The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Awakening" by the artist "Yellowcard"

In Yellowcard's "Awakening," the lyrics depict a protagonist grappling with a painful breakup and seeking a way to move on. He drowns his sorrow in alcohol ("Tonight I’m drinking to the bottom / Of us"), hoping that dawn will bring a new beginning, a liberation from the past ("'Cause with the break of dawn / Comes the rest of my life / And with this empty glass / I break the past").

Awakening symbolizes not just a new day, but a fresh start without his former lover. He acknowledges his obsession with the past relationship, pouring it into his music ("I dedicate to you / This honest hymn"). The protagonist recognizes these feelings might be irrational ("You don’t deserve / A hymn of your own") yet can't overcome them ("I can’t believe / I still care enough to write…").

Despite the pain and emptiness, he clings to the hope of healing ("Yeah, I still miss you / And I guess I always will. / And I’ll live with a busy heart / Until / I find the strength – I know / It’s somewhere inside"). He believes he can "raise the curtain / And continue with the show" of his life.

The song concludes with the protagonist's yearning to erase the painful memories entirely ("And maybe / I’ll see a different fate / Where knowing you / Was just a bad dream"). He strives for change, for self-forgiveness ("They say there’s no rest for the wicked. / Forgive me if I try to change") to finally awaken from this nightmare and embrace a new beginning.