Amy Lee has been quoted saying the song is about losing the comfort of sorrow. Lithium is a mood stabilizer that would take away the sorrow that the writer holds inside and she is not ready to let go of it. She has lived with sorrow so long that losing it now would be like losing a part of herself. That is what the whole refrain is about: "Lithium, Don't want to lock myself up inside, Lithium, Don't want to forget what it feels without, Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow." Lee's lyrics are often metaphorical and the words consist of double meanings. It's about her inner feelings toward herself.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.