This is a song about overcoming guilt and cleaning up your life, told through the lens of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Along Came a Spider

Fans of the Sam Raimi Spidey trilogy might recognize this song from Spider-Man 2, one of the most popular superhero movies at the time before an infinite web of Spider-Men swung in. Chris Carrabba was given an exclusive pre-screening of the film to get the vibe of the story. In less than an hour, he had the song written, and that’s how “Left Vindicated” came to be.

The song couldn’t be more drawn from the spirit and essence of the film. Unlike other movie songs that are written as mere disingenuous, lazy cash grabs that seem to have nothing to do with the subject matter, Carrabba took the time and care to make sure his song actually belonged on a Spider-Man soundtrack.

“Left Vindicated” is chocked full of arachnid references, like:

“Hope dangles on a string / Like slow-spinning redemption / Winding in, and winding out / The shine of it has caught my eye”

You don’t have to have spidey senses to catch these allusions. Talk of strings, spinning, winding and dangling is there draws comparisons to the noble, rather than wicked, webs that Peter Parker weaves. And the idea of hope is incited, which is central to virtually all stories of the struggle between good and evil and at the heart of any superhero movie, Spider-Man is no exception.

The idea of hanging from a string takes on a double meaning for our hero as he swings above and about New York. To most listeners, it might incite the more relatable concept of being in an uncertain situation.

The Diamond Ring Scene

In the second verse, Carrabba expands on a passing reference to a shine that has caught the hero’s eye. He underlines it here:

“So clear, like the diamond in your ring / Cut to mirror your intention / Oversized, and overwhelmed / The shine of which has caught my eye”

This stanza invokes a famous scene from the movie in which Parker desperately tries to catch his engagement ring for Mary Jane as both he and it plummet toward the ground. Carrabba uses it as a metaphor, referring to how the cut of the diamond reflects the feelings of the recipient of his affection.

“Vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong / I am right, I swear I’m right / Swear I knew it all along”

The struggle Peter faces in this movie, of whether he can give up being Spider-Man without rejecting the lesson of Uncle Ben, creates complicated and mixed feelings. He’s able to thrive better in his own personal life but faces the guilt that he’s turning his back on the countless people who need his help.

“And I am flawed / But I am cleaning up so well”

A Last-Minute Change

The song Carrabba originally penned for the soundtrack was much less Spider-Man-related and more about his own life. The inspiration for this version came on quite suddenly when he was surfing with his bandmates and their girlfriends in Hawaii. After fifteen minutes, he’d written the song we know today.

Leah Vallak from Sony Pictures thought it was too late to include it in the movie. But the company liked the new song enough to make the last-minute switch, and Carrabba made it happen. In the end, it turned out to be the perfect anthem for one of the most recognizable superheroes: the Queens-based teenage photography nerd turned web-slinging vigilante.

Lyrics

Hope dangles on a string
Like slow-spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye
And roped me in, so mesmerizing, so hypnotizing
I am captivated
I am

Vindicated
I am selfish, I am wrong
I am right, I swear I’m right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now
The things you swore you saw yourself

So clear, like the diamond in your ring
Cut to mirror your intention
Oversized and overwhelmed
The shine of which has caught my eye
And rendered me so isolated
So motivated
I am certain now that
I am

Vindicated
I am selfish, I am wrong
I am right, I swear I’m right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now
The things you swore you saw yourself

So turn up the corners of your lips
Part them and feel my fingertips
Trace the moment, fall forever
Defense is paper thin
Just one touch and I’d be in too deep now
To ever swim against the current

So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip against the current

So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away

Vindicated
I am selfish I am wrong
I am right, I swear I’m right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now
The things you swore you saw yourself

Like hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Christopher Carrabba

Vindicated lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group