I can't listen to music without checking the meaning of lyrics out of fear

Submitted by Flappsy t3_11cqab5 in Music

Hi,

This may sound strange but i listen to metal, with a HUGE exception; i need to google the meaning of all song lyrics before listening out of some weird fear of them giving me like bad/negative energy and giving me bad luck and diseases and stuff like that. For example im super scared of listening to any songs that contain death, satanism, disease or anything negative like that. I'm scared of listening to One by Metallica for example.

Please help I know this isn't normal.

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lego_office_worker t1_ja4eqlh wrote

i dont think its weird. i check lyrics too bc i dont want to listen to music that has messages i dont like.

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SouthofAkron t1_ja4ffw2 wrote

Listen to the lyrics backwards- that tells the real meaning.

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AlasBabylon_ t1_ja4h3da wrote

As I tried to scan through my playlists to find some recommendations for you, it does kind of ring true that you do cover a pretty wide swath of metal music; even progressive metal, which is what my jam tends to be, will deal with such subject matters.

And I was kind of like you at one time, as well. One of the first metal songs I ever listened to was Ozzy Osbourne's "Black Rain," and Ozzy gets kind of heavy-handed with the lyrics in that one. I hated it at the time, feared how apocalyptic it sounded to me... and then I just... kept listening to songs like it, mostly because the friend I had who played it for me liked that kind of music. To some degree it was because I found other bands that could ease me into the genre more, but eventually I could stomach that kind of music; and now some of my favorite songs talk about things like the apocalypse or revenge or the deathly clutch of winter and whatnot.

It's awful advice to tell someone to just "get over it," because that never works, and is incredibly reductive. But what I do like to mention about music like this is that it's very reflective of what Black Sabbath themselves set out to do way back in the 70s - their music was essentially like showing an audio version of a horror flick. It's supposed to be scary, it's supposed to be dark and brooding and moody (of whatever mood a given artist or band goes for), but the point isn't just to scare the listener; it's to provide catharsis. The feeling of having a lyricist growl or sing out such subject matter makes you feel like you're not alone in worrying about it, that it's a fear you're welcome to have and that it doesn't need to be as hopeless as it might seem. When Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer reflects upon how it feels to be an introverted person in "Pisces," the desire to present yourself to others only to get rejected for it... the imagery she uses is evocative, but it comes from a pretty deep place within her. And you can sympathize with that.

If it still scares you, then... that's not something to be ashamed of. There's always, always plenty of music in this and other genres that you can jam to. Recognize, though, that the music is not meant to scare you into submission, or infect you with horrible thoughts - rather, its intentions are to provide catharsis and the drive to move past the desire to be blissfully ignorant of the world and its ills. Because they exist, but we have the power to overcome them, and the music therefore gives that adrenaline you might need.

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MarkusSugarhill t1_ja4hk4w wrote

I do not think that any bad will come over you by lyrics, but I am also not superstitious or religious. But if you feel better, I guess there is no harm done.

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CadeChaos t1_ja4hpc2 wrote

You sound just like my bipolar schizophrenic sister. Fucking stop it. You can't catch diseases from music.

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amnesiac2323 t1_ja4hppw wrote

Talk to your doctor for real, he can help you. Sounds like a little OCD maybe, no problem

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_AskMyMom_ t1_ja4hz29 wrote

Lyrics are what you interpret them as. Metallica’s one is based off a book/movie about anti-war propaganda. Which the book is fantastic, as is the song. The meaning behind One is anti-death or anti-war. Which seems like someone can support; and that’s a fact, but you might interpret that differently than what it actually was meant for, which is fine.

My favorite band is Satanic. But I’m not satanic, I’m more anti-religion, but accepting of 1 god. I think religion divides more than anything, which satanism kind of indulges from Ghost’s (the band) perspective.

Another band I like is very satanic, and sings about worshipping satan. Which is not for everyone, but I enjoy it; but I also like contemporary R&B and country lol.

Anyway, the point is, if you limit yourself, you’re limiting the experience music brings.

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Mahdiyar_ t1_ja4it4r wrote

You probably have some sort of OCD better talk to a therapist about it. Nothing to worry about though

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Motivationgonewrong t1_ja4ji11 wrote

You dont like metal enough if you are scared of IA created lyrics. If you have fear of lyrics, listen to country music. Some stalker shit going on there.

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Kulban t1_ja4nux8 wrote

Just listen to instrumental metal. Problem solved.

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LorenzoStomp t1_ja4qk96 wrote

Replying to Flappsy (#2,034,289)

Sure. Basically your issue is that you have formed some ways of thinking about lyrics that do not line up with reality and are causing you stress. Cognitive Behavior Therapy and other methods can help you to retrain how you think about lyrics and how your brain creates negative beliefs like this so that you can let go of the stress you are already causing yourself and prevent developing new damaging patterns.

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LocalConspiracy138 t1_ja4qrzn wrote

Replying to Flappsy (#2,033,399)

Magic isn't real. Neither are vibes, energies (in a non scientific context), or superstition. They can seem pretty real to individuals though. Magical thinking and paranoia are signs of significant mental health issues. Please seek help, they can get out of control. Something similar happened to my dad.

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LocalConspiracy138 t1_ja4sn0y wrote

Replying to Flappsy (#2,034,534)

No. He's lost everything but his job. He's self employed, but his client list is declining because he shares his paranoid delusions with anyone who will listen.

He refuses help and has dove so deep into it, even family have distanced from him.

A small part of what he explained to me was how he can only watch specific things or listen to specific music because otherwise demons will possess him from it.

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fergehtabodit t1_ja4tndh wrote

I'm sort of the opposite. Since my hearing in the vocal range is so terrible, I rarely understand the lyrics. If I like a song, it is almost never what it's about at first. The vocals are just another instrument of the music and if it works and I like it at some point I might look up the lyrics and learn what the song is about...but sometimes that does ruin it! An example would be The Killers, Quiet Town. It's kind of slow but I liked the music and melodies. but when I read the lyrics I was like "whoa, that's depressing as shit"

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LocalConspiracy138 t1_ja4wul3 wrote

Replying to Flappsy (#2,034,908)

Thoughts like that can spiral though, especially when you add attributes to those thoughts and they aren't correlated.

For example, if you listen to Cannibal Corpse and something bad happens to you, you might think one had happened because of the other, when really both are unconnected events and the bad thing would've happened if you didn't listen to anything at all. You are thinking about somehow there is a connection and there isn't. It's likely a string of events totally unrelated to whatever was going on in your headphones that you connected with the idea of vibes are real. I think it falls under Apophenia in psychology.

Don't let it get out of control or you might eventually hear Ozzy on the radio at a restaurant and move into a 4 room basement house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by out buildings, metal towers, and storage trailers to avoid government surveillance and demons like my dad.

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BrimEll t1_ja5183m wrote

You should embrace satanism not fear it. Your anxiety is definitely coming from a place of thought oppression by your religious culture. Until you come to terms with the ridiculousness of the artifical reality made by religion you will still fear it.

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Killer-Styrr t1_ja56jqp wrote

Like others are saying, it sounds like you've got a really weird obsession, of the OCD variety, and could possibly get this thing straightened out.
You're also missing out on so, so much good music, including tons of positive and powerful songs that use these topics in their narrative in a positive way, or as something to overcome.

Only peripherally related to your question, and I suspect FAR more frequent, is what I do: I'm a lifelong metalhead, and I simply don't/can`t listen to music with negative, as in morally/ethically, messages (i.e., condoning certain forms of violence, racism, sexism, etc.,). My strong distaste for this sort of think ranges from "eww, that's lame I don't think I like/respect this song/band that much" to "I absolutely won't listen to anymore of these losers".

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Neutral_Wolf t1_ja6mjin wrote

As someone who's studied magick. It all comes down to your interpretation of it. It's all the mind manifesting. You can even make something negative into a positive if you interpret it that way. It all comes down to the meaning YOU choose to give it

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