In a interview with MTV News, Amy Lee revealed that the song was inspired by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The song is about loss from the perspective of someone losing someone in a tragedy.
[Verse 1]
Everything is so dark
And I know there's something wrong, but I
Can't turn the light on
In that split second change
When you knew we couldn't hold on, I realized
I live to love you
[Pre-Chorus]
Save yourself, don't look back
Tearing us apart until it's
[Chorus]
All gone
The only world I've ever known
Sleeps beneath the waves
But I remember
[Verse 2]
I won't give up on you
I can feel you in my heart, just show me the way
I don't belong here, alone
I can still see your face
Where it's burned into my mind (Oh-ah)
I die every time
I close my eyes, you're always there
[Pre-Chorus]
Save yourself, don't look back
Tearing us apart until it's
[Chorus]
All gone
The only world I've ever known
Sleeps beneath the waves
But I'm the one who's drowning
Without your love, I am lost
And I can never go back home
[Piano Solo]
[Bridge]
All across the ocean
We are calling, calling
Ah-ah-ah
Ah, are you there?
Nothing left for me 'till I find you
Because it's
[Chorus]
All gone
The only world I've ever known
Sleeps beneath the waves
But I'm the one who's drowning
Without your love, I am lost
And I can never go back, ah
[Outro]
I can never go back home
Never Go Back was written by Amy Lee & Terry Balsamo & Tim McCord & Will Hunt (Drummer).
Never Go Back was produced by Nick Raskulinecz.
Evanescence released Never Go Back on Tue Oct 11 2011.
Lee said in a track-by-track interview with NME:
“Never Go Back” was actually inspired by the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan. While we were writing a bunch of music at pre-production that was going on. And I just remember, you know, we were just watching the news and looking at all these pictures...