What does The Only One mean?

Evanescence: The Only One Meaning

Album cover for The Only One album cover

The Only One Lyrics

When they all come crashing down, midflight,
You know you're not the only one.
When they're so alone they find a back door out of life.
You know you're not the only one.

We're all grieving,
Lost and bleeding.

All our lives,
We've been...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 19th 2009 !⃝

    When I first heard this song I was like "meh", but it grew on me, like the weird duck sound in the beginning and the backward lyrics coupled with the heavy but consistent bassline, I became hooked. :P

    I think this song is about going through life and seeing stupid shit after stupid shit and getting of it and wanting something done about it. I feel like she's sick to fucking death of everyone complaining about their meaningless bs and that there MUST be someone out there that thinks like her and can be a leader and help get us out of this silly rut of a pity party. I also feel that is is supposed to be, overall, extremely empowering. It sounds like she's calling someone out on their bs and feeling confident about it, despite the shit she feels already, i.e. Saying that she's bleeding.

    I LOOOOVE this song with all my song-loving ability, and that's why I chose it to do an analysis on for writing 121.

    :B

  2. JTB326
    click a star to vote
    Apr 1st 2009 !⃝

    I agree. When I hear this song it reminds me so much of when Bush was President and that's how we felt.

  3. Victoria_cj
    click a star to vote
    Mar 20th 2009 !⃝

    I came on here to find out what this song is about.
    I can see how it ties in to being about close-mindedness, but the thing I've found with most Eveanescence songs is that there are several different things that they could be about.
    For some reason this song reminds me of the Holocaust and the Jews.. I have no idea why though!!
    Randomnosity...
    And I shall listen for the tuna!

  4. Child
    click a star to vote
    Sep 3rd 2008 !⃝

    This awesome song is a call to all who have personal troubles and can't bare to solve or its impossible. She shares the message that they are not the only one. They shouldn't be sad so they comfort themselves, they should be grateful and fight. Also she doesn't want to be the one who will make with her music people sad but to comfort them. And she is not the only one who doesn't deserve to do that.

  5. hay34sow
    click a star to vote
    Aug 25th 2008 !⃝

    I agree. I think that she is coming to the realization that it's hard to be brought up and be torn between the secular world and spirituality. I think this is why this song catches me so. This world is full of hate and sin. No one is perfect. I can relate to that. When she talks about they all come crashing down, midflight. You realize that you are indeed going somewhere when you die. Others are with you, you know you're not the only one going. And then going on to say they're so alone they find a back door out of life. you know you're not the only one. Many refuse to see and hear the truth about God. There is only one way out of life and that's through Jesus Christ, our Lord. People are grieving ashamed of what they've done lost- the sinner needs salvation,bleeding- Hearts are torn apart. All our live, we've been waiting( God's children are waiting for his return [Rapture])for someone to call our leader( There is only one God) All your lies, I'm not believing- We have to know that the devil is real, he is everywhere. Tearing marriages apart, sending young kids, teenagers and adults to Hell because no one knows there is a way and only one way, the back door out of life- Heaven, salvation, confessing sins. Heaven shine your light down on me. Give me protection and the strength to carry on the burdens of the lost souls that need to be saved. There is more to it. I just want you to ask me. I will share more. I'm not here to impress people or stir up controversy. I am here because I too am a sinner and was lost but no am found. I am not perfect. There is none righteous, no not one. I love this girl's music, but most of all I like the fact that if I was to talk to her in person, which I have, and carry on a religious conversation she would be able to shed light. So ask questions. I don't have all the answers but I'd love to give insite. This song is about YOU needing salvation. She knows that there are people out there who need to be saved. You only get one chance. Take it! Some are lucky and get two chances. We know we aren't the only ones who suffer in sin, right or wrong, can't hold on to the fear that I'm lost without you (We are all lost when we turn away from the Holy Spirit)A woman should always fear God.If I can't feel, I'm not mine, I'm not real. If I can't feel the Holy Spirit dwelling within me, than it's not the Holy Spirit, it's the devil trying to get you to doubt your salvation.

  6. MurdahScene
    click a star to vote
    Aug 23rd 2008 !⃝

    What I got from this song...
    If that it came off very religious to me.

    All my life personally, My mom has been pushing christianity on me and telling me I'm evil for not beliving her beliefs.

    Im agnostic. I'll believe it when I see it type of deal.
    There might be a god or may not.

    So when she says "All our lives we've been waiting for someone to call our leader"
    It's about searching for a leader.
    A god.

    "all your lies, not believing heaven shine a light down on me"

    not believing the religions lies to you.
    and asking for heaven to shine a light on you.

    "your not the only one"
    your not the only one questioning.Your not horrible for doing so.

    "Never understood this life.
    And you're right, I don't deserve"
    Being told you don't deserve something and your a sinner.
    never understood their life of religion.


    Im not saying its a Christian song.
    It just implying a lot of spiritual ideas.

  7. prettyxinxyourxpain
    click a star to vote
    Jun 30th 2008 !⃝

    I think it's about not giving up when things get tough because you're not the only one who deals with things. There are all these people who give up.

    "when they all come crashing down midflight... when they're so alone they find a back door out of life."

    when some people hit a hard time or a rut in thier lives or become depressed and feel all alone they find the easiest way out, like suicide. but they shouldn't give up because they arent' the only ones in that rut. everyone gets depressed and feels alone every once in a while

    "We're all grieving, lost and bleeding. all our lives, we've been waiting for someone to call our leader. all your lies, I'm not believing. Heaven shine a light down on me."

    everyone's sad and mourning something or someone, maybe even sacrificing themselves to find that certain leader but in the end that leader is nothing but a lie and we're done believing them anymore. and now it's like heaven shines a light down on you and you finally snap and realize that you were wrong about some things.

    "so afraid to open your eyes, hypnotized.
    you know you're not the only one."

    some people blind themselves from the world for fear that they'll be hypnotized. or that they're hypnotized already and are mad to be blind and not see all the problems in the world.

    "never understood this life and you're right I don't deserve..."

    we never understand our lives, but we dont' deserve to because we can't really control it, so why understand somethign we can't control.

    "don't look down, don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you, don't look down you'll fall down you'll become thier sacrifice."

    dont' challenge the world by looking it in the eyes, or else it's going to break you and you'll fall and become it's sacrifice.

    "right or wrong can't hold on to the fear that I'm lost without you. If I can't feel I'm not mine I'm not real."

    whether it's right or wrong to feel all alone or sad, you don't know, but youcan't grasp the thought of losing that sadness because it's beautiful and you don't know what to be without it. If you can't feel it then you arent' real.

    that's what I think, I'm not sure, but that's what I came up with.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 16th 2008 !⃝

    Hope.....Your not the only one
    "When they're so alone they find a back door out of life"
    Talking about suicide probably??
    I'm finding hints of a sort of "hope in God message"
    "All our lives, We've been waiting For someone to call our leader"
    "Heaven shine a light down on me"
    "Can't hold onto the fear that I'm lost without you"

    When the EP album was out they made a statement that they were Christian, but later the music should not be interpreted and Christian....something like that
    Maybe I'm wrong
    Jay-Jay

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 5th 2008 !⃝

    Two questions that have boggled my mind since I first heard this song. What's up with the duck quacking at the beginning and what is the singing lady at the beginning of the song singing? I'm confused!

  10. bella1293
    click a star to vote
    Feb 3rd 2008 !⃝

    This my favorite song.I understood it.In a way its just a reassurance to young teenagers that they are not the only ones feeling the way that they may be feeling right now.And I don't if its just me in the part where she says "Don't look down,Dont look into the eyes of the world beneath you,you'll fall down,you'll become their sacrifice" I think of it as peer pressure cause you'll just be like the other people around you.But that's just me and my weird,random,mixed up mind

  11. Fallenbat
    click a star to vote
    Aug 29th 2007 !⃝

    She said somewhere that it was about when she was younger... High school probably.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 18th 2007 !⃝

    I think it's about a girl in high school who is alone and people don't really accept her. The beginning "when they all come crashing down mid-flight.....back door out of life....not the only one" is referring to the people who are judging her and other people like her - when they break, the judgers (I couldn't find a better word lol) will realize that the people they're ignoring/making fun of have feelings too, and they aren't the only people who matter.

    "don't look down, don't look into the world beneath you, don't look down, you'll fall down, you'll become their sacrifice" sounds like she's saying to herself, look straight ahead, because if you take time to pay attention to the people who hate you, you'll break.

    Does that make any sense????

  13. anonymous
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    Mar 4th 2007 !⃝

    I almost feel like this is a political song about Amy's song on politics and current leaders. All our lives
    we've been waiting for someone to call our leader. All your lies I'm not believing..." I believe she's talking about how political people promise things but always seem to lie. It's as if political figures are too far above the world, and too far away, to really understand what we're going through. She says that in, "Don't look down, Don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you. Don't look down, you'll fall down." But that's only what I got out of the song.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 11th 2007 !⃝

    OK SO HERES MY THEORY-
    THIS SONG IS ABOUT HOW AND WHY PEOPLE LIKE AMYS MUSIC BECAUSE WHEN THAY HEAR IT THEY KNOW THAT SOMEONE ELSE IS/HAS GONE THRU THE SAME THING AND THAT THEY ARN'T THE ONLY ONES.

    When they all come crashing down, midflight,
    You know you're not the only one.
    When they're so alone they find a back door out of life.
    You know you're not the only one.
    (WHN PPL BREAK OTHER PPL KNOW THAT THEY ARN'E THE ONLY ONES WITH ISSUES)

    We're all grieving,
    Lost and bleeding.
    (MOST PPL HAVE PROBLEMS IN THEIR LIVES)

    All our lives,
    We've been waiting
    For someone to call our leader.
    (THE FANS SAYING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A LEEDER/SOMEONE TO REPRESENT THEM AND NOW AMY HAS COME ALONG WITH HER MUSIC SHE IS THEIR LEADER)

    All your lies,
    I'm not believing.
    Heaven shine a light down on me.
    (WHEN SHE USES THE WORD "LIES" I HAVE TO THINK OF THE WAY THAT WORD WAS USED IN EVERYBODYS FOOL AS REPRESENTATION FOR THE WAY EVERYONE THINKS FAMOUS PPL ARE PERFECT AND SO THIS MEANS THAT THE FANS KNOW THAT SHE HAS TROUBLES AND THE HEAVENLY LIGHT THING IS MEANING ALL THE GLORY SHE GETS FROM BEING THE LEADER OF ALL THESE PPL)

    So afraid to open your eyes, hypnotized.
    (HYPNOTIZED BY HER MUSIC MAYBE...?)
    You know you're not the only one
    Never understood this life.
    And you're right, I don't deserve
    But you know I'm not the only one.
    (SHE NEVER UNDERSTOOD THIS LIFE AND ALSO SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE A HERO/REPRESENTATIVE FOR ALL THESE PPL COS MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN THROUGH WAY MORE THAN HER, I THINK PPL MUST HAVE CRITACIZED HER FOR BEING SUCH A NEGATIVE SONGWRITER AND SAID THINGS LIKE "HOW COME U R SO SAD WHEN YOU'R FAMOUS WITH HEAPS OF MONEY" AND THIS IS WHERE THE "YOU'RE RIGHT" BIT COMES FROM)

    We're all grieving,
    Lost and bleeding.
    (EVERYONE HAS ISSUES)

    Don't look down,
    Don't look into the eyes of the world beneath you.
    Don't look down, you'll fall down,
    You'll become their sacrifice.
    (IF SHE LOOKS DOWN AT THE LIVES OF ALL THESE PPL WHO ARE SO DEPRESSED AND FOLLOW HER SO RELIGIOUSLY SHE WILL BECOME THEIR SACRAFICE/THE WILL SACRIFICE HER TO GET HAPPY AGAIN)

    Right or wrong.
    Can't hold onto the fear that I'm lost without you.
    (IS HER NEGATIVITY RIGHT OR WRONG? SHE CANT SUPRESS THE FEAR THAT IF SHE WASN'T SO SAD AND DEPRESSED SHE WOULD BE NOTHING TO THESE PPL)

    If I can't feel, I'm not mine,
    I'm not real.
    (IF SHE DIDN'T FEEL ALL THE PAIN THEN THERE WOULD BE NO MATERIAL FOR THESE SONGS WHICH IS WHAT MAKES HER REAL FOR HER FANS)

  15. Selo
    click a star to vote
    Feb 6th 2007 !⃝

    I think "The Only One" is a song to remind people that they're not alone. It tells the listener that everyone has problems that they have to deal with, and if someone thinks that no one understands what they're going through, they're wrong ("When they all come crashing down midflight / You know you're not the only one"). It also talks about how these troubled people have a chance to be uplifted: "All our lives, we've been waiting / For someone to call our leader / All your lies, not believing / Heaven shine a light down on me". "When they're so alone, they find a back door out of life" is more downcast, perhaps suggesting that those without hope end up killing themselves to escape the pain. "We're all grieving / Lost and bleeding" is another line to prove that everyone has difficulties in their lives that they have to deal with.




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