So Cold is one of my favorite songs by the band called Breaking Benjamin. It was released on 30th March 2004.
Song Meaning
So, according to different sources, Benjamin Burnley was watching a movie called 28 Days Later which is about a virus called ‘Rage’ released in Great Britain wreaking havoc in the area. So, it got him thinking on certain lines and he eventually wrote the song ‘So Cold’ which was kind of based on the movie theme.
However, he gave a detailed description of what the song actually meant. The song is filled with different thoughts and things worth wondering about. The lyrics called ‘Wise Men wonder while Strong Men Die’ is taking a look at how different the psychology of people is. Certain things might mean different to different people. There are strong men who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the society and at the same time there are wise people who like to ponder upon things and take a step back before acting upon ideas. So, these individuals are quite well respected however their ways of thinking are completely different.
Satisfied and empty inside is basically talking about the fact that people who are ignorant are empty in terms of knowledge but they are completely satisfied. The reason is that ignorance is bliss. If you don’t have any knowledge you can be quite happy as nothing is going to bother you.
In the end, so cold is about being so detached from everything that one is at peace all the time. At the same time, Burnley talks about how it is impossible to really be that way because as human beings we have our priorities and tend to care about something or the other.
Ben was alone in New York at the time when he was writing this song. He was in a Manhattan hotel where he had time off to focus on himself and his inner feelings. Being cutoff from the world, he got a lot of ideas which helped in song writing. It was quite a difficult time for him and he spoke about how it was very helpful for him in terms of developing his career.
Music Video
The music video is separate from the lyrics of the song in my opinion. According to a source, it was stated that the man is being punished for a sin most likely cheating on his wife. I don’t know if its true or not, but seems like a feasible explanation. The man however could be punished for some other reason also but it is not mentioned in the video. The man is seen carrying a huge stone and ends up draining in the swamp or pond.
