Lyrical Analysis
"Never Again" deals with the issue of a child's mother's abuse. The events depicted in the song are seen through the eyes of a child, who regularly watches his/her mother being brutally beaten by her violent husband. The young age is evidenced by the lines
"I hear her screamfrom down the hall...
She cries to me,
Go back to bed"
By the second verse, the child's mother's injuries have brought her to the hospital, where she lies to the nurse about their source (claiming to have "slipped and fallen"). The nurse, however, is not convinced that her injuries are sustained by a simple fall, and suspects that she is the victim of domestic violence, hence the lines
"She looks at youShe wants the truth"
The child's father's violent actions towards his/her mother causes the child to develop a deep hatred for his/her father. This is evidenced in the bridge to the third verse:
"Father's a name you haven't earned yetYou're just a child with a temper"
The lyrics also suggest that the child plans to beat his/her father in retribution:
"Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure"By the third verse, the child's mother is about to face this brutal torment yet again; only this time, she grabs the gun and shoots her husband in self-defense.
Read more about this topic: Never Again (Nickelback Song)
Famous quotes containing the word analysis:
“Whatever else American thinkers do, they psychologize, often brilliantly. The trouble is that psychology only takes us so far. The new interest in families has its merits, but it will have done us all a disservice if it turns us away from public issues to private matters. A vision of things that has no room for the inner life is bankrupt, but a psychology without social analysis or politics is both powerless and very lonely.”
—Joseph Featherstone (20th century)