“Higher” — a lyrical analysis
If you read my first lyrical analysis (on the song “My Sacrifice”), I promised you that not all of Creed’s songs are about God. I think we are in luck with this one. It still has a slightly religious message, though. [Side note: what percentage of songs written by humans beings are about love and romantic relationships (usually relationships that just ended)? It’s probably somewhere around 95%. That said, isn’t it refreshing that a band like Creed can at least find new subject matter to write songs about? Even if most of their songs have religious themes?]
Lyrics:
When dreaming, I’m guided to another world
Time and time again
At sunrise, I fight to stay asleep
‘Cuz I don’t want leave the comforts of this place
‘Cuz there’s a hunger, longing to escape
From the life that I live when I’m awake
Analysis: This is about a person who seems to be unhappy about his waking life. He feels an escape when he dreams at night. Pretty straight forward.
So let’s go there, let’s make our escape
C’mon let’s go there, let’s ask can we stay?
Can you take me higher?
To a place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To a place with golden streets
Analysis: He seems to be inviting someone else to join him in this dream land. He’s trying to talk that person into it. And when they get there, he wants to see if it’s possible to stay there. In the next part, he seems to be invoking stereotypical beliefs about heaven. He’s asking to go there. The confusing this is, we were talking about dreaming, but now we are on the subject of heaven (which, one would think is not part of a dream?)
Although I would like the world to change
It helps me to appreciate those nights and those dreams
But my friend, I’d sacrifice all those nights
If I could make the earth and my dreams the same
The only difference is
To let love replace all our hate
Analysis: he is saying that the real world has problems in it, and these problems make him appreciate his dreams more. But at this point, I have a better interpretation of everything: he wants to make life on earth more similar to how life is in his dreams. He is inviting not just one other person, but all of us to make the earth a better place. This idea is supported by the next couple lines where he says as much. And he then says that we can accomplish this by letting love replace hate.
[Chorus and bridge repeats]
Up high I feel like I’m
Alive for the
Very first time
Set up high I’m strong enough
To take these dreams, and make them mine
[Chorus repeats x2]
Analysis: here, he is saying that when he feels the higher plane of existence in his soul (heaven, or the idea of heaven), it makes him feel alive. It also motivates him to achieve his dreams in life.
Verdict: this song is an invitation for all the people in the world to make it a better place.
