Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: show-tunes
Song Meaning of “The Exile” by Jenn Colella
The Exile paints a picture of a protagonist who has been forced out of their home and is desperately seeking solace and refuge. Behind this metaphor, the song speaks to the underlying themes of identity, belonging, and displacement. The lyrics describe an individual who is struggling to make sense of their current circumstances and trying to figure out how, or where, they fit in. The song further denotes a sense of longing and isolation as the narrator sings about the exile’s journey towards finding a place in the world.
Lyrically, the first verse speaks to this sense of exclusion and displacement as the exiled one cries out in desperation,
“How can I, how can I go on
When I’m in the dark, all alone
Where will I roam, where will I go?
The sky, the stars, no place to call my own.”
The chorus reflects the exile’s determination to overcome these feelings of loneliness and challenge their current circumstances.
The exiled one sings,
“But I’ll fight, I know I must
Break loose these shackles of rust
I’ll stand up, to the empty sky
I refuse to give in, to this the exile’s life.”
The second verse brings up an attempt to make peace with the exile’s newfound home whilst also coming to terms with the tragedy of the circumstances at hand.