Great topic! Every song can mean something different to everyone, to me:
- Hey God is a song about the disillusionment with religion, as you say. It's a powerful song full of anger, that's saying: "Hey god, the world's going to crap. My life sucks, do you ever think about me? About us?". The question that we all asked at least once, "If there's a god, why's everything so hard? Why good people die? Why doesn't he stop the wars?".
- Something For The Pain. Well, I never interpreted this song before, I like the groove and the lyrics on it, but that's all. "Give me something I can use to get me trough the night, make me feel all-right, something like you". Maybe it's something like: "I'm alone, I have nowhere to go, let's get the most of the night together? Give me something that makes me forget I'm alone, to ease the pain for this night?".
- This Ain't A Love Song. Post breakup song, IMO. It says something like: "I thought everything was fine, but I should have got the signals you sent me, I was blind. Then we broke up, I cried, I thought my life was going to end as I never loved anyone like you but now the time has passed by and, maybe I didn't love you that much, maybe there's light at the end of this tunnel".
- These Days. I don't think this is a complex song with a meaning but a song that captures the reality of the world with some invented stories of people that live on it. The thing is, that it captures it so well and in such a beautiful way that makes this song one of the greatest of this band.
- Lie To Me. Song about hard times in a relationship, this talks about economical troubles. Everything sucks so bad that the only thing that keeps you going is her love, so you wish that if the don't love you anymore, that if the blames you for this situation, at least she lies to you... because that's the only thing that you're holding on.
- Damned. "Damn, I know this is wrong. I know you have a boyfriend and I shouldn't be doing this, but **** it! I want you!".
- My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms. I see this as an dark introspective song, and I love it. Sometimes we feel a little like the character of this one: hopeless, feeling dead on life, without seeing hope or anything nice in the world. Also, it's nice to see the progression on the feelings, it starts with an empty soul, but then he starts thinking, letting all out and the screams full of hate appear.
- It's Hard Letting You Go. Well, i gave a lot of interpretations to this one trough the years. I believe that it's about a guy that had lost his wife/girlfriend, lost in the way she died and now nothing it's the same, and it never will be, and it doesn't matter what he does, everything brings him back to the pain and the hopeless feeling that he will never be able to let her go.
- Hearts Breaking Even. "This relationship isn't as it used to, we changed, we don't enjoy ourselves nor life the way we do. Let's call it a day, I know it's gonna hurt but it's better to end it in good terms that with a fight that's gonna hurt us even more".
- Something To Believe In. Wow, this is one of the greatest songs Bon Jovi had ever done. I'm not really sure about the meaning, but I see it as someone that starts questioning everything: life, society, moral, religion. "I don't believe in anything, but I'll pretend I do just to keep playing the game of life, a game nobody wins".
- If That's What I Takes. To me this song is about what we call here in Argentina "jugártela". Here, most of the girls want "que te la juegues" before start a relationship. "I love you and I'm gonna prove it to you doesn't matter how. That's what it takes? Ok, I'll do it".
- Diamond Ring. Beautiful acoustic piece. Doesn't let much place for interpretation. A guy is in love, and wants his girlfriend to be his wife. He wants to take care for her forever, make her happy and tell the world they're together.
Note: When I use quotes with italic, they're quotes of the song, when I use quotes without them is
what I think the song says. I think that I only did an actual quote on Something For The Pain.