Imagine Dragons returns with a brand new single “Bones,” with a thundering melody and a rather morbid meaning. The song dives into the fragility of life, likely inspired by the recent events of the lead singer’s personal life.
“Bones” is the first single from Imagine Dragons’ upcoming sixth studio album ‘Mercury – Act 2.’ This project follows their February 2022 project ‘Mercury – Act 1.’
“Bones” dives into some morbid topics. The singer talks about the feeling of aimlessness and purposelessness of life in the grand scheme of things. Life is such a fragile thing that can dwindle away any second. The lead singer of Imagine Dragons, Dan Reynolds suffered some loss in his family not too long ago, which had prompted him to a state of grief, which he had expressed in songs such as “Birds” and “Wrecked” before.
In ‘Mercury – Act 1’ album, Dan Reynolds spoke about dealing with themes of loss and grief; “I have watched my friends die to drug addiction… The point of art is to share our darkest moments as well as the light ones. I believe that by singing about my own struggle with it, it hopefully will bring someone else some sort of peace or resolve. This record deals with a lot of searching and loneliness, struggling with the finite state of reality.”
Listen to “Bones” by Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons “Bones” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Life, its meaning, and its fragility are topics that are not meant to be explored in depth. The average human comprehension cannot find a solution to these questions. So, when someone near and dear to you passes away, it hits us hard and sends us on a thought spiral that never ends.
Face in the mirror is all I need (Ooh-ooh)
Waiting ’til the reaper takes my life
The singer tries to be brave in the face of his loss. He looks at the man in the mirror and barely recognizes him. What is the purpose of all things he does, if he cannot have the things he wants in life?! The singer did not wish for immortality. He merely wished for a long and happy life for himself and the people around him. Is this too much to ask for?
When a sudden loss occurs in the family, it sends shockwaves through the souls of everyone else. The singer puts on a mask to hide his pain and to attempt to carry on with his life.
Never gonna get me out alive
I will live a thousand million lives
Denial is also a stage in the process of grief. Or he simply attempts to put on a brave face because life has to go on.
In the second verse of the song, Imagine Dragons sing about the duality of life. One such concept is whether life is all black and white i.e. if ‘good and bad’ are as cut and dry as they sound. Is good for one person the same good for another person, and vice versa? Are there gray areas in life as well?
Life itself feels like playing with a stick of dynamite. One misstep and your life could take a big turn for the worse.
All of this can be a little too much to handle some days. It can all come crashing down on you on one fine day and you might never recover.
Go ahead and throw your stones
‘Cause there’s magic in my bones
Imagine Dragons want to end the song in a rather positive tone nonetheless. They invite everyone to throw whatever stones they have at them. Life can throw you boulders. But you are a creation of the same stardust that pushes these boulders at you. They are all tests. The strong survive — the flexible adopt. And you are special because the magic in your bones is nowhere else in this universe.
Whatever makes up ‘you’ is literally only found within you. There is no one like you elsewhere in this universe. This has to account for something!
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.
Ive gone through many losses, and not only is this song catchy but also emotional. I actually chose this song for an assignment, and this was very helpful. Here is that assignment paragraph:
The song I chose was “Bones” By “Imagine Dragons”. The initial meaning of this song is most likely recovering from heartbreak or drugs. The reason this song is important is that it shows emotion, and a reporter asked the singer what the song’s meaning was, and the singer said “I have watched my friends die to drug addiction… The point of art is to share our darkest moments as well as the light ones. I believe that by singing about my own struggle with it, hopefully, will bring someone else some sort of peace or resolve. This record deals with a lot of searching and loneliness, struggling with the finite state of reality.” I believe that the song is about a lost loved one. So when a sudden loss occurs in the family, it sends shockwaves through the souls of everyone else. The singer puts on a face of bravery, or better yet, a mask to hide their pain and to attempt to carry on with their life.
I lost my dog and have been lisening to this song can you email me its ok at declenconwatt@gmail.com
thanks
That is cool imagine dragons I’m sorry to hear that Dan Reynolds friends died of drugs. I know how you feel dan one time I lost my dog to cancer and could of only lived for 2 months. I know it feels to love someone you lost😭. The song always manages to put a tear in my eye every time because I’m not the only one. If you like to talk to me dan please e-mail at 700862@nkcschools.org. p.s. I always loved your songs. (Especially believer)