Finding ones identity againts the expectations imposed by family and culture is an universal theme. “Numb” is song that tells of the tangled ties between two generations, and the conflict of assimilating the life of the parents while discovering ones identity. According to Billboard News Report, “Numb” was the biggest song of the year on the chart—selling over 10 million albums wordwide. Trough this American rock song the public can empathize with the main character and explore the expectations bestowed on us by our parents and the mean by which we come to define ourselves.
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
I don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
Can't you see that you're smothering me?
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control?
Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
And I know I may end up failing too
But I know you were just like me
With someone disappointed in you
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
I don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
Can't you see that you're smothering me?
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control?
Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
And I know I may end up failing too
But I know you were just like me
With someone disappointed in you
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
The character of the song stands alone in the crowd of students and seems not to find herself to be confident within any group. The character screams through her art work to her mother “…all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you…”. The character does not find the freedom to find personal identity because the character is focused on fulfilling the expectations of the parent. The strogest verse is:
“And I know
I may end up failing too
But I know
You were just like me with someone disappointed in you”
The song is a tale of solitude that shows the conflict of finding oneself among bitter ties between generations. It shows the actions and expectations imposed on us by our parents are greatly influenced by the expectations that were imposed on them by their parents. This is expectations follow a generational cycle that could be positive or negative.
