Tag: Inner Conflict

Linkin Park is one of the most loved music bands in the world. I will take this opportunity to highlight the importance of one of their songs called ‘Battle Symphony”. This is the song that deserves a personal and global attention. I will dive directly into the song:

I got a long way to go
And a long memory
I've been searching for an answer
Always just out of reach
Blood on the floor
Sirens repeat
I've been searching for the courage
To face my enemies
When they turn down the lights
I hear my battle symphony
All the world in front of me
If my armor breaks
I'll fuse it back together
Battle symphony
Please just don't give up on me
And my eyes are wide awake
For my battle symphony 

They say that I don't belong
Say that I should retreat
That I'm marching to the rhythm
Of a lonesome defeat
But the sound of your voice
Puts the pain in reverse
No surrender, no illusions
And for better or worse 

If I fall, get knocked down
Pick myself up off the ground
If I fall, get knocked down
Pick myself up off the ground

Songwriters: Bradford Philip Delson / Chester Bennington / David Farrell / Jonathan Ian Green / Joseph Hahn / Mike Shinoda / Robert G. Bourdon 
Battle Symphony lyrics Copyrights to Universal Music Publishing Group  

Here, our songwriter (writer hereon) is accepting the truth that whatever quest he has embarked upon, it is all about journey not the destination. ‘A long way to go’ signifies that our writer has accepted that the journey from here on will be full of challenges and hardships. He has his memory as a companion with him. ‘Long memory’ is called to highlight the experience, learnings he has gathered in this long journey. These experiences/ learnings have actually made him to accept the beauty of journey, process irrespective of the destination.

The ‘answer always JUST out of reach’ shows that the writer is closer to his moment of perfection, moment of achievement to finally satisfy him but that perfection always remains unachievable. ‘Blood on the floor’ and ‘repeating sirens’ show the severity of hardships, the severity of challenges, the extents of conflicts our writer is going through. The bloodshed mentioned here shows how the conflicts- inner or outer they may be, are going to turn out. Sirens are meant as a warning sign that are showing that this is a ‘NO GO’ zone, that our writer is attempting a thing that is not meant to be in his favor but still he has accepted to be in it.

‘Search for courage to face my enemies’- is such a powerful statement. It shows how our writer even at his worst is ready to deal with the situation. He is not demanding for this situation to end on its own, rather he wants the courage to face the situation by himself. The search for courage shows that he is really scared of the situation but he is not going to turn around now. He is beyond that ‘point of no return’. The enemies that our writer is mentioning here are the demons that he has created for himself, his inner conflicts. The quest for perfection explained already in the lines before and the inner demons mentioned here show that there is a huge difference between the worlds our writer had imagined and the reality he is going through. This drastic difference between reality and imagination has created those demons for our writer. These demons of conflicts are what blanking his senses, are making him indecisive/helpless, are making him to lose his potential, to under-perform. That is why he is saying that his enemies have turned down the lights, turning down the light shows that our writer has become directionless, he is unaware of his surroundings hence unable to decide what to do next, how to defend himself.

The battle symphony is the only thing which is like that ‘sixth sense’ for our writer to sustain through this long way. The literal meaning of symphony is the ‘a usually long musical composition for a full orchestra’. How could a battle have symphony? We have already heard about ‘battle cry’, ‘battle call’ or ‘war call’. Then why is our writer is calling it a battle symphony?  The use of symphony is very important for this song, the purpose of calling it a symphony and not a war call or battle cry is revealed in the next line as ‘all the world in front of me’. The writer calls all the world as his enemy because it is not matching the standards he has set in his mind. It is only the harmony- as in ‘symphony’ of his relationship with that one special person closer to him which is keeping him alive through this battle. That special person is the only thing that is empowering him to fight against the whole world.

Here, there can be different interpretations:

One can be that our writer is fighting his inner demons, his own mental condition- illness. The support of his loved ones is the only thing which is responsible for his survival in this battle with his inner conflicts.

Another interpretation can be that our writer has taken a decision against the regular customs of the world which made the whole world his enemy. It is only the support from his loved ones which is empowering him to endure through the hardships.

Even on multiple failures our writer is ready to accept the outcome, learn from them and get ready for next fight, hence fusing the armor comes next. He is just expecting for his loved ones to count on him, to believe in him to endure this fight. This fight is not just about winning and losing, it is about survival hence it has already been considered as a journey and not a destination. He is ensuring his loved ones, his support system that even if he may seem defeated but his eyes are wide awake. Here, eyes closed indicate death, acceptance of defeat in the battle. Our writer keeping his eyes wide awake shows that whatever will the outcome he will stand strong and keep on fighting through the battle.

The advice of people to retreat, that opinion of not belonging to the place are the metaphors of self-doubt, fear our writer is experiencing. This too has two interpretations- it may be the inner doubts or the real people mocking on his face. But, the march to the rhythm of lonesome defeat really shows the spirit and confidence with which our writer has accepted the outcomes of this battle. ‘Win or lose’- whatever the outcome will be, the decision to fight through it will remain the same.

The writer considers ‘the sound of voice’ of his loved ones which may be a person or people who truly believe in him as cure for his pain. The ‘sound of voice’ is actually implied as an encouragement by his loved ones which is reducing his pain, calming him down.

There is no turning back for our writer from here on in his battle with the world and with his inner conflicts. Only thing he demands is the support, the trust from his loved ones.

The song battle symphony is important in many ways. First of all, its main intention is to communicate the feelings that people are going through inner conflicts/experiences, but it is also helpful in other way around.  Every one of us is fighting his/her own battle in many ways – on different fronts; some people are strong enough to open up themselves to the others and some people choose to keep things to themselves. The second category of people are the ones this song highlights on. These are the people who are highly doubtful about themselves, they are highly aware of their surrounding and how people may make fun of them, how people will make them feel embarrassed. These types of people are highly susceptible to inner conflicts. These are the people who need good listeners, these are the people who need that unexpected support. Sometimes, they may not express it in words but if you find someone going through such hardships, please ensure that they are made aware that there is always somebody for helping them. One problem in this situation is that the people gong through such challenges are very hard to notice.  

I will share one anecdote from George Bernard Shaw with you:

Whenever you find yourself or any of person in your surrounding having such conflicts, remember that every conflict whether it may be inner conflict with a conflict with others, it becomes easy when correct support, encouragement is provided. It my not solve the conflict for the person but it will definitely give him/her the courage to endure through that battle. This is applicable not only to a person but to the nations, groups, ethnicity, races, casts, cultures. It is just about what cause, what option you are supporting. That will decide the outcome. Being the only known self-aware species in the universe, it becomes a responsibility of us as humans to understand the real problems lying underneath, and resolving them to win-win situations. That will really indicate the proposition of calling ourselves ‘self-aware’. The one who becomes self-aware also becomes aware of how others experience the things- creating that bridge between him/her and others.