In the third stanza, the artist addresses a girl and brings up the social and media expectations of the girl. The artist addresses a boy and a girl in the lyric showing consideration of both genders. He talks about the physical features of a woman that men desire, such as pretty face, long brown hair, and slender waist. Additionally, these are the features media wants girl to run after just like society’s expectations of the girl. However, he openly exposes the fate of such pretty girl in the society. Yes, she has a ring around her finger displaying that she found her perfect man. However, no one knows how pleasant life she has due to her beloved man. She suffers from hurts and pains silently and secretly, like the artist says, “a pain inside”. expectations of the society and media.
The girl feels lost, which is just a deep state of depression. She is depressed but she is unable to tell anyone about it. She thought she found the man who would look after her, take care for her, and safeguard her just like her dad, like artist implies in his saying, “‘But he’s really nothing like your dad”. However, he leaves her alone in the darkness of night, as the artist says, “He goes at night, but he’s not there”. Even though the girl feels mad due to whatever she goes through, there is nothing left to be done. It is interesting that the artist left the girl with a negative and depressing ending in contrast to the boy, as is implied in his saying, “Sister, I can hardly blame you for feeling bad”. He did not guide her to anything else, as if she is lost in her dark life. There is no way to be out of that life.
In the last eight lines, the artist talks about how everyone is waiting for a better life. In fact, how everyone is waiting to be free from the fear of being social outcast for opposing social norms. It is only due to this ancient fear that the girl and the boy are suffering from internal pains while lost, as is implied in artist’s saying, “We lie here waiting for the ancient fear
to loosen its hold”. The artist is hoping this fear would loosen its hold before each young boy and girl is torn apart in the lion’s den, i.e. the social and mass media ads’ expectations. As a result, the artist ends his lyric saying, “Before we’re torn apart”.
“Lion’s Den” is a lyric that shows the effects of societal trends in current music. As a result, the artist explores the life of a boy and a girl who are suffering from various challenges that the society and media set up for them. A boy is expected to be rich and smart while a girl is expected to be pretty with slender waist. In trying to meet the expectations of the society and mass media, both the boy and the girl silently suffer from severe depression. They wish to be free from such pains. However, the artist directs the boy to tear up the signs and symbols of upper class to be free while he leaves the girl with her miseries. It is as if the girl is doomed for following the leads of the society and mass media whereas the boy has a way out to be free and to be his unique self.
By: Nasrin Akther