9. famciliari
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    Nov 14th 2008 !⃝

    It's true
    We're all a little insane
    But it's so clear
    Now that I'm unchained

    basically it's about breaking free from abusive relationships
    the first two lines tells us that we're insane when we foolishly let ourselves be abused
    the next two lines is just amy lee telling that she is starting to break free

    Fear is only in our minds
    Taking over all the time
    Fear is only in our minds
    but it's taking over all the time

    this just tells that
    Fear = fear of not being able to break free, or
    fear = fear that she isn't strong enough
    that these thing are what hinders us to break free from abusive relationships, and that amy has put these things behind


    You poor sweet innocent thing
    Dry your eyes and testify
    You know you live to break me
    Don't deny
    Sweet sacrifice
    /And oh, you love to hate me
    Don't you, honey?
    I'm your sacrifice


    You poor sweet innocent thing=amy when she was still in the abusive relationship
    Dry your eyes and testify=amy has witnessed how she was abused,and that same amy will testify how she breaks free

    One day
    I'm gonna forget your name
    And one sweet day
    You're gonna drown in my lost pain

    i love these lines!its very straightforward


    I dream in darkness
    I sleep to die
    Erase the silence
    Erase my life
    [Our burning ashes]
    [Blacken the day]
    [A world of nothingness]
    [Blow me away]

    my personal opinion is that this is how amy felt when she was still in the bad relationship

    Do you wonder
    Why you hate?
    Are you still so weak
    To survive your mistakes?

    its also direct to the point

  10. Ashlynn313
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    Oct 31st 2007 !⃝

    It's a song about an abusive relationship. When I ended my own, this was one of the best albums that I listened to while healing.

    The song begins saying 'were all insane, but it's clear now that I am UNCHAINED'.. free of the abuse. It becomes clear how crazy you must have been to keep exposing yourself to something so terrible. That fear is only "in our minds" and that we always have the strength to leave.

    "You poor sweet innocent thing"... men who are abusive never think they do anything wrong.. and always act like you are the wrong one, as if you are the one that's hurting them.. especially when you leave them. HOW COULD YOU !!... duh.

    I LOVE the line "One sweet day I'm gonna forget your name, and one sweet day you'll drown in my lost pain"... life moves on.

    "Do you wonder why you hate? Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes?"
    ... Simply.. abusive men have issues. They are constantly angry terrible individuals that seem to be miserable at virtually nothing.. They hate their lives no matter what.. and are too weak to ever be strong enough to overcome these issues. "Dry your eyes and testify" !

    I am still unsure about what "sweet sacrifice" could mean. Amy Lee states "I'm your sacrifice" Possibly, certain religions, rituals, cults whoever.. Sacrifice innocent life for their own personal gain. Maybe a woman is a man's sacrifice, something he thinks he cares for.. but typically because it betters themself regardless of the way the other person feels about being their sacrifice.

  11. anonymous
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    Jun 26th 2007 !⃝

    This song reminds me of high school. When it says "fear is only in our minds, taking over all the time". It means that people fear what they can't understand, and if people don't understand you, then they may use you as a "sacrifice". Like, people need someone to talk about and put down. It just makes them feel better about themselves. And by sacrificing the one they are afraid of, and bringing them down, they can calm their fears.

    And when it says "but it's so clear, now that I am unchained" she means that she's finally able to understand where this sudden hate is coming from.

    And on "You poor, sweet, innocent thing dry your eyes and testify. You know you live to break me. Don't deny, sweet sacrifice." She's basically saying "I know you break me because your so self-conscious that you need to break me in order to fell good about yourself."

    And then on "one day, your gonna forget my name, and one sweet day, your gonna drown in my lost pain" She means that one days she'll forget about what this person/these people have put her through and one day they'll get what's coming to them.

  12. anonymous
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    Apr 28th 2007 !⃝

    Chocolate, I agree with this:
    i don't know about you, but when I heard "poor sweet innocent thing," I thought of a small girl, ignorant and naive. She resembles my past - the person who was tied down - who I used to be.
    I interpreted that Amy Lee is talking about her past, before she was "unchained" or freed from her own insanity, when she was a frightened, "sweet and innocent" girl. The part that goes One day I'm gonna forget your name, And one sweet day, you're gonna drown in my lost pain suggests that she is trying to forget her past and move on, and by doing this she will betray the little girl who is still a part of her, but it must be done in order for Amy to be completely free. And oh you love to hate me don't you, honey? I'm your sacrifice goes back to how she betrayed her past self, and that girl would have hated what she had become. Amy still blames herself for whatever sacrifice she made to betray the girl, but she wants the girl to live up to her own mistakes so it's not chaining her down anymore: Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes? I know it's a bit far fetched, but it's just my opinion and goes along with my personal experiences.

  13. Chris
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    Feb 1st 2007 !⃝

    I still believe its exactly like the Salem Witch trials. Every line can be explained by the theme of the Trials. "Everyones a bit insane but now that I'm unchained and its so clear. Fear is only in our minds but still, it takes over all the time. You sweet little girl, you're so poor and innocent... and you love to hate me don't you? because I'm different (a little bit insane) and your fear is taking over, so go on and testify. But don't deny, that I'm your sacrifice."

    (btw, just for my last post ***their)

  14. EmoRocker
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    Jan 12th 2007 !⃝

    Chocolate's interpretation is pretty much what I think it is. I can relate to this song, too. At least from my interpretation.

  15. anonymous
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    Dec 30th 2006 !⃝

    I agree with Chocolate's interpretation. But when I heard this song, I had a view somewhat similar, somewhat not. My view was that it was about being held down, and finally getting away. Looking back at what they used to be they realize they were so different, and a "poor, sweet, innocent thing". Now that they're unchained, they know their former self is a sacrifice. If mine is confusing, yes I know. A few people think my interpretations are confusing.




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