What does Bleed (I Must Be Dreaming) mean?

Evanescence: Bleed (I Must Be Dreaming) Meaning

Bleed (I Must Be Dreaming) Lyrics

how can I pretend that I don't see
what you hide so carelessly
I saw her bleed
you heard me breathe
and I froze inside my self and turned away
I must be dreaming

we all live (and)
we all die (but)
that does not begin to justify...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 24th 2011 !⃝

    Before I start, I apologise if this interpretation either offends someone or dredges up bad memories. It does involve self-harm, just to warn you, so if that would offend/bring back bad memories/something else, please either move on or read at your own will.

    My interpretation for this song is, and this is kind of influenced from some moments from my life, that I see this as the story of someone who knows about their friend(s) cutting themselves. As I said, this is due to things that happened in my life so I won't argue or hold any dislike for anyone who disagrees.

    "How can I pretend that I don't see
    what you hide so carelessly" The only people I've ever met that cut themselves never really hid it well, and even if they did try to it was obvious when they'd done it(Apologies if this isn't true for all that do this). At the same time, if the person whose point of view the song is from has known their friend for a long portion of their life, a sudden change that pushes said friend to self-harm would be rather obvious.

    "I saw her bleed
    you heard me breathe" Could be demonstrating the girl's/boy's/person's initial shock of either first discovering their friend harming themselves in such a way or of seeing them do it infront of them, prehaps because they didn't think the girl/boy/person would have noticied(I know that sounds dumb, but one of those I know that self-harmed did it many times in front of me)
    "And I froze inside my self and turned away" On one hand the person wants to help yet on the other may not know how, so they simply turn away, frozen by their own self conflict.
    "I must be dreaming" Something they would tell themselves, especially if the friend that was self-harming had always been a happy person in the past.

    "We all live
    We all die
    That does not begin to justify you" This line could be the kind of anger the person might of felt at their friend for thinking their life had reached the point where it was unbearable, yet they never spoke about it. On the other hand, it could be sympathy for them, for the same reasons.

    The chorus in my eyes, generally seems to be denial of the friend doing this. Wanting to believe that when they woke up the next morning and saw that friend again, everything would return to as it had been before, no self-harming and general happiness.

    "Help you know I've got to tell someone
    Tell them what I know you've done" An obvious reaction for someone who's in the person's situation.(Again, apologies if this isn't true for everyone)
    "I fear you but spoken fears can come true" This could either be the fear that the friend would essentially hate the person for telling someone what was going on or, at the same time, it could be the fear that one day they would wake up and find their friend to be dead.

    In the final portions of the song, the repatition of the chorus could be the continual hope that it is just all in their mind. That their friend wasn't doing this or that things will look up. Finally, while this is more of an interpretation on the music, the way it fades out could be representative of the way either hope for their friends recovery from whatever it is pushing them to self-harm is diminishing or the way the person themselves is falling into this state of sadness for their friend.

    In conclusion, while I do believe the song is about self-harming, I also believe that there are many other interpretations for any song, and this one is no exception. Therefore, while I can see where my interpretation comes from, I also see where other people's interpretations come from too and I am not saying my interpretation is any more right than any one else's. Feel free to agree or disagree with me as you will, I will respect you for your opinions. Finally, to repeat, I do not wish to imply that this is, in any way, shape or form, the single right interpretation. Thank you for reading and I hope you can see where my idea came from.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 15th 2020 !⃝

    Honestly my interpretation is different from those I read.

    My interpretation is more on the imaginative side. In which the one committing the act of terror in the song is a vampire.

    Him/her saying "How can i pretend that i don't see
    What you hide so carelessly", tells that now they know what that person is, how haven't they'd realized how carelessly they act about it. It truly sticks out to them now.

    " I saw her bleed", meaning he\she caught *that person/ the vampire* in their foolish act of feeding and killing a poor innocent being.

    "You heard me breathe ", the fact that *the vampire*, They can hear things from great distances. So when he/she got horrified from the scene before their eyes they might've gasped slightly and *the vampire* herd them.

    "And i froze inside myself and turned away
    I must be dreaming", this is the moment when he/she doesn't want to admit to themselves that what they'd witnessed was true, because it terrifies them to think such a thing is possible and real.

    "We all live.
    We all die.
    That does not begin to justify you", he/she is saying here that living and dying as normal, doesn't apply to the vampire.

    "It's only in my mind
    ,Not real life" He/she is trying to convince themselves here that they'd most likely imagined it all or dreamt of it because it's not what happens in real life.

    "Help and though i've got to tell someone
    Tell them what i know you've done " He\she wants to tell someone/anyone what she knows *the vampire* did.

    "I fear you
    But spoken fears can come true", he\she obviously fears him\her at this point *the vampire* but if he\she said it aloud they fear it might come true due to *the vampire* over hearing things say so.

    That is my interpretation and I hope I explained it well.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 13th 2019 !⃝

    sound like she withness a self harm/sucide or a rape i like this song but reminds of a ex and all painfull mermories of his brutal rapes and attempt rapes and all pain though as got away with rapes and keep to myself and betrayal of authony belieing him not me and im still suffering coz of him so this song remind of him

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 18th 2018 !⃝

    Maybe she walked into her friend self harming/ being raped " I saw her bleed you heard me breathe" and scared if say something shelose a friend or make thing worse so she walks away even though she want to help she scared to do so - I been there this song reminds of my ex brutally raping me and keep try to rape I was fear saying something but I only way to finally get justice and move on my advice is if your friend self harming/being raped/in a abustive relationships get help she may be angry at first but may thank later believe me no want see a friend suffering get help for her before too late it may save his/her life I did and I will help.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 22nd 2016 !⃝

    It's about Tim McVeigh.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 15th 2015 !⃝

    I think the song is about her seeing someone self-harm themselves, in the beginning lyrics, she saids "How can I pretend that I don't see, what you hide so carelessly." She either thought she was dreaming or someone had her promised to never tell anyone

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 23rd 2013 !⃝

    So I think this song is either about walking in on a murder/rape/violent crime or seeing a friend be abused. Amy gets scared and tries to convince herself it was a dream. Then I think the person who did it tries to justify their actions - "It's not what it seems / not what you think" - and she either sarcastically responds "No, I must be dreaming" or really is convinced that it's a dream.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 16th 2012 !⃝

    Honestly, from what I have heard from this song, Amy has witnessed someone murder a woman/girl and the murderer is someone she just can't believe is able to commit such a crime. She's hoping it's just a dream and none of it really happened.

    I saw her bleed
    You heard me breathe
    And I froze inside myself and turned away
    I must be dreaming

    From this part, I can tell that Amy witness the murder, and was caught. Now the murderer knows she is a witness, and she's scared she'll be next. She's praying it's just a horrible nightmare.

    we all live (and)
    we all die (but)
    that does not begin to justify you.

    From what I get from these lines, part of her knows that it's not a dream, and that the person had no right to kill. She doubts that person will ever be able to justify what they did.

    It's not what it seems
    Not what you think

    This is from the murderer's point. They're trying to convince Amy they didn't kill the victim, or that it didn't happen the way Amy thinks it happens.

    It's only in my mind
    Not the real life

    This is back to Amy's point. She's claiming that she just imagined it, and that it didn't really happen. I think this is her way of trying to get the murderer off of her case.

    Help! You know I've got to tell someone
    Tell them what I know you've done.

    This is from the part of her that knows this sin't a dream. She's telling the murderer off and saying that the person can't tell her not to tell anyone, since she has no choice.

    I fear you
    And spoken fears can come true

    She's scared of the murderer, but refuses to say so, since if the murderer knows she's scared of him/her, they can use that fear against her, and make her not say anything.

    That's what I'm getting from the song, anyway.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 20th 2012 !⃝

    I believe this song is about CHEATING. Like When you have caught you boyfriend/husband or whatever cheating on you.
    But she's making a metaphor to death or murder.

    "It's not what it seems, not what you think, no I'm must be dreaming." As usually say when you catch them cheating, "It's not what you think!"

  10. cb
    click a star to vote
    Dec 22nd 2011 !⃝

    I believe this song is talking about a child who sees their father abusing their mother.

    "I saw her bleed, You heard me breathe"

    refers to the sharp intake of breath the child made at the shock of witnessing their father abusing their mother. The reference to bleeding refers to bruising or abrasions caused by the abuse.


    "And I froze inside my self And turned away"

    refers to the shock and disbelief of witnessing the abuse, and the subsequent turning away in an attempt to block out the horrors of witnessing the abuse.

    "I must be dreaming"

    refers to the psychological effect known as Dissociation, where one feels as if they were in a dream.


    "I've got to tell someone, Tell them what I know you've done."

    refers to the child longing to tell someone about the abuse, and about what kind of person their father really is.

    "I fear you, but spoken fears can come true."

    but the child is too afraid to tell. Too afraid of their father's anger, and that telling anyone would make the man even more angry.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 23rd 2011 !⃝

    I believe this is a child point of view about seeing their mother abused by their father.

    How can I pretend that I don't see
    what you hide so carelessly?
    I saw her bleed you heard me breath
    and I froze inside myself and turned away
    I must be dreaming

    (They see the scars and bruises on their mother and once even saw their father hit their mother and almost got caught because they gasped. They couldn't believe it was true.)

    Help! You know I've got to tell someone
    tell them what I know you've done
    I fear you, but spoken fears can come true

    (The child wants to tell someone what they saw happen but they're too afraid of their father to do anything.)

    it's not what it seem
    not what you think
    no I must be dreaming
    it's only in my mind
    not real life
    no I must be dreaming

    (The child is trying to convince theirself that what they saw wasn't real and they were just imagining it.)

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 29th 2011 !⃝

    I think this song is about how she sees someone being hurt/ murdered and she is afraid to speak up about it. Or, just a dangerous secret she is afraid to tell.

    How can I pretend that I don't see what you hide so carelessly?

    this line from the song, also the first line, means that she knows the secret that the person doesn't hide well and she's dying to tell someone about the danger that someone is in, but she can't.

    we all live (and)
    we all die (but)
    that does not begin to justify you.

    this line means that yes, dying is a normal factor of life, but you should not kill someone and act like its okay, because its a serious crime that you should be imprisoned for.

    it's not what it seems
    (not what it seems)
    not what you think
    (not what you think)
    no I must be dreaming
    (I must be dreaming)
    it's only in my mind
    (just in my mind)
    not real life
    (not real life)
    no I must be dreaming
    (I must be dreaming)

    this is the chorus, and it think the chorus is saying that she can't believe what she just saw happen so she's not going to tell anyone, even though deep down inside she knows she should.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 1st 2011 !⃝

    I belive this is about amy seeing someone murdering somebody else and shes scared that that person is comeing after her and all she wants it to be is just a dream.


More Evanescence songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]




Just Posted

Steve's Going to London anonymous
Yes I'm A Mess anonymous
Droppin' Plates anonymous
Rat anonymous
Cry for the Moon anonymous
And the Snakes Start to Sing anonymous
Gingerbread Man anonymous
Not Like the Movies anonymous
This Masquerade anonymous
Birthday Suit anonymous
Dollhouse anonymous
Death anonymous
Copy Cat anonymous
I Hate Jimmy Page anonymous
I Hate Jimmy Page anonymous

(We won't give out your email)