The first time I heard ‘Understanding’, by Evanescence, I didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics but something about the song got real hold of me. There was something about the song that seemed to have this powerful magnetic force that attracted me so much that I kept listening to it over and over. I couldn’t make much out of the lyrics the first few times I heard, probably because the music itself was doing wonders but later I was determined to go through the lyrics meticulously.
Understanding is a ridiculous gothic anthem that was written to reflect the pain that someone holds but can’t get rid of it no matter what they do. Music acts as the soundtrack of our lives that describes emotion with words that sometimes we just cannot express. We all tend to perceive the meaning of the songs we hear based on our own bias due to our own personal experiences. When I went through the lyrics of the song, I found it a truly artistic and well written that to some extent holds a degree of mystery. It’s evident that the song beautifully unravels the grief of losing a loved one and nothing can be done to wipe away the pain but to live with it and deal with the harsh truth which hurts badly but can’t be erased.
The meaning I perceived from the lyrics is that it’s about two people who are forced to be apart. There’s a lot of pain and fear in this strained relationship but ultimately she knows that they have to let go. So the girl here talks about how they know the truth deep inside and yet just ignores and when something isn’t pleasant which probably is truth like they being parted, they try to forget it but the truth is it is always there which can’t be removed no matter what. This is indicated by:
(Can’t wash it all away)
(Can’t wish it all away)
(Can’t hope it all away)
(Can’t cry it all away)
The first verse is about her asking him not to be afraid of them being parted because ‘when the darkness fades away/the dawn will break the silence’ indicating that when the melancholy and pain is over, a new day will come and they will be together again. Then in the second verse, she talks about living through the rough times, and asks him to tell her that he’ll always be there and not to abandon her, because she can’t afford to go through it all alone.
“Cast me not away Say you’ll be with me For I know I cannot Bear it all alone”
In short, it talks about the extreme emotions of love, trying to forget the pain but it is imprinted deep inside and can’t be erased and that her love for her loved one will still grow. Well, the song holds different meaning to different people based on their experience of life. It is a truly amazing sad song that can touch the heart and sooth the soul. It will always be my all time favorite.