Second Chance (Shinedown Song) - Song Meaning / Music Video

Song Meaning / Music Video

At Pointfest 22, lead singer Brent Smith told the audience;

"It's important for you to hear this... When I grew up, everyone was okay with being in a bubble. They were cool in their circle. That's fine. But no one should discourage someone if they have a dream, if they want something more This song was difficult for me to write the lyrics to because it's about my mother and my father, and about the day I said goodbye to them, because I had to go try, and I'm still trying, every day, to become a man. So, this song is about that. It's about the moment that you wake up and you decide you want to go for every single dream you ever want." —Brent Smith, Pointfest 22

The official music video for the song premiered on January 8, 2009 on MSN Music. It starts with a teenage girl sitting on a bench at night, and lead singer Brent Smith in the background. It shows that she has a job helping a fisherman. She also has a boyfriend. She aspires to be a ballerina, and wants to go to a dance school. She is seen dancing in her garage a few times in the music video. However, her family is somewhat dysfunctional, with her parents shown fighting all the time. She looks out for her younger brother, and often takes care of him. When she asks her mother for permission to go to the school one day, her mother immediately refuses, showing her bills, and shouting at her. The girl thinks about all the things in her life that make her happy, and decides to run away to attend the school. She leaves a note for her parents, and she looks in on her younger brother asleep, before leaving the house. She then goes to the bench where the music video began, bringing the music video to full circle. When her parents read the note, it makes them realize that they didn't make the best choices in raising her, but they have a second chance by choosing to let her go.

Lead singer, Brent Smith, is shown singing alone on a hill throughout the video, and the girl is shown practicing her dancing in the garage frequently. At the end of the video, the girl gets on a bus, where Brent Smith and the other members of the band are riding on as well.

The video was shot on Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. It was shot at various locations on the Island, including Periwinkle Plaza in Anna Maria, the Silver Surf resort in Bradenton Beach and the Star Fish Company in Cortez. The video stars a couple of local people; the girl is played by Alanna Massey, of nearby Parrish FL, and the little brother is William Bernet who lives across the street from Corky and Brenda Parker’s house whose home is featured as the girl's home in the video.