Lyrics
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood’s run stale
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
At the curtain’s call
It's the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you've made
Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Review
Dragons taking down demons? That might sound like the setup for some sort of strange fantasy role-playing game. But in this case, the metaphorical spirits in question are haunting a man's heart in much more realistic ways.
"Demons" is the third big hit from alt-rock act Imagine Dragons, and the second consecutive song from the band's 2012 debut Night Visions to crack the Top 10 on Billboard's mainstream singles charts (a feat precious few rock acts these days are accomplishing). Perhaps that's because these guys from Las Vegas have a knack for pairing soaring, singable melodies with emotional, relatable themes.
The song focuses on a man's longing to provide shelter for his beloved from the harsh world. "When the days are cold," it begins, "And the cards all fold/ … When your dreams all fall/ … I wanna shelter you." But there's a problem: Something similarly dark lurks even in the shelter he hopes to provide, a reality he'd rather avoid but can't escape. "I wanna hide the truth," he admits, "But with the beast inside/There's nowhere we can hide."
We never learn for sure exactly what this beast is. But it's safe to say that his "demons" feed on his weaknesses and failings, of which he is painfully aware ("No matter what we breed/We still are made of greed"). Then, in the chorus: "When you feel my heat/Look into my eyes/It's where my demons hide."
Frontman Dan Reynolds offers counsel with regard to that sobering reality. First, he advises the woman he loves to be careful, to keep her distance ("Don't get to close/It's dark inside/ … Don't wanna let you down/But I am hell-bound"). Maybe that's why he ponders pulling out of the relationship altogether in an effort to spare his beloved from that spiritual blackness: "It's woven in my soul/I need to let you go/Your eyes they shine so bright/I wanna save that light."
But instead of letting his demons drive him away, the man turns once more toward this woman and suggests tentatively, "I can't escape this now/Unless you show me how." So instead of fleeing into further isolation and darkness, there's an important—and redemptive—recognition that the only way to confront our deepest failings and flaws is do so hand-in-hand with the ones we love the most, trusting that somehow their influence and positive presence in our lives might point us away from an infernal fate and toward one that saves us.
The song doesn't detail what that salvation actually is or looks like. All we can infer is that it's not something we're capable of finding inside of ourselves. (Because in there be dragons!)
The song's video reinforces the idea that we all face hidden hurts, struggles that perhaps no one else even knows exist. Self-image. Loss. Tragedy. Hardship. It concludes with the tag, "In memory of Tyler Robinson (1995-2013)/Who inspired us with his courage as he battled cancer." And then the band's encouragement to donate to Tyler's foundation, which helps other children battling cancer, puts a poignant punctuation mark on this ultimately light-filled song about the darkness of demons.
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