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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I was at the concert in Locobazooka where Brent Smith mentioned to the audience that this song was about "Hope". He says that no matter what anyone else says, don't forget that.
Here's his opening speech:
"We're gonna do the most rock-'n-roll thing we can do. And play the next single off of our record. We're gonna bring it down like this *makes gesture with hands*. But, uh, here's the deal, okay? You need to listen to this song, or you're likely to. You might of heard it, you might not have. But do us a favour alright? You listen to this song- remember it's about hope, okay? No matter what anyone tells you- this is about hope. This song is called 45."
Here's the youtube link for the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOzrHUn82q4 -
I just found this on
http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3009
Just copy and paste... It's an interview and it tells the meaning in it...
SMITH: Yeah, I knew they would. They want us to take like the entire hook of the song out, the chorus. They want us to take the whole, ‘And I’m staring down the barrel of a .45,’ like that whole part completely out. So the video would run and there’d be no beginning in the chorus. We’re trying to get them right now to just allow us to take the word ‘barrel’ out. I wrote a letter to the heads of the Video Department there stating that this song is not by any means glorifying suicide and the devastation that it causes in people’s lives. It’s about an affirmation to live. It’s about someone that has two roads they could go down. And it’s not by any means sugar coating anything, it’s very much being blunt about what the subject matter is; but I’m by no means glorifying anyone taking their own life. But it’s difficult with MTV because of the gun reference and stuff. There have been other bands that have had difficulty with them, I mean hell, Pearl Jam
with “Jeremy”… that’s why they stopped doing videos. They were like, ‘If we can’t do it the way we want, then why do it?’ -
I always thought it had something to do with age.
When you grow up and get an adult, even when you don't want to.
I see it as a man who is 45 years old and he's looking back on his life, his younger years. He realises he is getting older. That's how I have always seen it, but that's because I had the same problem. I'm getting older and older, youth is not turning back and I always have this feeling that I miss out so many things in life. -
I'm almost positive that he wrote that song after almost killing himself because his grandmother died. she was a very big influence on him and when she died he wanted to kill himself
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To me, the song is basically telling a tale of how life can change from a young man's mind into a dark dark world where you can lose yourself very easily due to whatever the factors may be. The song compares the visions of a young carefree person to those of the one who is stuck in a hole, with no reason to not find a way out. The puzzle of life is where individuality comes into play and that box high up on a shelf just for you is simply finding yourself and no one else can do that for you. Like I have heard Brent say before, if you do not do things for yourself than you will never stick with it. Not if you are trying to please someone else. To me, this song goes hand in hand with the newer hit "Second Chance"...
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if there is anyone out there that thinks this song is about abortion or suicide, then you are, from now on, known as retarded.
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I just love this band, they put so many to their songs. anyway , i think this song is about person who knows he is about to die and try to do sth good in life which i think is giving priceless gift - a piece of life puzle to unborn child so he could make world a better place. At part 3 a bit of persons life flashes in lyrics - '' everyone is pointing their fingers...''. and in chorus almost everyting is understandable exept "berrel of 45'' well i think it's like that persons soul has came out and staring at 45 year old berrel - his own body. Well that's the way that i see this song , if you think the same - rate !!! xD
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I will start by saying that Brent Smith's lyrics are the hardest to interpret out of any other artist. If you think this song has a suicidal message, you are wrong. The song is one big analogy of life. Life is not pretty. Your not always gong to have it your way, you won't always get what you want. It will always be that way. "And there's no real reason to accept the way things have changed" in your life. End of story.
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i think its a song about looking at your life and saying "i cant handle this" taking a gun aiming at your head and then a little voice inside your head says "no...itll be ok...i promise...itle get better." and even though its hard to beleive...you beleive it anyway and you put the gun down with a better more optimistic veiw on life.
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Well to be honest I have listened to this song over and over again And It's about how messed up the world is.
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Once again I will say that Brent always gives the broadest interpretations for the simplest of songs I think he doesn't want to promote or influence peoples choices in life.
This song is personal for me for I once sat on my bed looking down the barrel of a 12 gauge
first verse
people always ask for the simplest of lives always trying to live in a perfect world but always just out of reach
second verse
the young child will have to make a desicion in life and choosing to take your own life is just a part of it
chorus What ever happened to the young man's heart
Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart
Swimming through the ashes of another life
No real reason to accept the way things have changed
Knowing what his life used to be like and wanting that back so bad that he's willing to die before he changes
The kid really seemed normal on the outside but on the inside his emotions were tearing him apart
last verse
The kid thinks everything is his fault, nobody cares for his opinion nothing he is doing is ever right. -
45 is a song about hope. Everyone seems to think the song is about suicide, which it is definitely not. The song is telling us to never give up on our dreams, always have hope. The 45 is symbolizing the struggles we endure in life. "And I'm starring down the barrel of a 45, swimming through the ashes of another life." He is looking at his struggles head on and realizing how much his life has changed since he was a young man. "What ever happened to the young mans heart." He then goes on to talk about the "unborn child." He wants to teach the unborn child his life experiences (to never give up on his dreams). He does this by leaving him "a piece of a puzzle known as life." This is the "priceless gift" that he is singing about in the beginning of the song. Even though it may be to late for him, he can still save the child from the pains in life.
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I think black rapture's interpretation sounds pretty good....this song is really good too. any good song makes you either think or feel (mebbe both) and this one does that.
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