What does Lithium mean?

Evanescence: Lithium Meaning

Album cover for Lithium album cover

Song Released: 2007


Lithium Lyrics

Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without...
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow.
Oh but god I want to let it go.

Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone.
Couldn't hide the...

  1. anonymous
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    Apr 25th 2012 !⃝

    In the song, Amy Lee narrates that she has been holding sorrow inside her for so long that it has become an integral part of her. Lithium is a metaphor for whatever it is that will take her pain away, and she wants to let it go but she isn't prepared to part with her sorrow.

  2. these_radiant_shadows
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    Apr 5th 2012 !⃝

    Lithium is about wanting to hang on to your negative feelings even though you're miserable because you feel they make you who you are or that they make you feel like you belong ("always find my place among the ashes."), despite feeling horrible all the time. You can’t imagine life without this sadness. You know this isn't normal but you can't stop yourself from needing to feel this way. You know you'll never be free from this unless you can really bring yourself to let go of it and, in the end, you make the decision that you need to move on and let it go.

  3. anonymous
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    Feb 23rd 2012 !⃝

    I think this song is about Amy's relationship with Ben who was bi-polar. I am a bi-polar university student and it can become a constant struggle not only for the sufferer but also those close to them. In my worse of moments I bring down those around me who want to help but cannot, especially my girlfriend and mother, both of whom have gone through spurts of depression dealing with my ups and downs.

    I think this speaks to those (and also Amy's own) in a relationship with a bi-polar person who find it hard to deal with and ultimately themselves become depressed. I think it is about the struggle to retain yourself and accept that for your own sake you must break off the relationship or find some sort of solution and the emotional struggle that comes with feeling that you've caused somebody you care about to feel they are "broken" and will only make those who care about them and they care about sad. Unfortunately not all people are emotionally strong enough to be a partner to someone suffering from bi-polar but there's definitely more than enough to go around for all those suffering with bi-polar. It's just a matter of finding them.


    Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside.
    (speaking to the partner's emotions and the way they make her feel)
    Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without…
    (don't want to lose the partner)
    Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow.
    (love them, but they cause her so much sadness)
    Oh, but God, I want to let it go.
    (inside truly knows its best for her to move on)

    Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone.
    (partner is having a bad day, wants to isolate himself)
    Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show.
    (partner couldn't hide his feelings, now bringing her down)
    Never wanted it to be so cold.
    (never wanted the relationship to be this way)
    Just didn't drink enough to say you love me.
    (bi-polar's often abuse substance to feel better, can be very caring when under influence)

    I can't hold on to me,
    (losing her old self to depression)
    Wonder what's wrong with me.
    (doesn't understand why she is unhappy, when partner needs her to be strong because of his own emotions brought on by bi-polar)

    Don't want to let it lay me down this time.
    (want to be able to be strong for partner's sake)
    Drown my will to fly.
    (partner's moods bring her down)
    Here in the darkness I know myself.
    (even when sad, she is with partner so she feels its the right thing to do, its whats normal to her)
    Can't break free until I let it go.
    (hard to break the habit)
    Let me go.
    (but wants to be free)

    Darling, I forgive you... After all,
    (after breaking off being unable to move on)
    Anything is better than to be alone.
    (crawling back to whats farmilar)
    And in the end I guess I had to fall.
    (letting it "lay her down" again)
    Always find my place among the ashes.
    (bi-polar person will always love her, she feels)

    I can't hold on to me,
    (losing herself to depression brought on by partner's bi polar)
    Wonder what's wrong with me.
    (wishes it wouldn't affect her so much)

  4. anonymous
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    Feb 8th 2012 !⃝

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  5. anonymous
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    Oct 22nd 2011 !⃝

    Lithium comes from the greek word ΛΗΘΗ (lithi) whitch means forgetfullness

  6. anonymous
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    Sep 12th 2011 !⃝

    How many time I do not do what I want to do but do what I dont want to do.

  7. anonymous
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    Sep 7th 2011 !⃝

    there are many ideas a man can think but if he thinks it twice he thought about another idea which makes his idea nonsense...

  8. anonymous
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    Aug 21st 2011 !⃝

    I thought this song is about a drug addict who tried to get over his/her habit

  9. anonymous
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    Jun 14th 2011 !⃝

    I really agree with explanation no. 1. I have been diagnosed with a deep chronic depression, plus dbt (borderline personality disorder). I cannot agree that lithium is for the crazy people; in some cases it works by helping the person just mantain more normal patterns in mood and behavior; However, it does not work for everybody, especially if that person has an inflamatory disease.
    I think the "lithium" is any medication and/or therapy in which there can be any type of recovery and the fear of leaving what you have known all your life: depression and self criticism.
    For me this song is particularly sad, but very descriptive: since the first time I heard it, it reminded of my younger sister. She has distimia plus some anxiety and social disorders; she does not want to try therapy or medication and she continuosly isolates herself. I cry a lot for her, but I can understand that feeling of being afraid. I have learned to cope more or less with my own situation with meds and therapy. It just hurts me that she is the vivid example of this song. I just hope sha can learn with time that a life with "lithium" can be a rewarding one, although not easy. I love her much and I really feel this song describes her completely.

  10. anonymous
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    May 31st 2011 !⃝

    It is about letting go of your emotions. NOT about the drug Lithium!~!!!!!

  11. anonymous
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    May 31st 2011 !⃝

    amy lee's boyfriend was bipolar being bipolar and taking lithum i know the feeling. its easy to be hooked on and the feeling when your on it is werid. she saying she doesnt want him (the boyfriend0 to the she is saying it lke she is the one who is biploar and the boyfriend is her lithum. she doesnt want to be wioth out him

  12. anonymous
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    Jan 11th 2011 !⃝

    Everyone has his own lithium

  13. anonymous
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    Dec 14th 2010 !⃝

    Lithium i think this song is due to her being possessed by a demon , which she calls at night or when ever .just listen to it "dont make me sleep". She is obously calling someone or something. This Woman is calling for a deep meaning. More Than Human physiologic person can help or any anti depressive pill. I think she need Gods HElP ... No One Can Help Her. She is So In this She Cant Get Out.

  14. misscoley711
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    Sep 9th 2010 !⃝

    Personally, i relate to this song. she is so used to feeling depressed and sad, that she is afraid to change it. depression becomes a part of who we are and we feel like without it, we will become a different person, especially with young people. when a person is depressed, they become so in-tune with their emotions and feel so much, when you take something like lithium, it kind of numbs you, and in a sense, changes everything about you. this is why a lot of teens commit suicide while taking anti-depressants; they cant handle the change. she doesn't want to forget how she was without it, because it was who she was.
    she said that here in the darkness, she knows herself, but at the same time she knows she has to let it go. she has to let go of, or "break free" from her depression or whatever emotional disorder it may be (drugs affect them all the same) because its affecting those around her. and the song could be about her husband, just sung by her like she is going through it

  15. anonymous
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    May 12th 2010 !⃝

    Amy Lee said on an interview (the interview comes with the album "the open door" if you buy it on itunes) and she said that the song Lithium, was a metaphor. She said she wrote it about how she literally is "in love with her sorrow" and how she actually likes it, and gets a strange low from it, but that sometimes she just wishes she could be happy.




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