Playground school bell rings again
Rain clouds come to play again
Has no one told you she's not breathing?
Hello I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to
Hello

If I smile and don't believe
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream
Don't try to fix me I'm not broken
Hello I'm the lie living for you so you can hide
Don't cry

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping
Hello I'm still here
All that's left of yesterday


Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28, edited by AnekoYoru, TheBananaWoman

Hello Lyrics as written by Ben Moody Amy Lee

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.

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Hello song meanings
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  • +7
    General Comment

    My take: this is someone who's in shock. "Playground schoolbell rings, again/Rainclouds come to play, again" I think the schoolbell is refering to a child that has died. Maybe this is the mother? Rainclouds are like the sadness clouding her mind. "Has no one told you she's not breathing ?/Hello, I am your mind, giving you someone to talk to... Hello... " This is the person's subconscious, a little voice in their head trying to bring them back to reality. The person doesn't want to believe someone has died, and is conflicted. "If I smile and don't believe/Soon I know I'll wake from this dream" She's smiling, like saying "Yea they're dead, ok." But she doesn't really believe it. She thinks its all a dream and she'll wake up soon. "Don't try to fix me/I'm not broken" She's getting mad that everyone keeps asking if she's ok, is eveything alright. She thinks, Of course I'm alright, nothing's wrong. "I am the lie living for you so you can hide/don't cry" There's the little voice again, trying to keep the person sane. This line is like the person is just kind of living their life in the moment, trying not to think about whatever has happened. But inside, she is falling apart. "Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping/ Hello, I'm still here, all that's left/Of yesterday.." Realization. She realizes she is still around, while their loved one is dead. Didn't mean to go that far into it... But Evanescence makes me think. (Geez I did the whole song...)

    linkinparkittenon July 04, 2003   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I agree that this is about her sister's death. She was a child and that's why there's references to playgrounds. Being a child she didn't understand what had happened. when someone told her her sister wasn't coming back, her coping device was denial. When she finally realized the reality of this, it was a huge blow to her, that's why she says that she knows she's not sleeping. It's the whole "This isn't a nightmare. She won't come back." thing we go through when we're little and lose a pet, a friend or a family member. It's actually a really depressing song, but still a beautiful one.

    Kit-Katon June 20, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I KNOW THE ACTUAL MEANING OF THIS SONG. THIS IS NOT MY OPINION. I KNOW HER FAMILY. SHE GRADUATED FROM MY HIGH SCHOOL AND I AM FRIENDS WITH HER SISTER.

    its about her sister bonnie who drowned in the bathtub when she was 3 or 4. i'm not positive but im pretty sure that amys a little bit older than bonnie was. they think she might have had a seziere b/c her brother robbie suffers from sezieres. this song is means a lot to me b/c my mom had a miscarrage and my dad died.

    BoundenInABondon April 09, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I think this song can be interpreted in a few ways. For instance, the person in this song has mentally re-created a lost loved one so that they might resist the anguish of such a loss. This song is an ongoing battle between the person's consience and thier re-creation.

    Another way it can be percieved is that the person in this song is emotionally dead, living a life without purpose. They are at a constant battle with their concience, and thier hungry soul is pulling the life out of them.

    immortalsplendoron July 01, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think this song is about someone who is trying to cope with the death of someone close to them. They are in shock and don't believe that the person has died. They know it has happened, but they can't believe it. I think it is taken from a child's perspective. Maybe the mother died?

    blind lemmonon July 07, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    huh... I always thought she was talking about herself. like as if she was was trying to get rid of the lie that every one thought she was and just be herself. But you guys' story probably makes more sence.

    RL_380on November 18, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I don't think this song is about death when she sings "Has no one told you she's not breathing?"

    These lines show you what it's really about: "Hello, I'm your mind, giving you someone to talk to...Hello.." "Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide... "

    'She' is her true self, and hiding it for so long she feels she's suffocating her true self. She hides it with a lie that she is happy, she hides it because she is unhappy with herself.

    My favourite line in this song has to be: "Don't try to fix me I'm not broken"

    She's sad, but she isn't broken so don't try to fix her. She just wants to find peace, be happy with her true self.

    jossieon March 07, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I ACCEPT AND APPRICATE ALL THE COMMENTS PEOPLE HAVE MADE AS I THINK THIS PARTICULAR SONG CAN BE INTERPRATED IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

    IT HAD NEVER CROSSED MY MIND TILL I READ YOUR COMMENTS THAT IT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH DEATH, BUT I UNDERSTAND NOW.

    MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION OF THE SONG IS THAT SOMEONE WHO IS HIDING FROM THEMSELVES AND LIVING A LIE TO CONCEAL THE COMPLETLY SHATTERED PERSON THAT LIES WITHIN.

    Hello, im the lie, living for you so you can hide, dont cry.

    PROVES EVIDENT TO MY POINT THAT THE PERSON WITHIN IS SO BROKEN AND SCARED THEY HAVW TO CONVINCE THEMSLEVES THEY ARE FINE.

    Hello, I'm your mind, giving you someone to talk to..hello.

    THIS PERSON HAS BECOME SO ISOLATED THEY FEEL THE NEED TO BE REMINDED THEY ARE THERE STILL THERE.

    If I smile and don't believe Soon I know I'll wake from this dream

    I THINK THIS LINE IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT. IT IS LIKE SHE IS SAYING '' MAYBE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME IS JUST A NIGHTMARE, IF I SMILE ON THE OUTSIDE AND PRETEND IM OKAY, MAYBE IL WAKE UP.

    hsa no-one told you shes not breathing?

    THIS IS ALSO SAYING ' IM NOT ALIVE IN HERE.''

    THATS JUST MY INTERPRATATION, IM SURE EVERYONES IS DIFFERENT. =D

    I LOVEEEEEE EVANSCENCE AND AMY LEE IS ISNPARATIONAL

    ladieflavaon March 15, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Amy Lee is a surviving sibling, this is her response to her little sisters death. She was at school when it happened. She is calling out to her parents,letting them know that she is still there and she is not dead. She wants attention from them :)

    soapybubbleon December 18, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    So its about her sister. When I first heard it I saw it being different. I imagined it being that some little kids are playing at a playground. One girl accidentallypushes her friend and her friend falls. When she doesn't get up someone goes and gets their parents. The little girl had hit her head and she dies. The other girl tries to shut it out instead of blaming herself. This is where the song starts. " Playrground school bell rings again. Rainclouds come to play, again. Has no one told you she's not breathing?" She's at school, still, and rainclouds are there. Literally in that it still rains like normal, and also representing peoples sadness. People try to tell her the girl is dead as she tries not to listen. "Hello, I'm your mind, giving you someone to talk to..." She's in shock, instead of facing the real world her mind becomes someone else she can talk to. "If I smile and don't believe, Soon I know I'll wake from this dream/Don't try to fix me I'm not broken" She smiles like normal and pretends its just a dream, she doesn't believe any of it. People should stop asking her if she's ok. She's perfectly fine, because nothing happened.

    "Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide...don't cry..." She starts to realize she's lying to herself, and her mind becomes the lie, telling her to let it continue, and not to cry or even think about it. "Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping. Hello...I'm still here, all that's left of yesterday..." She has to realize what happened, and knows she's not dreaming, its real. But that voice is still there in her head, someone to talk to, some fragment of yesterday.

    maneatingmangoon December 12, 2010   Link

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