What does Send the Pain Below mean?

Chevelle: Send the Pain Below Meaning

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Album cover for Send the Pain Below album cover

Song Released: 2003


Send the Pain Below Lyrics

I liked having hurt,
So send the pain below where I need it,
You used to beg me to take care of things,
And smile at the thought of me failing.

But long before, having hurt,
I'd send the pain below,
I'd send the pain below.

Much like...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 26th 2013 !⃝

    Think of this: How do you become a pushover to people who push you around?

    This is the mind of a pushover. They bury the emotions and are afraid to speak out even though people treat them so bitterly.

    This can apply to anyone versus society. If you are left out by everyone but never say anything about it, you are burying the truth in the hope of living a better life.

    However, it never goes nicely. This song is merely an expression of how a pushover really feels or at least what a pushover does.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    Adytum
    click a star to vote
    Oct 30th 2008 !⃝

    I always thought it was about liking the pain of life. Whatever happened in life, the pain was a teacher.

    About growing up, dealing with family and friends. The loss of both. Staying strong and sending it deep inside yourself. Sending it below. Like when you're about to cry, choking up the body seems to seize up but you push it down and let out the air from your lungs. You suffocate till the feeling is gone.

    About being ridiculed, asked to do something but no because they believed in you. Because they wanted you to fail. That sinking feeling when you realize the trust was missplaced on someone you cared for. They realize it and cry about that fact, till you return. Because people don't ever really change.

    "I can't feel my chest, drop down. Need More. Closing In"

    I always thought this line was about almost breaking down, losing it infront of everyone and falling to the floor. Needing more but the feeling keeps closing in.

    That's what I thought anyway.
    Could be about sex.
    Idk. >_>

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 26th 2020 !⃝

    I think it’s pretty clearly about a terrible relationship dynamic. “You used to beg me to take care of things and smile at the thought of me failing” as in your significant setting you up to fail because they liked to be in control. And “you used to send me away all while laughing and then cry about that fact till my return” could be someone telling you to leave and get out but then crying foul and acting like you’re neglecting them. Maybe it’s just because that’s where my life is at but this song speaks to me on that kind of dysfunctional relationship level. Best part is that it’s all in the past tense, meaning he eventually got past it.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 12th 2019 !⃝

    Heroin..
    Instead of dealing with past trauma, failures..

    But after awhile, using dope feels like suffocating the brain. Little mental stimulation.
    Claustrophobic like.
    Especially a creative brain.

  5. anonymous
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    Aug 10th 2019 !⃝

    Saw them in concert and they said it was about cutting /self harm.

  6. anonymous
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    May 28th 2018 !⃝

    Friends yoU Cant Trust. Socio political users and abusers of mankind. Until you are fully aware of their wretched hustle you are always blindsided. When you are aware you can at least brace yourself for the impact.

  7. gogast55
    click a star to vote
    Mar 29th 2012 !⃝

    I think this song is more about boundries physical and mental. Finding them pushing them to get a desired effect. It's basically about not giving up no matter how much it hurts or what people say using the fear and negativity to motivate yourself. Atleast to me.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 29th 2011 !⃝

    im pretty sure i saw something on tv once that said this song is about taking pain and turning it into something positive. in the video the guy has all the pain of sucking at snowboarding until he decides to do something positive with that negative energy and becomes a badass snowboarder

  9. clockwork_gold
    click a star to vote
    Sep 8th 2007 !⃝

    This song is sadder than most, it's about the death of a relationship.

    'Send the pain below' basically means the pain of horniness, to be frank. He liked having 'hurt' because it made him feel good about his loved one. The 'pain below' refers to a sexual urge. He liked it, doesn't have it anymore, but he does have the pain of losing that urge and falling out of love.

    The verses ("you used to beg me... until I returned") is pretty much describing the bullshit he puts up with in the relationship.

    The only thing that puzzles me is the 'much like suffocating' line that appears in the song. The emotional pain of falling out of love is probably so strong that it's 'suffocating' him. "I can't feel my chest" probably means he lost his sense of love. I'm not too sure on that one. The heart is in the chest. It makes sense.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 8th 2007 !⃝

    These lyrics seem to describe someone taking care of an older, or possibly dying relative, most likely enduring a long illness. Pain is an essential part of chronic death, and maybe the actual feeling of pain can be the only thing keeping you feeling alive before it's all over.

  11. OldNo7
    click a star to vote
    Apr 23rd 2007 !⃝

    Good interpretation. Unlike most Chevelle songs, this one is not very heavy on metaphors and seems close to literal. Just to add on to what the above poster said, the song also makes a strong point about turning that pain and anger into something positive.

  12. cjk
    click a star to vote
    Apr 20th 2007 !⃝

    I think it's about trying to ignore someone who makes you miserable. Instead of dealing with them and putting yourself through all the grief of having to solve your problems with them, you just shut it off and "send the pain below," i.e. put it out of your mind. Based on the verses, it looks like the other person places unreasonable, contradictory pressures on the singer, just for the sake of ruining his self-esteem, because he know he won't live up to their expectations.


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