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Evelyn Cornejo

Professor Batty

English 102

22 September 2018

Demi Lovato’s Sober: The song interpreting the struggles with mental health and addiction

For many years, poetry is seen as an artistic and most articulate way to express unrestrained

emotions and till this day envelops in our everyday lives, you may wonder how that is

possible and that only answer is music. Music is the modern way to express and therefore

it easily hooks us as listeners because it can connect with our varied moods. The song

that I chose to evaluate is Sober by Demi Lovato, Lovato has been open about her mental

health and substance abuse recovery but relapsed this year after six years of sobriety.

Knowing how this has been a hard journey in her life she decides to be honest to her fans

through the making of this song. As it says in the title Demi discusses the issues of her

mental health, compulsive addiction and the effect of relapsing which has deeply

impacted her life.

I consider this song to be poetry because the writer uses cacophony in both the music and the

lyrics; it was purposefully made for the audience to feel empathy for victims of any form

of addiction, such as eating disorders, alcoholism, drugs etc. Two literary devices I found

throughout the song was mostly imagery and metaphors. In the beginning of the song, it

thoroughly explains how her addiction destroyed meaningful friendships and other types

of relationships she had. Her interpretation of feeling trapped is related to the term “dying

inside” because her addiction caused her to feel that there is no way out. Therefore, she
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feels guilty for excluding the people she once loved for addiction because they don’t

encourage it:

“I got no excuses for all of these goodbyes/ call me when it’s over cause I’m dying inside/ Wake

me when the shakes are gone/ and cold sweats disappear/call me when it’s over And

myself has reappeared” (Line 1-5)

Not only does it express how the victim is feeling but it also explains the effect of

substance withdrawal since symptoms include cold sweats and insomnia. This could also

interpret symptoms included with eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia which

were experiences that Demi had encountered as well. Through these first lines it guides

us to the pain and suffering, it is both a mental and physical toll as she is trying her best

to escape from it but side effects of emptiness appear. As she aforementioned “Call me

when it’s over and myself has reappeared” the gist of this line she is trying to indicate is

what life was like before having this problem and how it was like after six years of

freedom instead of this regressive state of feeling lost and hopeless. Demi speaks for

every victim, explaining how they lose sense of who they are, their identity becomes

blurred because of their addiction and it heavily controls their sense of well being.

The next line that caught my attention profoundly depicts how Demi struggles with compulsive

behavior that is out of her control. This feeling of loneliness comes along with lost

friendships and relationships that therefore she turns to what she feels she can have a

sense of control, when in fact the addiction controls her:

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“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know why/ I do it every, every, every time/ it’s

only when I’m lonely/ sometimes I just wanna cave/ And I don’t want to fight/ I try and I

try and I try and I try and I try/ just hold me, I’m lonely.” (6-11)

As this line is being read over and over, there are a lot of raw emotions that are depicting her

feeling of human affection absence, the need for support and crying out for help. Demi

wants to cave in as an escape from her dismantled reality and feel no more pain and

suffering. Battling these issues on her own have made her incredibly drained because she

felt like a failure since there has always been this pressure of being a role model in the

public eye. Fighting to recover is a journey and it could have its highs and lows, it could

lead to exhaustion and frustration as it is mentioned on this line of the song above. When

it comes to certain addictions, it becomes easy to give up rather than get better which is a

saddening concept yet there is always a promise and hope for recovery.

Apologies after apologies are not left out, Demi feels like a failure for going back to her old

ways which she has tried to conquer through the years. After the relapse, she felt the need

to say sorry to loved ones and lost friends because she feels a sense of disappointment

within herself. Her difficult childhood was surrounded by an alcoholic father, he turned

to drugs and alcohol instead of his family. They both had a turbulent father/daughter

relationship. Lovato wanted to find out what it could fill in her since emptiness has been

following her for so long:

“Momma I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore/And daddy please forgive me for the drinks

spilled on the floor/ to the ones who never left me we’ve been down this road before/ I’m

so sorry, I’m not sober anymore.” (12-15) As she mentions how drinks are spilled on the
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floor it clearly illustrates how scared she feels about her addiction because it has

expanded. The road is referencing to her history of eating disorders, substance abuse and

drug use in all. Her apology makes the listener feel empathetic of her relapse because

although she is a celebrity, she is also human who is trying to figure herself out by getting

the help she needs.

Overall, this song is definitely considered poetry because it involves a sense of well being and

the importance of mental health by admitting to having a problem which is a brave thing

to do. Recovery seems scary since it’s not about your control but rather it is about taking

care of yourself and it is a process, it can’t be done overnight. It is important to reach out

for help and it is necessary to talk about mental health issues. There is hope, there is

recovery and there are those who give their love and support.

Citation:
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Lovato, Demi. “Sober.” Island Records,2018 Spotify

open.spotify.com/album/4N04d4lvre3E3IbXugDWcA

Appendix A

Sober Lyrics
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[Verse 1]

I got no excuses for all of these goodbyes

Call me when it's over 'cause I'm dying inside

Wake me when the shakes are gone

And the cold sweats disappear

Call me when it's over and myself has reappeared

[Pre-Chorus]

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know why

I do it every, every, every time

It's only when I'm lonely

Sometimes I just wanna cave and I don't wanna fight

I try and I try and I try and I try and I try

Just hold me, I'm lonely

[Chorus]

Momma, I'm so sorry, I'm not sober anymore

And daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor

To the ones who never left me, we've been down this road before

I'm so sorry, I'm not sober anymore

[Verse 2]

I'm sorry to my future love for the man that left my bed
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For making love the way I saved for you inside my head

And I'm sorry for the fans I lost who watched me fall again

I wanna be a role model, but I'm only human

[Pre-Chorus]

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know why

I do it every, every, every time

It's only when I'm lonely

Sometimes I just wanna cave and I don't wanna fight

I try and I try and I try and I try and I try

Just hold me, I'm lonely

[Chorus]

Momma, I'm so sorry, I'm not sober anymore

And daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor

To the ones who never left me, we've been down this road before

I'm so sorry, I'm not sober anymore

I’m not sober anymore

[Outro]

I'm sorry that I'm here again, I promise I'll get help

It wasn't my intention, I'm sorry to myself

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