What does Lights Out mean?

Breaking Benjamin: Lights Out Meaning

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Album cover for Lights Out album cover

Song Released: 2010


Lights Out Lyrics

I am done pretending
You have failed to find what's left
I will suck you dry again
Some are not worth saving
You are such a pretty mess
I will choke the life within

Now you want to take me down
As if I even care
I am the monster in your...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Dec 17th 2017 !⃝

    The song is about his illness,the person he is talking to in this song is himself, it's the voice in his own head contemplating his illness and situation bye trying to tell himself he doesn't care but can't forget about it because of the suffering

  2. anonymous
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    Oct 2nd 2023 !⃝

    Notice how this song comes right before Dear Agony. In that song he's feeling sad and depressed, but here he feels angry and pissed off. Might have something to do with bipolar disorder.

  3. anonymous
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    Jan 6th 2023 !⃝

    These are the words and view of an intelligent and beautiful woman devastated by love. As a single mom she gave in to love one time in her life because she thought that was the mature thing to do for her son to have a father type role model around. She fell in love and the guy fell asleep. It broke her in every way possible. She could barley go on.
    The voice in her head kept telling her to contact him, drive by his house, go find him…It was overwhelmingly embarrassing, nobody appreciated it, and had a gun pulled on her from him. She yelled out while in her vehicle alone, “I can’t afford to care!!!!” No more time vested. She has not seen him since.

  4. anonymous
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    Jan 28th 2017 !⃝

    Lights out is a song about a broken relationship that ended. The guy tries not to care. He's miserable and wants his revenge.
    I am done pretending (He can’t pretend that she messed him up)
    You have failed to find what's left (She failed him)
    I will suck you dry again (He wants her to feel as drained as he does)
    Some are not worth saving (Most people aren’t worth caring about)
    You are such a pretty mess (She’s an exception. She’s beautiful in all her chaos)
    I will choke the life within (He wants her to feel his pain in life)
    Now you want to take me down (She’s bringing him down because of their breakup)
    As if I even care (He’s saying he could care les, but he does care because he wants revenge)
    I am the monster in your head (he’s her source of pain too)
    And I thought you'd learn by now (She doesn’t seem to learn from the past)
    It seems you haven't yet
    I am the venom in your skin (He’s killing her metaphorically)
    And now your life
    Is broken (She’s a mess)
    After the lights go out on you
    After your worthless life is through
    I will remember how you scream (He wants to hear her scream. He wants to do harm to her)
    I can't afford to care (He’s jaded now)
    I can't afford to care
    I am suffocating (He feels like he can’t breathe with all this anger he feels towards her, maybe even resentment)

  5. anonymous
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    Nov 17th 2016 !⃝

    This song could be referencing Benjamin's disease which he learned about right before making this album. In fact the cover is a real picture of his brain scan. He has wernick's-korshikov's syndrome or wet brain. Which he got through excessive alcoholism. I think this song is about his self loathing for causing himself so much pain and suffering. Every day for him is filled with excruciating and terrifying symptoms so it makes since that this album is so dark. But He did say in an interview that (besides his wife) his only relief is music and the pain it causes him to play and sing because it helps him fight the fear from his other symptoms so maybe he wrote the song about something else and it just happens to sound like it's about his disease.

  6. anonymous
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    Aug 13th 2016 !⃝

    Two theories--but in reality, it almost doesn't matter which (if either) are correct...

    An epiphany and a goodbye to a drug-addicted partner. He has finally accepted that she is too damaged to save and is unconcerned with his welfare--she will continue her patterns at his expense, and he can no longer tolerate this. The only way to save himself is to let her go, despite how painful that is.

    Could it also be that the song is sung from the point of view of the drug itself? Think about it...a lethal drug that was once attractive and desirable has now "used up" this person and has no emotional attachment to her, announcing that she has so succumbed to its seduction that it views her with disdain and apathy now, and will move on to find a new victim. It has no need for her anymore. The game is over, and the drug won.

  7. anonymous
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    Sep 25th 2013 !⃝

    A Monumental Battle Between A Sadistic And Tactical Person Vs. A Genius The Genius Is Told That The Sadistic Is The Monster Beneath Him And All The Sadistic Wants Is To Hear The Genius Scream In Pain But I Don't Think We'll Ever Know Who Won This Battle

  8. anonymous
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    Sep 18th 2013 !⃝

    this song is about control...
    the weaker tries to leave...
    but the stonger panders to the lies...
    and regains the others submission...
    opposites attract...
    yin and yang...lah dee dah

  9. anonymous
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    Aug 20th 2013 !⃝

    This song is about two friends breaking up in a betrayal act. One of the friends wants revenge on the other for getting too much fame, or something to that matter.

  10. anonymous
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    Aug 20th 2013 !⃝

    This is definetley about revenge. The chorus says it all.

  11. anonymous
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    Jan 4th 2012 !⃝

    Lights Out is, in my opinion, about a bad breakup.
    One person in the breakup develops either a hatred of the other person, or tries to ignore the issue by turning off the lights.

    Or, maybe it's about a suicidal person. I dunno.


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