Weekly Shinedown - Song Seventeen - I Dare You!

Hey There!

So once again, my Shinedown journey continues!

The next song that I discovered by Shinedown was a song called I Dare You.

As you would have read from previous Shinedown posts, I absolutely love their acoustic songs. So I decided to venture further into their acoustic songs that they had uploaded to their Spotify account.

I typed in "Shinedown acoustic -live" because I only wanted to listen to the originals. The top four results were the usuals: Simple Man, 45, Second Chance and Save Me. But there were also two other acoustic tracks that I had not yet heard. Their names were I Dare You, and Someday!

Before I listened to the acoustics, I decided to year the originals first. So I Dare You was the first!

My favourite element of this song is the constant guitar strumming in the background, but as usual, the introduction and first verse are very powerful to me. 

To me, this song has a very deep meaning. I think that it is about a person who is talking about how there is both good from God, and bad from the devil in them, and they are always having to make their own decisions on hat to do. So he is saying to God "I dare you to test me, and see how faithful I am because I can stand up to the devil.

The best line in this song is "even in madness, I know you still believe" because they are basically saying to God "even with the devil trying to get to me, I know that you still believe in me" and it is just so amazing that there is such a wonderful story behind the song lyrics!

After looking at the chords to this song, I can see that with a bit of practise, I would have the ability to play this song on the guitar. I also remember back in November 2014, I absolutely loved to sing this song because it was one of my favourites.

Don't forget to leave comments below on how you came to know of Shinedown!

I'll see you all next Thursday!

Lois xx

P.S. I'll leave the lyrics to I Dare You below incase you're interested!

Hello, let me introduce you to
The characters in the show
One says yes, one says no
Decide - which voice in your head you can keep alive

Even in madness, I know you still believe
Paint me on canvas so I become
What you could never be

I dare you to tell me to walk through fire
Wear my soul and call me a liar
I dare you to tell me to walk through fire
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to

Hello, are you still chasing
The memories in shadows
Some stay young, some grow old
Come alive, there are thoughts unclear
You can never hide

Even in madness, I know you still believe
Paint me on canvas so I become
What you could never be

I dare you to tell me to walk through fire
Wear my soul and call me a liar
I dare you to tell me to walk through fire
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to

Hello
Hello...
I dare you to tell me to walk through fire
Wear my soul and call me a liar
I dare you to tell me to walk through fire
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to
Hello...
Hello...
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to
I dare you to tell me
I dare you to

Weekly Shinedown - Song Sixteen - Burning Bright!

Hey There!

Here is another week of Shinedown for you!

Some time would have passed between me hearing Miracle, and Burning Bright! In this time, I just stuck with the Shinedown songs that I knew, and was really enjoying them. Then towards the end of October 2014, I found an album on their Spotify that consisted of all of their live performances, and it was called Shinedown - Somewhere In The Stratosphere. I remember listening to them sing in live from Washington State, and then an acoustic version live from Kansas City.

The main reason that I was drawn to this song was because it was quite an acoustic song in general, and it just seemed really laid back.

On Saturday 25th October 2014, me and my family travelled up to Scotland for a week's holiday there. The whole week, I was absolutely addicted to the Divergent book series, and I read it most of the time because there was very little internet up there. However, every evening, we went over to tis restaurant, and we were able to use the internet there. Unfortunately, this was the only time that I could listen to Shinedown on Spotify.

My most listened song this week was Burning Bright, and I was drawn even closer to this song by the end of the week. Coincidently, the song Burning Bright completely relates to the ending of the Divergent trilogy to me, so now every time I listen to this song, it reminds me of Divergent, and also the amazing break that I had in Scotland.

Finally, on Tuesday 11th November 2014, I decided that it was time to add some more songs into my Shinedown Spotify playlist, so Burning Bright was the first one that I selected!

If I could only master the Bm on my guitar, then this song would be amazing to play, but unfortunately, I'm not that skilled. You know what they say though, practise makes perfect!

I'd love to year some of your Shinedown stories below in the comments!

I'll see you all next Thursday!

Lois xx

P.S. I'll leave the lyrics to Burning Bright below incase you're interested!

I feel like there is no need for conversation
Some questions are better left without a reason
And I would rather reveal myself than my situation
Now and then I consider my hesitation

The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes
The more the dark consumes me
I pretend I'm burning, burning bright

I wonder if the things I did were just to be different
To spare myself from the constant shame of my existence
And I would surely redeem myself in my desperation
Here and now I'll express my situation

The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes
The more the dark consumes me
I pretend I'm burning bright

The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes
The more the dark consumes me
I pretend I'm burning

There's nothing ever wrong but nothing's ever right
Such a cruel contradiction
I know I crossed the line, it's not easy to define
I'm born to indecision
There's always something new, some path I'm supposed to choose
With no particular rhyme or reason

The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes
The more the dark consumes me
I pretend I'm burning bright

The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes
The more the dark consumes me
I pretend I'm burning

I feel like there is no need for conversation

Weekly Shinedown – Song Fifteen – Miracle!

Hey There!

So for quite a while, I did not venture further into anymore Shinedown songs. However, eventually on Tuesday 7th October 2014, I was scrolling down Shinedown’s Spotify page, and I came across Miracle.

I think that I was drawn to this song because of the name of it. I am really into miracles, whether they’re in the bible, or just in real life. My favourite lyrics in this song are “let's turn the water to wine ,one more time” and at the end, when the song finishes with “you're the miracle in me”.

This song could be about anyone really. It could be about someone who is singing up to God because of their faith. Or it could also be about someone whom you love, or just a family member who has brought miracles into your life.

Many people have said that this isn’t their favourite song by Shinedown because they don’t like the tune. However, I really like it because it’s quite a different tune, and I think that it would be a good song to drive to in the car!

Unfortunately, Shinedown songs are so difficult to play on the guitar because of the awkward chords, so this is now more that I can't play either, but it is a really good song to sing anyways!

Don’t forget to comment below some of your favourite Shinedown songs below! I'd love to hear them!

I’ll see you all next Thursday!

Lois xx

P.S. I’ll leave the lyrics to Miracle below incase you’re interested!

Say it once, tell me twice
Are you certain I’m alright?
Just a sign, to remind me
That tomorrow’s worth the fight
Ever changing the storyline that keeps me alive

So make a wish, and say…

Give me life, give me love
Scarlet angel from above
Not so low, not so high
Keep it perfectly disguised

Every changing the storyline that keeps me alive
My Mona Lisa’s making me smile
Right before my eyes!

Take another look
Take a look around
It’s you and me
It’s here and now
As you sparkle in the sky
I’ll catch you while I can
Cause all we are is all I am

I just want you to see
What I’ve always believed
You are…
The miracle in me

Show me faith, like you do
I’m amazed at how you move
Side to side, front to back
You know how to make it last

Ever changing the storyline that keeps us alive
My Mona Lisa’s making me smile
Right before my eyes!

Take another look
Take a look around
It’s you and me
It’s here and now
As you sparkle in the sky
I’ll catch you while I can
Cause all we are is all I am

I just want you to see
What I’ve always believed
You are…
The miracle in me

These are the moments you can’t pass back
Let’s turn the water to wine
One more time!


The miracle in me
You’re the miracle in me

Weekly Shinedown - Song Fourteen - Through The Ghost!

Hey There!

I have finally moved on from Monday 1st September 2014, where I discovered the greatest amount of new Shinedown songs. But I hadn't moved on ver far before I discovered yet another new Shinedown song!

I had just about survived my first week back at school for the year, and every day of the week, I had been listening to Shinedown song playlist on my Spotify using my new iPhone 4S. Just as the weekend began, on Friday, I decided to go check out Shinedown's YouTube channel. I had never seem any of their music videos before, but hey were all in chronological order. This meant that the first one that I came across was Through The Ghost.

It had been uploaded on 27th March 2014, which was only four days after my Shinedown journey began. I clicked on the video to watch it, and I absolutely loved watching it!

I liked the fact that the video had such a wintery feeling to it. The main features were the bare trees that had lost all of their leaves, the falling snow, and the silhouette figures of the Shinedown members. The video really made me excited for the following winter to come, but the music also had a part to play too.

The chiming of the timpani during the song really contributed to the overall winter feeling of this song. It also had a very Christmassy feeling to it because it reminded me of Christmas, due to the chiming resembling Santa's sleigh bells.

More than anything, this song reminded me of when I went to the Manchester Christmas Markets back in December 2013 with my church. It was of course my Uncle Peter and Auntie Jen that took me there, so clearly this song was perfect for the situation.

We actually wen track to the Manchester Christmas Markets the following year, on Saturday 22nd November 2014. However, this time, instead of going in my Uncle Peter's Volvo, we went on the train. Since Through The Ghost always makes me think of the Manchester Christmas Markets, I did just have to listen to this song many times on my train journey there, just to get a complete wintry feel.

Now everytime I listen to this song, it always reminds me of the amazing winter that I had, and what great trips my family were able to take me on. The song does give me hope that I will be able to return to the Manchester Christmas Markets again this year!

Furthermore, on my journeys to school, I always like to listen to at least one song from my Shinedown Spotify playlist. However, I am only allowed to listen to it on shuffle mode on my phone, which means that it could be just about any Shinedown song that plays. Yet between September and December, the song that I hoped would randomly be selected the most was Through The Ghost, as it really got me into an amazing winter feeling.

I also remember sometime in September 2014, I had the first line of these lyrics in my head, but I couldn't place it to a song. So I even asked my friend Sam in school "Do you know a song that starts off with "Speak of the devil, look who just walked into the room?" But unfortunately, after racking our brains for ages, we were't able to come to any conclusions, so I ha to type the lyrics into my phone, and sure enough, Through The Ghost was the first result that came up, and answered all of my questions.

This song is an absolutely lovely song to listen to, and even to sing, yet when I had a first glance at the guitar chords, they just seemed way too advanced for me, with chords such as Cadd9, D4 and Em7. But maybe our church guitarist, Kev, could play all of these really challenging Shinedown songs, because he is such an amazing guitarist that can play almost anything!

Be sure to leave comments below of some of your favourite Shinedown songs, and what memories they give yo you when you re-listen to them again!

I'll see you all next Thursday!

Lois xx

P.S. I'll leave the lyrics to Through The Ghost below incase you're interested!

Speak of the devil
Look who just walked into the room
The guilted and faded
Notion of someone I once knew

All the perfect moments are wrong
All the precious pieces are gone
Everything that mattered is just
A city of dust
Covering both of us

Did you hide yourself away?
I can't see you anymore
Did you eclipse another day?
I used to wake up to the colour of your soul

Did you hide yourself away?
Are you living through the ghost?
Did you finally find a place
Above the shadows so the world will never know?
The world will never know you like I do

So many silent sorrows
You never hear from again
And now that you've lost tomorrow
Is yesterday still a friend?

All the bridges we built were burned
Not a single lesson was learned
Everything that mattered is just
A city of dust
Covering both of us

Did you hide yourself away?
I can't see you anymore
Did you eclipse another day?
I used to wake up to the colour of your soul

Did you hide yourself away?
Are you living through the ghost?
Did you finally find a place
Above the shadows so the world will never know?
The world will never know you like I do

Like I still do

Did you hide yourself away?
I can't see you anymore
Did you eclipse another day?
I used to wake up to the colour of your soul

Did you hide yourself away?
Are you living through the ghost?
Did you finally find a place
Above the shadows so the world will never know?
The world will never know you...

Weekly Shinedown - Song Thirteen - Breaking Inside!

Hey There!

My next Shinedown song, Breaking Inside, was also discovered on Monday 1st September 2014, and it was also the very last Shinedown song that I added to my Spotify playlist on this day. I honestly can't remember the reason that I added this song to my playlist, but I was obviously drawn to this song because I have listened to it loads of times.

On Sunday 21st September 2014, I did actually hear this sing in my Uncle Peter's car on the same day as he played Call Me. However, it was right at the start of the journey, before he had dropped anyone else off. So I was singing, and partially miming the song to my friends Leah and Liz because I knew all of the words, and obviously, they were quite impressed with me.

I also heard this song another time in my Uncle Peter's car. It was when he was driving me, Georgia, Leah and Liz to a Starbucks on the motorway so that we could all get a hot chocolate and have a chat. It was a really great time, and on the way there, he was playing some Shinedown songs for us. The only song that everyone knew was Second Chance, but he played a variety of them, and he was testing me on some of them, and Breaking Inside was actually one of them.

On Shinedown's third album, The Sound Of Madness, the last track on the album is a different version of Breaking Inside, which features Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, which I also like.

I was recently looking at the chords for this song, and apart from the really complicated introduction, they don't seem that difficult, because it mainly consists of G, D, A and E, but it is the B chord that is quite difficult for me. This isn't the sort of song that I would sing, but I bet that it would be a good one to sing as a duet if I could do Lzzy Hale's part with someone else.

So from here on, my Shinedown journey will continue further. Please comment below how your Shinedown journey started and developed as I would lose to hear.

I'll see you all next Thursday!

Lois xx

P.S. I'll leave the lyrics to Breaking Inside below incase you're interested!

I caught a chill 
and it's still frozen on my skin 
I think about why 
I'm alone, by myself 
No one else to explain 
how far do I go? 
No one knows 
If the end is so much better, why don't we just live forever? 
Don't tell me I'm the last one in line 
Don't tell me I'm too late this time 

I don't want to live 
To waste another day 
Underneath the shadow of mistakes I made 
Cause I feel like I'm breaking inside 
I don't want to fall and say I lost it all 
'Cause baby there's a part of me to hit the wall 
Leaving pieces of me behind 
And I feel like I'm breaking inside 

Out here, nothings clear 
Except the moment I decided to move on and I ignited 
Disappear into the fear 
You know there ain't no comin' back 
When you're still carrying the past 
You can't erase, separate 
Cigarette in my hand, 
Hope you all understand 

I won't be the last one in line 
I finally figured out what's mine 

I don't want to live 
To waste another day 
Underneath the shadow of mistakes I made 
'Cause I feel like I'm breaking inside 
I don't want to fall and say I lost it all 
'Cause baby there's a part of me to hit the wall 
Leaving pieces of me behind 
Leaving pieces of me behind 
And I feel like I'm breaking inside 

I won't be the last one in line, 
I finally figured out what's mine 

I don't want to live 
To waste another day 
Underneath the shadow of mistakes I made 
'Cause I feel like I'm breaking inside 
I don't want to fall and say I lost it all 
'Cause baby there's a part of me to hit the wall 
Leaving pieces of me behind 
Leaving pieces of me behind 
And I feel like I'm breaking inside 
And I feel like I'm breaking, 
I feel like i'm breaking inside