Album: Leave A Whisper (2003)

License This Song 

• I feel like there is no need for conversation
  Some questions are better left without a reason
  And I would rather reveal myself than my situation
  Now and then I consider my hesitation
  
  The more the light shines through me
  I pretend to close my eyes
  The more the dark consumes me
  I pretend I'm burning, burning bright
  
  I wonder if the things I did were just to be different
  To spare myself of the constant shame of my existence
  And I would surely redeem myself in my desperation
  Here and now I'll express my situation
  
  The more the light shines through me
  I pretend to close my eyes
  The more the dark consumes me
  I pretend I'm burning bright
  The more the light shines through me
  I pretend to close my eyes
  The more the dark consumes me
  I pretend I'm burning
  
  There's nothing ever wrong, but nothing's ever right
  Such a cruel contradiction
  I know I crossed the line, it's not easy to define
  I'm born to indecision
  There's always something new, some path I'm supposed to choose
  With no particular rhyme or reason
  
  The more the light shines through me
  I pretend to close my eyes
  The more the dark consumes me
  I pretend I'm burning bright
  The more the light shines through me
  I pretend to close my eyes
  The more the dark consumes me
  I pretend I'm burning
  
  I feel like there is no need for conversation Writer/s: BRENT SMITH, TONY BATTAGLIA
  Publisher: Sentric Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 9

• Q from TennesseeI don't want to talk about it
  You don't want the answers to the question you're asking
  I would rather let you see me than to tell you what's going on inside
  Sometimes I just want to tell somebody
  
  The more you see of me
  I pretend there's nothing to see
  The deeper into myself I fall
  I pretend everything's fine
  
  I'm tired of doing things just to fit in
  I feel the world would be better off if I wasn't in it
  Think I'm ready to talk now
  You wanted to know
  
  Everything's screwed up and nobody sees it
  I don't know what to do with that
  I let it get this way, because I couldn't make a clear decision to fix it
  
  They keep telling me different ways to deal
  None seem to be the right one for me
  Maybe talking is pointless
  
  (The ending line)
  I don't want to talk anymore
  
  This is my interpretation of this song. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2016 while battling extreme late stage 4 cancer. I never had a reason to think I was anxious or depressed. I've loved this song and understood it since I bought the album the day it hit the shelves. Listening to it for the last few years I see where my diagnosis comes from. This song describes me almost perfectly and until my diagnosis and my wife sitting me down and making me bring everything to light I didn't see just how truly powerful this song is. I still have my days that I simply don't want to talk. I don't want the world around me to see inside. I will say this. I've learned to deal with those days without professional help. My wife and my love for music like this gets me through my roughest days.
• Nevada S. from MississippiThis song always represemted how depression feels for me. "The more the dark consumes me, I pretend I'm burning bright" the deeper I sink into my own self loathing the more I pretend everything is ok.
• Melissa from North Liberty IowaLove Shinedown and every song. Can't get enough.
• Misty from GeorgiaI believe this song can be interrupted in many ways. I first heard this song and learned its lyrics in 2013 I was beginning to discover that my marriage was slowly changing. And not for the better!!!
  To me the lyrics, the more the light shines through me i pretend to close my eyes, says the more someone's secrets and or demons come to light I PRETEND to close my eyes... if you pretend to close your eyes your hiding hoping you are not revealed.
  The more the dark consumes me, says the more your secrets or demons consume you. Then once again, I PRETEND I'm burning bright. Says I'm pretending you dont notice so i dont have to address or answer your suspensions.
  And I had rather reveal myself than my situation says to me they had rather reveal how far they will go to keep this secret, lying, denying, and ignoring your pain to keep there secret a secret...
  I feel like there is no need for conversation well that's self explanatory... saying no need to have another conversation they are never going to reveal themselves. NOT EVEN FOR YOU!!!
• Zero from The Abyss, NjOh and "The more the light shines through me, I pretend to close my eyes," that could mean the more attention is put on him, the more he tries to shoot it down/retreat from the spotlight/ignore people because he doesn't want to deal with anything. That's how I interpret it.
• Zero from The Abyss, NjI agree with James just one below me. To add to that, I think the line "I would rather reveal myself than my situation," means revealing his true colors, like snapping on people or even ignoring people, rather than telling them he's depressed/going through a bad time. Just my 2 cents.
• James from Kansas City, MoI think this song has more to do with being depressed. The more the dark consumes me, meaning the deeper in depression I go. Then I pretend I'm burning bright. Meaning you're acting like everything is ok. And when he say's I feel like there is no need for conversation, I think he means he doesn't want to talk about. And he also says, I would rather reveal myself than my situation. I think he means he would rather tell about himself rather than what he'd like to do in his situation. I could be wrong, but I listened to this song a lot when I was pertty depressed and it just seemed to fit.
• Jamey from Lutherville, Md"the more the dark consumes me" could be interpreted as society corrupting ones life.. "i pretend i'm burning bright" pretending to be someone your not to fit into this corrupt society, so your not seen as an outcast perhaps? its really deep, i just started performing this song acoustically, i think people will like it
• Mel!ssa from Pittsburgh, PaI love this song, but the way he sings "conversation" it reminds me of STPs "Big Empty"

More Songfacts:

Careless WhisperWham!

George Michael was 17 and on a bus to his job at the cinema when he came up with the idea for "Careless Whisper" and the lyrics, "Something in your eyes calls to mind a silver screen."

Turn On The RadioReba McEntire

When "Turn On The Radio" topped the January 1, 2011 Country chart, Reba McEntire became the first female solo act to have a #1 hit on that tally in four straight decades.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back TogetherTaylor Swift

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift earned an entry in the 2014 edition of the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest-selling digital single. It reached the #1 spot on iTunes just 50 minutes after its release.

Electric AvenueEddy Grant

The "Electric Avenue" in the Eddy Grant song is a real street. It got its name because it was the first street in London with electric lights.

Dancing QueenABBA

ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson conceived "Dancing Queen" as a dance song with the working title "Boogaloo," drawing inspiration from the 1974 George McCrae disco hit "Rock Your Baby." Their manager Stig Anderson came up with the title "Dancing Queen."

AlejandroLady Gaga

The songs on Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster album represent a "fear" of some "monster." "Alejandro" is her "fear of sex" monster.

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.