I was talking with a young man about his seventh grade in central New Hampshire. He told me that the school often played “Demons” by Imagine Dragons. I looked up the lyrics:

I wanna hide the truth

I wanna to shelter you

But with the beast inside

There’s nowhere we can hide

When you feel my heat

Look into my eyes

It’s where my demons hide

It’s where my demons hide

Don’t get too close

It’s dark inside

It’s where my demons hide

It’s where my demons hide

So they dug your grave

And the masquerade

Will come calling out

At the mess you’ve made

My informant told me he just listened to the song without hearing the words, but when I had him read the lyrics, his shoulders moved with the rhythm of the tune. The song and the words had clearly burrowed deep within him.

As I read the news, more and more young people are committing suicide, and our colleges’ mental health clinics are being overwhelmed with students who are depressed, anxious or otherwise traumatized. Do we really want our middle schoolers learning songs about being dark inside where demons hide?