Imagine Dragons: I Bet My Life Meaning

Song Released: 2014

I Bet My Life Lyrics

[Verse:]
I knew I took the path
That you would never want for me
I know I let you down, didn't I?
So many sleepless nights
Where you were waiting up on me
Well I'm just a slave unto the night

[Pre-Chorus:]
Now remember when I told...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jan 4th 2015 !⃝

   I think he wrote this song to his mother.
   
   "I know I took the path that you would never want for me I know I let you down, didn't I? So many sleepless nights where you were waiting up on me Well I'm just a slave unto the night
   
   Now remember when I told you that's the last you'll see of me Remember when I broke you down to tears I know I took the path that you would never want for me
   I gave you hell through all the years"
   
   Her love bought him home.
   
   "I've been around the world and never in my wildest dreams
   Would I come running home to you"
   
   He bet his life on her. On her love that never gave up on him.
   
   "I've told a million lies but now I tell a single truth
   There's you in everything I do"
   
   IMHO

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Feb 26th 2015 !⃝

   At first, I thought the song was written about his mother.
   
   But, like Hozier's use of the pronoun "she" in "Take Me To Church", he could be talking about god. He could have taken a path in life that (in his mind) god wouldn't want for him.
   
   He could have easily said to God, "that's the last you'll see of me", referring to the church's disapproval of his sexuality - so he walked away.
   
   What if "home" was his faith. As a gay man growing up in the church was difficult. So it would be surprising to himself that he had a longing to be back home - a place where he could be himself and practice his faith.
   
   I don't believe that any one particular interpretation is more correct than another. This is just another way to look at it. Songwriters often paint themselves into a corner with pronouns. If we as the listener stop being so literal, we may get more out of lyrics than we expect. We tend to want everything spelled out for us. "What does this song mean?" as if the songwriters meaning when he wrote it must be literal and specific. Art doesn't work that way.
3. anonymous

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   Dec 9th 2018 !⃝

   He feels like he has let whoever down and he's really sorry and he promises to be better.
4. anonymous

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   Nov 13th 2017 !⃝

   i think it is about a two brothers who become presadint of america and france and they go to war soon to be called the civil war and and america declared it's independance and france gets sad because this happens.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   May 12th 2017 !⃝

   its his faith in God. The path was away from God and God cried. He eventually saw the world and came back realizing he needed to put his faith back in God.
6. anonymous

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   Apr 12th 2017 !⃝

   I thought it was about two brothers and one of the brothers had done bad things in the past but is trying to apologize for his mistakes to his other brother. They had their ups and downs but now they should stick together,
7. anonymous

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   Jan 17th 2017 !⃝

   Me personally, I've been to hell and back from two terrible RTCs to a beautiful place that I don't even call an RTC because it changed me for the better, and that place was in rural redneck Virginia, only about 3 hours from my beautiful home in rural redneck Pennsylvania(redneck is a compliment) I think this song, based on my entire own experience I just explained, is about changing yourself for the better because to change the world you must change yourself first
8. anonymous

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   Jan 7th 2017 !⃝

   I always thought it was to an older brother who had been supportive, but it's a really brotherly thing to act like they hate each other and yet still be super close when they are older.
9. NightLore

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   Apr 13th 2016 !⃝

   As far as I understand, this song is referring to the Christian story of the prodigal son.
   
   The prodigal son was the son of a man who was very troublesome. He asked for his inheritance early and eventually ended up spending all of his money on worldly desires such as food, wine, etc. (Hence the lyrics about 'taking the path that you would never want for me.') However, at the end of the story, he returns to his father as a poor man and asks for forgiveness. (Hence the chorus.) The father gladly takes his son in again and, well, happily ever after.
   
   I'm pretty sure the references are clear from here on out, so I won't type anymore.
10. anonymous

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    Jan 22nd 2016 !⃝

    I think it is about his loved one and he did so many things that are wrong and the loved worried about him and he been treating her so wrong then he realized he was wrong the whole time.
11. anonymous

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    Dec 20th 2014 !⃝

    They have been through so much together and now he is sure that they can trust each other, so he gives her his life. Not necessarily engagement, but their relationship is closer anyway.

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