Imagine Dragons, ‘Demons’ – Song Meaning

Kelly Clarkson once sang about everyone having a dark side. Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons are doing the same, but in a different, guitar-driven way, with their song 'Demons.'

We all have some sort of demons inside us. We all fight them. We don't always succeed in defeating them, but we try just the same. In this song, in which the band sounds like an Americanized Coldplay, the protagonist is waging that internal battle.

Here's our read of the song.

"When the days are cold / And the cards all fold / And the saints we see / Are all made of gold."

Things are not always what they seem, except, perhaps, when things start going south? Is that when the true colors are seen and when someone shows they are made of gold? Or do they let their dark side prevail? You find out if the tough get going when the going gets tough.

"I wanna hide the truth / I wanna shelter you / But with the beast inside / There’s nowhere we can hide."

Despite his best efforts, the narrator cannot bury or drown the dark side. He is making a valiant effort to protect someone from experiencing that element of his personality, but it doesn't seem to be working. Perhaps it's best to stop stuffing it down and let it out and move on, since trying and failing to suffocate it can only exacerbate the problem and create further tension. Resolve the conflict and move on, maybe?

"No matter what we breed / We still are made of greed / This is my kingdom come / This is my kingdom come."

Ah, the band uses a bit of a religious metaphor. We can try to live a good life, but there are still elements of darkness. It's best to accept and acknowledge it, and manage things from there.

That's our interpretation of Imagine Dragons' 'Demons.' What do you think PopCrushers? Do you find a different deeper meaning in the song?

Watch the Imagine Dragons 'Demons' Video