So far away…has been Avenge Sevenfold’s new album, but finally, we have a new song and an album on the horizon. The lead single, titled “Nobody” takes a deep dive into the nothingness of life and the urge to start over.
The American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold announced their eighth studio album ‘Life Is but a Dream…’ today with the release of their brand new single “Nobody.” This is their major release in seven years since the last studio album ‘The Stage’ released in 2016.
The new album has been four years in the making.
“Nobody” explores the idea of the dissolution of self. Who or what are we if not for mere skeletons with a few ornaments and garbs on?! What does our existence really mean in the grand scheme of things? We will be born, struggle through life, and die away, and it would not have made a single impact on the Cosmos.
Listen to “Nobody” by Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold “Nobody” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
In the first verse of the song, the band admits that “I am all” and “I am none” at the same time. These are pretty complex concepts to grasp. Let us try.
This world exists to us because we exist. In this sense, the existence of ourselves makes this world a reality. Once we are done and dusted, so is our reality. We travel to the abyss where there is nothing. Everything you have done, seen, tasted, smelled, felt, loved, etc, was only possible because of your existence. So, you are technically everything (or the door to everything) in your universe.
On the flip side, we have to question who we are. We are made of flesh and blood it seems. But deep down, we are made of every other construction material there is in the universe. It just so happens that our molecules have been arranged in a certain specific way that makes us do some incredible things (by our own standards, of course). But how does this matter in the grand scheme of things? How does this weigh on the same scale where our compounds were produced? Possibly, your and my existence did not matter even as much as a single grain on all the beaches in our tiny little Earth.
When we perish away in a measly 80 years, we become one with nature. We donate our matter to this world and cease to exist (according to some philosophies). Does this make us any special? No. We are made of nothing and we return to nothing! We did not choose to be born. We do not choose to die. And everything else in between is merely a struggle until we bid farewell.
I’m a God, I’m awake, I’m the one in everything
In a sense, we are the gods of our own destiny (or so it seems). We can make our own decisions, most times heavily influenced by many factors. But, we still can make a decision for ourselves. Isn’t this God-like? Even the mirage that we all are entitled to free will? There are more things that humans are not allowed to do than we are allowed to do. Granted, these are in favor of the existence and co-existence of all of us. But, is this free will?
Avenged Sevenfold crafts this idea rather poetically; “I’m a man without a head.” One thing that makes us humans far more superior to any other living organism on this planet is that bundle of cells in our heads called the brain. The brain cells fire neurotransmitters at each other at unimaginable speeds. Somehow, these little interactions of billions of neurons have made possible some incredible acts such as taking humans to the moon, sending spacecraft out of the solar system, attempting to understand gravity, questioning the meaning of life, me typing this review, and you reading this and comprehending it. But is this what life is all about? We are governed by so many laws, regulations, etiquette, fears, and emotions, it is almost as if we cannot use our heads to their full potential.
One who cannot use their head is no human and might not be ‘alive’ at all. Does this mean we are nobodies just cruising through life just to get from one to the other? How are we to call ourselves the creators of our own destiny, if we cannot use our heads to do what we want?
A higher plane of existence awaits you when you let go. Your name is just a label that you did not choose for yourself. You had no part in selecting your parents. Your partner may sound like a decision you took after careful consideration. But there is no way that you got to examine the full sample. They just happened to be there at the right place at the right time. Your job, whilst you may have picked for yourself, is just another distraction to be able to survive in this world. Who wants to work 9-5 every day for a lifetime? Do you think your self-entrepreneurship is better? You most likely spend more time at your own business than you would have at a 9-5. You did not pick your kids. There are just endless amounts of temporary distractions in this lifetime to get you from A to Z. And according to some philosophies, you just start over, with no recollection of the last time you did this dance.
Are you a god? Or are you a nobody? Pick carefully.
Let us know what you think about this song in the comments below. Read the complete lyrics to the song on Genius.
