Byron's Babbles

I am a huge Asking Alexandria fan and their song “Into The Fire” which was released in 2017 has always caused me to do some heavy reflection every time I hear it. After hearing it again while spending some quality time in the tractor cab recently, I even pulled out my highlighted and heavily annotated copies of C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce and The Problem of Pain while reflecting on the song. I’ll get to the notes I pulled in from those works in a moment. For now let’s discuss “Into the Fire” as a powerful and emotionally charged song that I believe explores themes of inner struggle, pain, and seeking redemption. That is the beauty of great art and artists like the members of Asking Alexandria; it allows us to make our own interpretations. The lyrics allow the listener a dynamic interaction between artist and listener with meaning not always fixed by the artist.

In my reflection and thoughts, the song conveys a sense of facing darkness and trying to overcome personal demons or difficult circumstances. The metaphor of going “into the fire” suggests enduring hardship or confronting intense emotions in the hope of eventual healing or growth. Sometimes we have to realize we are who we are and that we must go into the fire.

Verse 1 of “Into the Fire” says, “I’m not too sure what I’m supposed to do with this; These hands, this mind, this instability; From a cage I created to a Hell that Heaven made.” Here, the lyrics express confusion and uncertainty about how to handle our own abilities and mental state. “These hands” and “this mind” symbolize our physical actions and thoughts, respectively, suggesting we may feel overwhelmed or unprepared to control or utilize them effectively. The mention of “instability” indicates inner turmoil or emotional instability, highlighting inner conflict.

The line, “From a cage I created to a Hell that Heaven made” reflects a sense of self-imprisonment—we’ve created limitations or barriers (“a cage”) around ourselves, perhaps through fears, doubts, or negative patterns. The phrase “to a Hell that Heaven made” suggests that despite the potential for goodness or salvation (“Heaven”), the circumstances or internal struggles have transformed that potential into suffering (“Hell”). It could imply that one’s own actions or perceptions have turned a positive environment into a painful one.

This all reminded me that C. S. Lewis said, “I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside” in The Problem of Pain. Many times we do create our own “cages” that are mentioned in “Into the Fire.” As a Christian, I am reminded we have a choice between Heaven or Hell.

In Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis taught us that pride was the “great sin” that leads to every other vice. The characters in Lewis’s The Great Divorce were reluctant to let go of their sins and attachments, showcasing how pride, resentment, and selfishness can prevent one from achieving redemption. This could be true of the character represented in “Into the Fire.”

My big takeaway from pondering all of this is the reminder of what C. S. Lewis told us in the preface to The Great Divorce: “I think earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in Hell: and earth, if put second to Heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of Heaven itself.” God lets us choose!