Terrible Things
Halestorm Lyrics


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We are human, we are violent
We learn our lessons then defy them
We are heartless and immoral
We carry hatred like a bible

And there's a hole in my life
There's a blackness inside
That's eating me alive
Leaving me to decide
Do I live with this pain?
As the rain starts to fall from my eyes
Asking myself why

I see terrible things
I see a sickness in a world on its knees
It will take what you love like a thief
But in my dreams I believe we're not these
Terrible things
Terrible things

We are nothing without failure
But we have chosen ill behavior
With every scar we have learned
Not to heal, but to hurt
We've become something else
Even I cannot tell just why

I see terrible things
I see a sickness in a world on its knees
It will take what you love like a thief
In my dreams I believe we're not these
Terrible things
Terrible things

If I fall (if I fall)
If I run (if I run)
That's when I
Will become
Terrible things

I see terrible things (I see terrible things)
I see a sickness in a world on its knees
It will take what you love like a thief
In my dreams I believe we're not these
Look at me and you'll see I'm not these




Terrible things
Terrible things

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Halestorm's song "Terrible Things" depict a dark and introspective view of humanity. The opening lines express the duality within human nature, acknowledging our capacity for violence, defiance, heartlessness, and immorality. The lyrics suggest that hatred is carried like a religious scripture, implying that it has become ingrained in our lives and influences our actions.


The chorus talks about a void or emptiness in the singer's life, a blackness that consumes them. This darkness leaves them questioning whether they should continue living with the pain and torment. The rain symbolizes their tears and the emotional turmoil they are experiencing. They are left pondering why they see the terrible things that they do.


The second verse suggests that failure is an integral part of human existence, but instead of learning from it and growing, we often choose negative behavior and carry our scars as reminders of our capacity to hurt. The lyrics emphasize that we have transformed into something different, something unrecognizable even to the singer.


The song's overall message is that the world is filled with sickness, a world on its knees, ready to snatch away the things we love like a thief. However, in the singer's dreams, they believe that we are capable of transcending these terrible things and rising above our darker tendencies.


Line by Line Meaning

We are human, we are violent
As humans, we have a tendency towards violence.


We learn our lessons then defy them
Despite learning from our mistakes, we still choose to go against what we have learned.


We are heartless and immoral
Our actions lack compassion and moral principles.


We carry hatred like a bible
We hold onto our hatred with the same devotion as one holds a religious text.


And there's a hole in my life
There is an emptiness and void within my existence.


There's a blackness inside
There is darkness and despair consuming me from within.


That's eating me alive
It is causing me immense suffering and slowly destroying me.


Leaving me to decide
Forcing me to make a decision.


Do I live with this pain?
Should I continue to endure this agony?


As the rain starts to fall from my eyes
Tears fall from my eyes, mirroring the rainfall.


Asking myself why
Questioning the reason behind my circumstances.


I see terrible things
I witness horrifying and distressing events.


I see a sickness in a world on its knees
I perceive a pervasive illness affecting a world in desperation.


It will take what you love like a thief
This sickness will snatch away the things you hold dear without warning.


But in my dreams I believe we're not these
In my dreams, I have hope that we are not defined by these terrible things.


We are nothing without failure
Failure is an essential part of our existence, shaping who we are.


But we have chosen ill behavior
Unfortunately, we have deliberately embraced destructive actions.


With every scar we have learned
Through our wounds and experiences, we have gained valuable lessons.


Not to heal, but to hurt
Rather than using our knowledge to heal, we employ it to inflict pain.


We've become something else
We have transformed into something different and unrecognizable.


Even I cannot tell just why
Even I, the artist, struggle to comprehend the exact reason behind this transformation.


If I fall (if I fall)
If I succumb to my weaknesses and fail.


If I run (if I run)
If I try to escape from my problems and responsibilities.


That's when I
At those moments, I


Will become
I will transform into


Terrible things
An embodiment of the horrible actions and qualities described before.


Look at me and you'll see I'm not these
If you examine me closely, you'll recognize that I am not synonymous with these terrible things.


Terrible things
The aforementioned dreadful actions and behaviors.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Scott Christopher Stevens, Tommy Vext, Zachary Maloy, Elizabeth Hale

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@DarkvsLight-bb1cd

We are human, we are violent
We learn our lessons
Then defy them
We are heartless and immoral
We carry hatred
Like a bible

And there's a hole in my life
There's a blackness inside
That's eating me alive
Leaving me to decide
Do I live with this pain?
As the rain starts to fall from my eyes
Asking myself why

I see terrible things
I see a sickness in a world on its knees
It will take what you love like a thief
But in my dreams I believe
We're not these
Terrible things, oh
Terrible things, oh

We are nothing without failure
But we have chosen ill behavior
With every scar we have learned
Not to heal, but to hurt
We've become something else
Even I cannot tell just why

I see terrible things
I see a sickness in a world on its knees
It will take what you love like a thief
But in my dreams I believe
We're not these
Terrible things, oh
Terrible things, oh

If I fall
If I run
That's when I
Will become
Terrible things

I see terrible things
I see a sickness in a world on its knees
It will take what you love like a thief
But in my dreams I believe
We're not these
Look at me and you'll see
I'm not these
Terrible things, oh
Terrible things, oh



@arkusworldwalker9818

I had to write a paper for a philosophy class.
I was supposed to make it on Powerwolf. Then, after a rather rough time (grief for my grandma's death 6, 7 years ago bubbling up to the surface) followed up by a vivid nightmare, I went back to "Back from the Dead". Each song hit like a truck.
Since then, Halestorm as a whole and Lzzy's character in clips and on stage helped me patch my messy emotions together, living through self doubt, difficult tail end of teenage, etc.
Terrible things in particular is a song I like to jam when I have the blues.
Knowing that the band started out as a christian youth band, and then got a hard turn into the vibe we all know and love, it didn't surprise me that the songs hit hard each time. Say what you want about religion, but having a spiritual background, wether or not you decide to leave it behind, makes you for sensible on your emotionnal life and its link to reality, to afterwards keeping moving on.
Terrible things as a song is just that: refusing to let rough time making you hate people, this world, etc.
There is always hope, we can choose to do better, and so on and so forth;
That realization, that's not something that hit me while reading Camus, Spinoza, Borges, Philip K. Dick, etc.
It hit me while I listend back to the whole album, and Terrible Things is the epithome of that, to me.
So, I'm not overstating when I write that "Back from the Dead" changed my life.
Raise your horns, gang...



All comments from YouTube:

@tomarmstrong4761

People tell me that good music isn't being made these days. I tell them that they are looking in the wrong places.

Someone tried to tell me that the music I was listening to when I was in my teens and early twenties was the best music of my life. I told them that the best music of my life had not yet been recorded.

Here you go proving my point.

@christiancamlin13

Well said.

@amyw881

Most of the music now sucks. I would have never of known of this song until someone told me. Hardly any bands play their own instruments half go one stage to lip sinc. Not many write their music anymore. And God help me alot are so auto tuned to make their voices better no wonder they lip sinc on stage. I had in my time hard women rockers with morals and something to say. Now that's a dying breed to half naked pop queens. This song here is not made popular, tv interviews not really known. What you see here is a rarity to a dying culture.

@thibault335

Halestorm never make bad songs, Lzzy Hale's voice is so unbelievably beautiful and powerful. I can't wait for this new masterpiece

@trevorfisher9138

Clearly you didn't listen to their early work lol

@dnez1559

​@Trevor Fisher do you think their early work was bad?

@carlblair621

​@@trevorfisher9138 Mate, seriously, possibly the dumbest statement in the world! First album released in 2009, Izzy has grown and everything has followed! If I'm not mistaken she apologized to her parents for an album due to the grafic messages in it.

@thenolartist

Halestorm ❤️‍🔥 🫶 💯%

@57HarleyDavidson

@@trevorfisher9138 None of their songs were bad.

15 More Replies...

@melaniesthomas

You really compliment one another as vocalists. Connected with this song instantly back when the album was released and didn’t think it could possibly be better. I was wrong. Y’all, this was beautiful and so needed today. Thank you.

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