To me this song means that she and this guy were lovers then he left her and never loved her.

This song plays and I cant fight the tears...it makes me think of my grandmother who raised me and without her I would be nothin more than another abortion

This song has to be the most beautiful on the CD. Absolutely pretty. One of my favourites, right after Going Under and Bring Me to Life.

Well, I said bring me to life was my favourite Evanescence song. I've changed my mind again, THIS IS.
Both the original and the piano version are brilliant to listen to. A very sad and depressing song, but one definitely to listen to when you feel hurt.
Like a Romeo and Juliet story, this sounds like a relationship that Amy may have had with someone that ended in tragedy and perhaps was always going to.

This song I think reaches out to anyone who has loved so deeply they just can't get that person out of their system. I relate but at the same time I don't want the guy to leave for good but in the same since I do. And his face does haunt my dreams.

i love this song its so beautiful and sad:) Everyone has a different interpretation of it but it sounds to me like someone falling in love with thier best friend but when they die and she/he never had a chance to tell them how much they loved them. Theyre trying to move on but somehow they cant because the memories of person is consuming them and it pains them the most to relize through all the years that they have been friends the other person never knew how much they really meant to them so they were alone

Tonbo, I'm tempted to think a song like this must have been written intuitively and probably has no 'correct' interpretation.
On the other hand, I think your reading of the song is as close as anyone can get to appreciating it in the way it was intended.
I feel Amy is singing about losing her faith yet knowing it's a part of her past which makes her the person she is today. She has lost her faith in the Church, but however hard she tries she can't let go of Christ - in whom she invested so much. However ridiculous it seems, she cannot shake off the feeling that he still has faith in her.

It's a beautiful song.

Thank you for sharing your story Tonbo. I wish you well.

Nightswimmer and I understand the true deeper source of this most beautiful and haunting song that has become my immortal song. While I can understand how most individuals see it as a song of mourning for someone who has lost someone dear to them, I suppose only those few of us who have endured untold pain and suffering as a child that we realize later in our adult lives will never leave us would be able to capture the haunting reality of this most perfect song. I'm not sure if Amy wrote it or someone else wrote it (though I think Amy wrote it).

As a 30 something year old, I recently experienced post traumatic stress and a near breakdown triggered by the realization of a failed marriage and more importantly the fact that I finally had to let go of my ever-clinging desire to hold onto a love that I thought I had but really didn't. I realized again, I was alone. I've felt utterly abandoned by God, friends (though not all), spiritual brothers and sisters, and family and now the one who I always hoped and believed was my soulmate.

I grew up with little love or freedom in a religious cult and broken home and was raised with loads of psychological abuse. I could never do anything right. I was never praised. I was always told how stupid I was, how I would never amount to anything. I was even told by my mother at age 14 how she wished she'd never had me. I clung to my religious faith and even that wasn't good enough as that is when my mother finally admitted her true feelings for me. I excelled for the most throughout my school life. I loved to draw and write. And wasn't too bad at it. Everyone always commented on how good my sister and I were. Yet, I couldn't be good enough for my own parents to love me unconditionally.

At age 17, I was physically confronted and forced to to leave home late at night after my father discovered I had a different version of the bible than my religion approved of and I had confessed when he asked that I had that very morning went to church with my boyfriend/fiance and his family.

Because of my search for truth which revealed to me that "The Truth" I was raised in was a lie, I was also forced to give up my closest and best childhood and teenage friend. Our last conversation was one of the most bittersweet memories of my life thus far. She took the news with strength and compassion despite the pain we both felt over the premature and forced death of a beautiful friendship. Falling in love with someone outside my childhood religion and being true to myself meant "turning my back on The Truth" and losing just about my whole world I'd known for 17 years.

It was the beginning of my road to self-discovery and truth. And look what it got me. I had to either disassociate myself or face being disfellowshipped by my spiritual congregation of brothers and sisters I grew up with and many whom I was close to. This also included many relatives and a dear deaf grandmother I spent a lot of time with growing up. I was shunned by all of them everywhere I happened to run into one of them. It was years before I spoke to my parents, brother and sister, and many relatives again. Though, my sister and I became close again a few years later, it took many many years and more hurt and pain before my parents accepted me again. We have a superficial relationship now.

In the meantime, I clung to my fiance and his childhood religion. I followed him into the Army only a few short months after that all went down. (I was so devastated when he told me he was going to be leaving me for the Army). I was OK for a while, but I eventually discovered you can't run away from your problems or the pain no matter how much time or miles you put between them and yourself. My fiance broke up with me, I lost my self-esteem again, began to withdraw, and nearly went awol. Thankfully, some of my platoon saw the signs I was leaving and went to authorities who went to my ex-fiance who ended up coming back to me and helping me through the pain again (we were stationed together only a couple of weeks apart with same MOS). And add to that at the same time I was assaulted off-post by another soldier.

Most of my family didn't attend my wedding immediately upon our return from the Army, other than my grandparents from my father's side who weren't in that religion.

My husband started making me feel very bad about myself over the past year, particularly. I was so unhappy. We've tried, but whether he wants to admit it or not, he really never accepted me unconditionally or gave me the love I needed. He triggered a lot of the pain and sorrow from the past recently. We are in the process of ending our marriage.

And that leads me back to the meaning of the song. "My Immortal" as Nightswimmer explains is for those of us who realize as adults how the pain, sorrow, and fears of our childhood will forever follow us. No matter how much we try and want all the pain and the child in us to leave, it won't ever leave us. It is who we are inside. And we have to realize that. In realizing that, we realize that we are left feeling alone as though all we have is ourself. It is a cold and painful fact of reality. However, not all is bad. This also means we must realize our strength in being there for ourselves - "when you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears - when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears - i held your hand through all of these years." Even through all the pain and self-doubt, we have to see that we are something. We are strong and we can make it. Even when we are alone, we can always count on our own strength to get us through the unbearable pain life deals us. It is a haunting realization of the melding of our past and present.

The first time I heard it while I was going through the lowest point in my life last fall, it brought me to tears. It is a comfort to know there are others out there who will always struggle with their childhood. (Now I'm bound by the life you left behind). But, the fact that we got through it ourselves as a child, means we can continue to draw upon that strength even when we just want to rest our souls and fears. This is my song.

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Last note, there are 4 versions of this song:
Ev EP version (piano-vocal version on this site)(different lyrics, different sound)
Origin version (only piano)
Fallen version (same as Origin except w/ violins and cellos too)
Music video & bonus track fallen version (has guitars after "I've been alone all along")
I love all four versions! Especially the crescendo, which makes me cry.

This song isn't about a breakup or a death. It is about the pain of growing up. She is struggling with all of her past fears and pain of chilhood. The hint is in the beginning when she says she is so tired of being supressed by childish fears. She remembers happier times in childhood when she felt she was captivating and filled with light. She doesn't feel the same anymore because of things that have happened in her life. The fighting, screaming and fears were her own. She reveals a child who needed help and support but had no one but herself to rely on. Ultimately she acknowledges she is alone and always has been. She is alone and supressed by her own fears. She feels stuck with this eternal pain and feels it will be with her forever. Thus the title, My immortal.

Clearly this song, like others that Evanescence has done, is about being a vampire. It's the age old quandary about falling in love with a mortal, only to be left alone when they eventually die. :)

Whenever I hear this song and don't have any admirations for anybody, I fall in love with someone and it consumes me. Too bad I get heartbroken by whoever I secretly liked because of this song. I think this was based on a story, right? Anyway, it's talking about someone who has left the physical presence of the person (dead, missing, moved) but still in their heart. I love it. makes me cry.

Amy wrote these lyrics for her younger sister who died very young of a childhood illness. While I can feel her, I am also in pain... of losing someone very special to me. '

well.i guess this song is about death. not only in relationships of lovers.but it's about the death of anyone you love.does anyone know what amy lee's own explanation about this song?

To me this song means that she was in love with someone and was always there for him, but one day they split up, and "you still have all me" means that no matter what i will always be here for you..

Well I think it means about a relationship that ended. See Im in love with this guy who really is not good at opening up. He use to be with a girl who pretended to be in love with him and just broke him when she left. He tried to commit suicide. So when we would listen to this song he would emphasize on the part of the song that says these wounds wont seem to heal, this pain is just to real! To me it means he is still hurting and it feels as if it just happenned,even though it has been years! So even if he loved me back he couldnt risk it again. We use to hang out everyday and he said what if he got with someone else? (we werent boyfriend/girlfriend) So I replied I would be fine, we just wouldnt hang out as much and he then said If he got with someone else my heart wouldnt be able to take it. So like I said before he wasnt good at showing his feelings. So since his ex left him for another guy and moved in with him, I feel if I were to do the same his heart wouldnt be ble to take it. A very beautiful yet sad song.

i really don't like evanescence so much, but this song is really gorgeous

it's about the life long pain of being abused by a loved one,who has since died. (borderline personality disorder}

each and everytime I hear this song it breaks my heart. and I believe it could be relevant to a death or a breakup.

When you end a relationship with someone after many years it can feel like a death because you are losing someone you love. The memories and the presence of that person linger on with you. The whole "but if you have to leave, i wish that you'd just leave." makes complete sense. and "There's just too much that time cannot erase" hurts like hell and is so very true.

and I know what being with someone yet the whole time actually being "alone all along" means. This is a very real and haunting song.

god this song kicks so much ass. its a wonderful song to sing

maybe the never touching the floor thing is to do with her spirit,her soul...shes alone and apart from everything..drifting through life..

The band version of this song is simply perfect, the second to last verse, where she says "i've been alone all along" and on the last syllabal of "All", the Drums and Guitars kick up a mighty sound, its amaizing. The middle of the night, windows open, fezzing cold, as loud as you can get it, perfect. See me through many dark days.

Has anyone noticed that in the video, Amy Lee has bandages on her wrists, and never touches the floor?
Whilst the bandages seem to be a referance to self harm, i dont understand the never touching the floor. Any thaughts?

Beautiful.

I love this song, I get choked up when I hear it 'cuz it make me think about loosing a child

She feels lost and alone after so many years with the one she loved, adored and cherished. Everything in her life encompassed complete devotion to him. Her very existence was defined by him. Ultimately he became affectionately detached. In the end he was physically there, but emotionally departed. Without an identity of her own, she was truly alone.

the song is very powerful,particularly as amy lee sings quite hauntingly "you still have all of me".this song can have sooooo many meanings-the loss or death of a lover,close friend,relative or a child.however,due to my own past experiences,i interpret it as a love song,about a lover who has betrayed or left the other.
--------
""i'm so tired of being here
suppressed by all my childish fears
but if you have to leave
i wish that you would just leave
'cause your prescence still lingers here
and it won't leave me alone""
------her lover means everything to her,shes in her own state where shes "supressed by childish fears" and the lover is all she has.However, if her lover is just there,like a ghost or shadow-there physically,but not there emotionally,not in love with her anymore-she'd prefer he would just give up and leave.It hurts her more to see him,knowing she doesnt really have all of him.--------

""these wounds won't seem to heal
this pain is just too real
there's just too much that time cannot erase""
--------all of the pains of their relationship still haunt her,and while shes still hurting like this and loving him,she cant move on-"theres just too much that time cannot erase"-------

""when you cried i'd wipe away all of your tears
when you'd scream i'd fight away all of your fears
i held your hand through all of these years
but you still have...all of me""
------this in a way contradicts the prior meaning,that she relies on him-this is all the more significant.both lovers leaned heavily on each other,but soon she fell too hard,and she needed him more than he needed her.shes not able to be as helpful to him as he has to her,but she still loves him,still wants to give him everything-he doesnt need her,but she, still in love with him,seems to live for him and to be there for him--"you still have all of me"

""you used to captivate me
by your resonating light
now i'm bound by the life you left behind
your face, it haunts
my once pleasant dreams
your voice, it's chased away
all the sanity in me""
--------He seemed to give her everything,seemed to be in love with her,to be so bright and alive with her-but has lost that.he has left their relationship behind,
yet she is stuck there,dreaming of the now dead relationship,haunted by his absence.Him-his face,his voice,is all she thinks and dreams of,and it tears her apart---------

""i've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
but though you're still with me
i've been alone all along""
--------shes trying to get over their relationship,put it behind her-hes there,but not really there,his heart may be with another,or perhaps his mind is simply not there-its like hes sleep walking,blindly walking through life-he doesnt particularly care about her-she has realised-"but though youre still with me,ive been alone all along"-she has clung to the relationship for so long,wanting him to stay,yet shes hanging onto a shell-she has been alone all along,since he hasnt shared and loved and cared like she has done.

Just my take,Then again,im just a girl,just a stupid girl who loves a bit of romance,still bound by love:)