3 Doors Down – When I'm Gone

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  My Interpretation:This is my first ever comment to this website, so hang on to your hats.
  It surprises me that in my limited scrolling down I haven't seen this song interpreted from the standpoint of mental illness. Of course, we all see & hear what fits best into our own lives. Sometimes a song fits our life so well that it leads us to say things like, "it obviously means..." whatever, fill in the blank. Me? I'm a crazy person, so there you go. And here I go:
  Somewhere in this darkness
  There's a light that I can't find
  In the very first line of the song, the singer brings up his subject: "another world," which he characterizes as, "this darkness." It's the word darkness that caught my ear & then my eye. Years ago, I experienced the worst case of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) I can imagine. It was truly a living Hell on earth & I was lost in it. For a long time. Life becomes a nightmare & you can't remember the way out or see a way out, the "light that I can't find."
  Everything I am
  And everything in me
  Wants to be the one
  You wanted me to be
  Funny thing about mental illness, most people believe that if it's mental, it ain't a real illness. I can see that our society is making progress in defeating racial prejudice, prejudice based on sexual orientation, biases against religions & cultures. It would appear that the huge stigma against mental illness will be the last taboo standing. So you gotta hide it. In addition to the sickness you're trying to deal with, you gotta hide it AND you end up feeling guilty about having it at all. Just ask the awesome folks who have commented before me and have PTSD. If you come down with cancer or diabetes, the average Joe readily accepts that. But what about illnesses that attack your BEHAVIOR? Isn't that what they call it now?, "Behavioral Health"? Talk about a relationship wrecker. The singer & I wanted to be the perfect partner, friend, mate, &/or hubby. But the odds are stacked against us.
  You say, What about these words:
  I'll never let you down
  Even if I could
  I'd give up everything
  If only for your good
  As hard as you try, it turns out to be an empty promise. Like the promise in "The Reason" by Hoobastank, I really believed it when I spoke it, but the illness beat me down. When you're fighting for your own survival, how can you be a husband & Dad?
  Roaming through this darkness
  I'm alive but I'm alone
  Part of me is fighting this
  But part of me is gone
  Love me when I'm gone
  The sense of aloneness in a deep depression is so intense, it defies description. The closest I ever came was to say it was like having barnacles growing on your soul until they completely cover it & no light can get in & no part of you can get out, so to the outside would, you seem numb. You are gone. You would like to think that your significant other can love you when you're gone but for how long? Mine became gone, too, & she never made it back.
  
  I gotta admit, the military angle in a lot of the comments is very impressive & probably fits the song better than my idea. But that's okay, this isn't a competition, is it?

  Flag icthusion February 16, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:To me this is a song about a person about to go to jail/prison for a long time and they just want their family, friends and especially their significant other to know all these things about having secrets they cant hide, darkness and cant find the light, but most importantly they want them to love them while they are gone.
  
  Please dont disrespect my opinion, this is my opinion and everyone has their own, I would like to know what you guys think about this opinion though. Thanks for your time in reading this.

  Flag JdUBzon October 10, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I think it most definately has to do with the soldiers and maybe even PTSD. For example, the first verse:
  
  "There's another world inside of me that you may never see"
  * I'm in the Army. There are just some things about my military career that I probably won't want to
  talk about, such as a bad deployment where a lot of good men were lost. There's just no way to express
  the feelings and emotions of a deployment with anyone who hasn't done it themself.
  
  "There's secrets in this life that I can't hide"
  * There are some things, like a injury or depression, that come from a deployment that aren't able to be
  concealed.
  
  "Somewhere in this this darkness there's a light that I can't find"
  "Maybe it's too far away or maybe I'm just blind"
  * The light maybe the way to overcome the PTSD. For some, it's easier to overcome PTSD. Others may have
  it for the rest of their life. It's either too far away, like there's a lot that needs to be done to
  help the soldier, or he/she is just blind, like i's right there, but they just can't overcome it.
  
  "When your education x-ray can not see under my skin
  I won't tell you a damn thing that I could not tell my fans"
  * This may be about the soldier going to a therapist for the PTSD ad h/se not telling them everything.
  
  "The roaming through this darkness, I'm alive but I'm alone
  Part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone"
  * Soldier feels like they are alone in the fight against PTSD. Part of him wants to fight an overcome
  it, but part of him is just too tired to try.
  
  Chous can be about his/her spouse, friend, family just lovin him nd helping them through te PTSD. They want to be eveythng that their loved ones want and need, even deploying and risking ""givinging up everything, if only for your good". The "I won't always be there, so love me when I'm gone" may refer to him not being himself because of PTSD. It's like he sldier saying love me at all times, whether I'm myself, scared, or whatever. It's just a thought. The text box is messing up and its late, or I'd elaborate more on mythoughts.
  
  

  Flag dundaneon May 06, 2010   Link

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    You actually explained the war theme theory to the song quite well, and have changed my original perception on the song. I wouldn't rule PTSD out of the equation of the "real" meaning to this song.

    Flag AbsentMindedon June 11, 2010  

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    Spot on. Couldn't have said it better myself.

    Flag Cionaodh57on October 09, 2010  
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  General Comment:The meaning is really clear. I think it's about someone who leaves their lover for cowardly reasons ( probably because of peer preasure) and that person is telling his/her lover to hold on and try to forgive him for being such selfish.

  Flag LuckyStar123on April 23, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:The lyrics are wrong. I have SingStar for my PS2, and know the lyrics off by heart. These aren't the lyrics that it's so sadly obvious I want to scream.
  
  THis song is awesome, though. I love it, because of the strength and meaning behind the words. Awesome.

  Flag cashewloveron June 29, 2009   Link

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  Song Meaning:There's another world inside of me that you may never see
  There's secrets in this life that I can't hide
  
  I think this is about a part of your life you are not able to share with the other person, but you want to share... the secrets are hidden, but they are in plain sight... either by choice or by subconscious actions of the person who has the secret. He/she wants to share it, but it may be too painful to share, or for someone to hear it, let along understand it, or accept it. It is just a matter of actually seeing them, whether you want to understand that secret is up to you. It goes on to talk about a loneliness inside this person, or a darkness... whatever it is, he/she is wanting to bring it out, to talk it out, to share it with the other person.
  
  Somewhere in this this darkness there's a light that I can't find
  Maybe it's too far away or maybe I'm just blind
  Or maybe I'm just blind
  
  I believe this is a secret, that you are not able to share, that it is so dark... the light is courage... blind is fear...
  
  

  Flag Batman67on June 06, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:This is great. My boyfriend is in the Navy and the video they have for this song has Navy relation in it. I sent it in an e-mail to him right before he left. Everytime I hear this song, I think of his words: LOVE ME WHEN I'M GONE.

  Flag AngieBearon May 26, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:i luv this song it has so much meaning i think it means that just cuz im not here that you should leave me

  Flag greendayboy1on February 27, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:This song is dedicated to all the men and women serving in the U.S Military. This song has a deep and personal meaning for me. My father has spent the last 20 years of his life in the Air Force. Every thing he describes in the song is true. I think the meaning of the song, is to take me for what I am, (I being the military person) for what I am to love me no matter what and it's also a promiss from the military person that they will never let there familys down no matter what, they would give there lives to make theres better. It's also about the hidden and to many time the painfull life that they have to lead when away from home to complete there missions.

  Flag AirforceBraton May 26, 2008   Link

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    I agree 100%!!!! The first line tells of the pain they experience when out on their missions. Its a tough life!

    Flag AngieBearon May 26, 2009  
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  General Comment:Well judging from the video this song is about the military which would also explain the "another world inside of me" part, solders have been trained to kill, and after they are deployed and may actually have to kill another human, they don't want too have to bring those feelings back to their family, and especially not the girl (or guy) they left behind, they want their significant other too love them completely, and may fear what could happen if they knew the soldier was a killer :D my thoughts on the song

  Flag a-scawy-ghoston July 20, 2007   Link

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