August Burns Red- The Blinding Light (Lyrics and Meaning) - Video
PUBLISHED:  Mar 13, 2012
DESCRIPTION:
August Burns Red's song "The Blinding Light" from their album "Messengers".

In this context, the title of this song, "The Blinding Light", refers to parents that want to make sure their children are successful, but blind them from the things in their life that will ultimately derail them from gaining success by sheltering them from everything.

The message in this song can be very complicated. A lot of what I am going to mention is a matter of opinion. This song is heavily about parents who over-shelter their children. Don't get me wrong, we all know that it is important for parents to make sure that their children are not exposed to inappropriate, disturbing, or explicit material. I don't want to come off the wrong way here, and say that all children should be allowed to roam free with every opportunity being made available to them. Don't misunderstand this message. There really isn't a distinct line that determines what is "okay" or "too over-protective" in this situation, so it is ultimately up to the parents to decide what is okay and what is not okay. What ABR is trying to get across is that controlling your children's' lives, and choosing their destinies for them is not a good way to parent in any way whatsoever. Let your children have individuality, and let them be themselves. Monitor and supervise their activities, but don't be afraid to let them live their life.

"The fear is what shelters them. It's what shades their eyes, and muffles their ears." Parents fear their children getting into bad things, or having bad things happen to them. Very understandable, but don't let the truths of this world escape their minds. Let them be aware of the dangers in this world, so they can be prepared for it.

"Keep them inside. Lock them up in a closet known as home. In here, no one can find them. In here, no one can fill them with filth." ABR is sarcastically suggesting that parents keeping their children at home, away from any activity, will keep them from doing bad things. True. It will. However, they are unaware of how to turn down things that will hurt them. When it's time for your child to leave home, and they've been sheltered heavily all of their life, there is a good chance that they won't know how to react to "bad" things. There is a startling amount of kids that are found getting into drugs, alcohol, and sex because it's an act of rebellion. Parents have to address those things head on, and cannot be afraid to talk about it so their children are prepared.

"They were born with the silverware clenched in their teeth." This relates to the saying about kids being born with a silver spoon in their mouth. That basically describes kids who are born into rich families, where they're spoiled and ultimately are kept from learning how to live in the real world. That's what the lyric in the song is referring to. Kids are spoiled by their parents, therefore causing them to think they need to be pampered all of their life.


"They don't need their own lives. The ones we have planned will work just fine." This is from the view of the parents saying that their children can't have their own lives, and that, as the parents, they should make all of their childrens' decisions. Now, parents that do this don't actually say these words because they don't necessarily realize that they're doing it. However, they might as well be saying it because they're doing it, to a certain extent.

"Without our watchful eye, they might just leave us behind." I think what this phrase means is that parents fear their kids will abandon them if they're allowed too many freedoms. Their kids will forget the importance of family. Sadly, this is true in some instances. I cannot deny that. But, if parents can find the balance between over-sheltereing their children, and letting them do anything they want, their kids WILL appreciate how good their parents have been to them. This isn't easy, but pursuing this goal is very important.

It is also important to remember that God tells us to obey our parents because they love us and want the best for us. Having a good relationship with your parents will be one of the most important things you can do in your life. Even when it seems like they're being over-protective, there is a good chance they're right. It all just comes down to how old you are, and making sure your decisions are smart. This paragraph may have seemed to be a little contradictory to the rest of my interpretation, but I wanted to stress the importance of a healthy relationship with your parents.

Enjoy the video! :)
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