Shinedown: 45 Meaning
Song Released: 2003
45 Lyrics
One not subtle, one not on the list
Send away for a perfect world
One not simply, so absurd
In these times of doing what you're told
You keep these feelings, no one knows
What ever happened to the young man's...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:Okay. I'm a huge shinedown fan and I've seen them in concert a couple of times and brent smith has stated that it is not about suicide or abortion. This song has such a deeper meaning.
It's basically about how hard life is, and trying to understand who you are as a person. 45 stands for the world, and how at times it can feel like a gun. It's about being comfortable with yourself, which is one of the hardest things to do. "nobody knows what I believe."
it's about a realization that life can get really hard because of what the day hands you, but you can get through it. Individuality is really important even though sometimes it may not seem like it. This is an amazing song and shinedown is an amazing band. 45 isn't about suicide, it's about sadness dying, and that same person fully awakening to life. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:To me, with the knowledge of the song and the video, I would say that this song is more relational than personal. I heard somewhere that it was about the writer's girlfriend deciding to get an abortion. That does fit in with all the lyrics and the video. When he says "Send away for a priceless gift." He could be talking about a child, sent away for (being made through intercourse). "One not subtle, one not on the list."
This child won't be a subtlety to their normal lifestyles, and it wasn't planned it was accidental. "Send away for a perfect world, one not simply so absurd." Here comes the idea or concept of abortion. In a perfect world that wouldn't be necessary, abortion in his eyes may be absurd. "In these times of doing what you're told, you keep these feelings no one knows." He doesn't object because it's his girlfriend's "choice" her "right" so he does what he is told must be done but inside he disagrees he feels as though he is ending a life. " Whatever happened to the young man's heart, swallowed by pain as he slowly fell apart. And I'm starring down the barrel of a 45, swimming through the ashes of another life, no real reason to accept the way things have changed staring down the barrel of a 45!
"With these decisions he recognizes his role as a man, his possible role as a father. Whatever happened to the young man's heart. He lost it to this decision or indecision(pain) which swallowed it and now leaves it fallen apart, lacking. "Staring down the barrel of a 45" Here is his indecision which I see represented in the 45.. Swimming through the ashes of the life of his unborn child, aborted. No real reason to accept that this life has been ended, still faced with indecision. "Send a message to the unborn child, keep your eyes open for awhile." I think he is expressing anger, in a fit of rage saying you'll only have awhile to keep your eyes open. "In a box high up on a shelf, left for you, no one else, there's a peice of a puzzle known as life, wrapped in guilt sealed up tight." Here he could be seeking comfort in the fact that the child's life would have been painful. *repeat chorus* "Everyone's pointing their fingers, always condemning me. Well, nobody knows what I believe. I believe. and i'm staring down the barrel of a 45, swimming through the ashes of another life, no real reason to accpept the way things have changed staring down the barrel of a 45!"
"everyone's pointing their fingers, always condemning me." People frown upon him getting his girlfriend pregnant or her having an abortion. "well nobody knows what I believe. I believe." he has kept his disagreement with her decision secret as stated earlier. (in the video it would appear that he states what he believes to her and she gets mad at him) he goes through staring down the indecision (45) again.
This is just what I get from the song and refelct on everytime I listen to it. Shinedown is one of the most kick ass bands out there and they never cease to amaze me with their talent. they keep it real and even if my interpretation of this song isn't even close to theirs, they still have my respect. -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:well you can put ten different people in front of a painting at a musuem and chances are that all of them will say it means something different, only the artist truly knows what
his work of art means. But that shouldn't impact its impact on you because based on where you are in life your emotions may influence your interpretations. Shinedown is just one of those bands that can influence so many people in so many ways. So if any of these interpretations help you reflect your soul on it because that's what I think music is about. -
It is someone who has suicidal thoughts for someone they love.
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So I love this song. Over the years its meaning has changed as I have changed. When I first heard it. I took it as a man killing himself, even leaving a gun behind for his kid to follow. The perfect world was the after life because this one was too absurb. Maybe depression was a driving factor or he just acknowledge life sucked. I never saw the video till about 5 years later so I didnt jump to abortion concept. In my mind the unborn child was a kid on the way that he would not be there for or any kid in the future that hates life as he does. The box was the letter that explained and maybe another gun.
Years later when my now wife got pregnant fatherhood was the 45. I was looking at my life changing and there was no real reason to accept it. I was swimming in the ases of my fun life with no responsibilities, one abortion would have fixed it. No real reason to accept the way things were changing. The kid was an unsubtle gift i planed to send to a perfect world "heaven".
Now i look at is as a metaphor. Now i see a gay guy in a judgemental world. And i dont think it matters the point us its a great song and i hope Shindown never explains it. Its more powerful without context. -
A lot of people think this song is based on suicide. My personal opinion is that its manly based on depression. How hard life is and what it throws at you on a day to day bases. As if life is a gun. And you never know when its gonna hit you. Shinedown tho amazing band seen them twice in concert simple man by far the best covered it better then the original artist
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A lot of people think this song is based on suicide. My personal opinion is that its manly based on depression. How hard life is and what it throws at you on a day to day bases. As if life is a gun. And you never know when its gonna hit you. Shinedown tho amazing band seen them twice in concert simple man by far the best covered it better then the original artist
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I think Brent Smith is talking about his life in perspective. Life is the “priceless gift”, and a perfect world would be not so absurd. He sings about how we as humans all follow the rules, and do what we do to survive. We get caught up in doing what we have to, we forget to express emotions and we drown ourselves. I think that “swimming through the ashes of another life” is about self reflection and what he could have made his life but never had the courage to do. “There’s no real reason to accept the way, things have changed.” meaning that we can’t do anything about it anymore. So he is telling his son to be who he wants to be before it is too late.
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A long time ago a covenant we will call it couldn't have a child told by doctors he would not survive in the mothers womb due to prior birth complications so they prayed that the child live and not knowing this was already prophecized years before they sold the child's life to the devil. Who made the child fully healthy and beautiful almost a sign of perfection in his seed now in the woman. The boy grew up with his fathers sister due to the pain his parents would now pay for a lifetime under the sun and the moon . The tree of life is Alexander the Great the two horned one finding immortality he who cracks the key to life finding immortality being if you truly believe and find the answer you will live forever. The world we live in is illusions finest creation open ones third eye an all will be revealed to our blinds eyes
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The song is about death to self then life in the spirit...born again.
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Brent Smith (the lead singer and songwriter) has stated in an interview:
“ The inspiration from the song really came from – I think a lot of people kinda take a literal sense because of the lyrics – but the song is basically about the day that you wake up and you look at yourself in the mirror and you finally decide that you want to try to become comfortable in your own skin, and realize that you’re gonna have to make yourself happy before you’re going to make anyone else happy. And basically, the 45 isn’t an actual literal term for a gun, I used it as a metaphor for the world, the .45 is actually the world and what it hands you every day of your life. When you get up, it’s a gift to be alive to begin with. A lot of different people, when I’ve talked about it, they said, “Do you really honestly mean that?” And I’m like, “Well, yeah.” Because I’ve been in that situation where I didn’t know if I wanted to continue going on and I didn’t know how to necessarily make myself comfortable with who I was, trying to find a way of learning more about myself. And you come from a dark place sometimes, and that’s really the reality of the song. It’s about overcoming and about moving forward. And it’s basically about understanding that it’s not always going to be good, but you really have no one to blame for yourself if you don’t move forward. That’s where the whole, “Nobody knows what I believe,” [comes from] because we’re all individuals. So that’s really where it comes from, it’s about moving on, really.[1 -
Brent Smith (the lead singer and songwriter) has stated in an interview:
“ The inspiration from the song really came from – I think a lot of people kinda take a literal sense because of the lyrics – but the song is basically about the day that you wake up and you look at yourself in the mirror and you finally decide that you want to try to become comfortable in your own skin, and realize that you’re gonna have to make yourself happy before you’re going to make anyone else happy. And basically, the 45 isn’t an actual literal term for a gun, I used it as a metaphor for the world, the .45 is actually the world and what it hands you every day of your life. When you get up, it’s a gift to be alive to begin with. A lot of different people, when I’ve talked about it, they said, “Do you really honestly mean that?” And I’m like, “Well, yeah.” Because I’ve been in that situation where I didn’t know if I wanted to continue going on and I didn’t know how to necessarily make myself comfortable with who I was, trying to find a way of learning more about myself. And you come from a dark place sometimes, and that’s really the reality of the song. It’s about overcoming and about moving forward. And it’s basically about understanding that it’s not always going to be good, but you really have no one to blame for yourself if you don’t move forward. That’s where the whole, “Nobody knows what I believe,” [comes from] because we’re all individuals. So that’s really where it comes from, it’s about moving on, really -
I think its about a man killing him then simply leaving the gun to his unborn child.
Send away for a priceless gift one not subtle one not in the list
(Refering to death as being a gift)
Send away for a perfect world
(Death a perfect world)
And to make a long story short he shoots his self leaves the gun to his unborn child up high on a shelf the gun will be a piece of the puzzle to his fathers life -
Here is what I think the song is about.
The baby died in the mother so the man couldnt take it so he staring down the barrel of a 45 and this tore the couple apart -
First of all it's a song - songs are meant to be interpreted multiple ways so to have unique effects on many different people. Well I guess like everyone else I too have seen Shinedown numerous times. Each time Brent has explicitly said that the song was written after the loss of the most important person in his life - his grandmother. The song reflects how he felt after her passing, his mindset and the pain he endured.
I too lost my grandmother, the most important person in MY life, not long after seeing Shinedown. And his depiction of the song has heavily stuck with me since that time. -
This song will likely have a different meaning for someone who has lost a familly member or loved one to suicide. When I hear this song that's all I can think of and how devastating it is to loose someone that way and how they thought there was no other option.
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Brent Smith (the lead singer and songwriter) has stated in an interview:
“ The inspiration from the song really came from – I think a lot of people kinda take a literal sense because of the lyrics – but the song is basically about the day that you wake up and you look at yourself in the mirror and you finally decide that you want to try to become comfortable in your own skin, and realize that you’re gonna have to make yourself happy before you’re going to make anyone else happy. And basically, the 45 isn’t an actual literal term for a gun, I used it as a metaphor for the world, the .45 is actually the world and what it hands you every day of your life. When you get up, it’s a gift to be alive to begin with. A lot of different people, when I’ve talked about it, they said, “Do you really honestly mean that?” And I’m like, “Well, yeah.” Because I’ve been in that situation where I didn’t know if I wanted to continue going on and I didn’t know how to necessarily make myself comfortable with who I was, trying to find a way of learning more about myself. And you come from a dark place sometimes, and that’s really the reality of the song. It’s about overcoming and about moving forward. And it’s basically about understanding that it’s not always going to be good, but you really have no one to blame for yourself if you don’t move forward. That’s where the whole, “Nobody knows what I believe,” [comes from] because we’re all individuals. So that’s really where it comes from, it’s about moving on, really."
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deffinately saying he's "staring down the barrel of a 45". the 45 is staring down the world, looking for a way to forget
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