This is one of my favorite songs of all time. The song describes the thoughts/emotions of someone who is about to commit suicide. It also refers to what may have caused the person to become that way. The lyrics are very general and vague so almost can relate to it. They can refer to almost any great emotional/physical struggle life gives us. Lost love, unrequited love, abusive relationship, cheating spouse, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, sexual abuse, bullying, PTSD, war trauma, self-harm, self-image issue etc. The list goes on and on.
It’s such a beautiful song. It brings out the thoughts that someone who is suicidal more accurately, clearly and emotionally than any other song I have heard. If you want just a small idea of how horrible a person going through those experiences goes through, just listen to this song.
By the way, anyone who has previously post that this song is about “breaking the habit” of drug addiction or whatever someone’s problem might be should have a closer look at the lyrics. This is clearly NOT an inspirational song about getting over your problems. This is made clear towards the end with the lines:
“I will never fight again and this is how it ends” and “I don’t know how I got this way I’ll never be alright so I’m breaking the habit tonight” This is clearly saying that the person stopped fighting to fix their problem and has given up. He knows he will never get over his experience. It has made him so suicidal that he is going to kill himself tonight.
Maybe you have a pessimistic point of view. When I hear the refrain I understand that he's going to stop fighting to be normal,he's going to do what he wants,and that's what he means by breaking the habit.
Maybe you have a pessimistic point of view. When I hear the refrain I understand that he's going to stop fighting to be normal,he's going to do what he wants,and that's what he means by breaking the habit.
Oilblackstar: Based on the lyrics of this song I think there is only one meaning that makes sense when you look at every line in the song. I didn't want to make my meaning post overly long so I left some things out. The only meanings to a song that works are ones that make sense when you can tie that meaning to every line in the song.
Oilblackstar: Based on the lyrics of this song I think there is only one meaning that makes sense when you look at every line in the song. I didn't want to make my meaning post overly long so I left some things out. The only meanings to a song that works are ones that make sense when you can tie that meaning to every line in the song.
Your meaning of "he is going to start doing what he wants and stop trying to be normal" does make sense when you look at the refrain by itself. However, when you look at the second verse then the positive meaning doesn't work. In the second verse he is talking about "clutching his cure" and "I hurt much more then anytime before I have no options left again." So that tells you that he is breaking the habit by doing something physical. "Breaking the habit by trying to stop being normal" doesn't make sense when you look at that verse. Especially when you look at the rest of the verse "I have no options left again." Breaking the habit in the sense your talking about only requires a mental change. He is obviously talking about a physical change in "breaking the habit."
So we can establish that whatever his situation may be, its causing him unbearable pain and he has no options left but to break the habit. "Trying to stop being normal" can't take the pain he is describing away. Because its not being abnormal that's causing his pain, its whatever his problem is that's causing the pain. The only way he can stop that pain is through suicide.
@griffon651 I agree, and now incredibly sadly confirmed, years after this song was written. Also, I think Chester's use of the word "Tonight" really adds a lot of power and poignancy to the lyrics If he would have said anything else, the line would not be as powerful, but "tonight" really evokes a lot here just that word. anyway, the world lost a great artist.
@griffon651 I agree, and now incredibly sadly confirmed, years after this song was written. Also, I think Chester's use of the word "Tonight" really adds a lot of power and poignancy to the lyrics If he would have said anything else, the line would not be as powerful, but "tonight" really evokes a lot here just that word. anyway, the world lost a great artist.
@griffon651 Edit here - I looked up the song on wikipedia and there is a note stating that Mike started writing this before Bennington was even in the band. "Mike Shinoda began writing the song before he met Bennington based on another close friend's drug addiction.".
@griffon651 Edit here - I looked up the song on wikipedia and there is a note stating that Mike started writing this before Bennington was even in the band. "Mike Shinoda began writing the song before he met Bennington based on another close friend's drug addiction.".
Fwdvision: Your absolutely correct. I should have clarified what I meant in that other post. Mike did write the song about a friend of his. But when Chester heard the song it must have struck a chord with him because he couldn't sing the song without crying sometimes. I thought the song reminded him of past issues that he dealt with and those issues were already resolved by this point in his life. Sadly with his passing its clear that he was still dealing with his demons.
Fwdvision: Your absolutely correct. I should have clarified what I meant in that other post. Mike did write the song about a friend of his. But when Chester heard the song it must have struck a chord with him because he couldn't sing the song without crying sometimes. I thought the song reminded him of past issues that he dealt with and those issues were already resolved by this point in his life. Sadly with his passing its clear that he was still dealing with his demons.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. The song describes the thoughts/emotions of someone who is about to commit suicide. It also refers to what may have caused the person to become that way. The lyrics are very general and vague so almost can relate to it. They can refer to almost any great emotional/physical struggle life gives us. Lost love, unrequited love, abusive relationship, cheating spouse, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, sexual abuse, bullying, PTSD, war trauma, self-harm, self-image issue etc. The list goes on and on.
It’s such a beautiful song. It brings out the thoughts that someone who is suicidal more accurately, clearly and emotionally than any other song I have heard. If you want just a small idea of how horrible a person going through those experiences goes through, just listen to this song.
By the way, anyone who has previously post that this song is about “breaking the habit” of drug addiction or whatever someone’s problem might be should have a closer look at the lyrics. This is clearly NOT an inspirational song about getting over your problems. This is made clear towards the end with the lines:
“I will never fight again and this is how it ends” and “I don’t know how I got this way I’ll never be alright so I’m breaking the habit tonight” This is clearly saying that the person stopped fighting to fix their problem and has given up. He knows he will never get over his experience. It has made him so suicidal that he is going to kill himself tonight.
You should give a listen to VNV Nation Ghost, Blue October Into the Ocean, Elizabeth on the bathroom floor by the Eels to name a few ^^
You should give a listen to VNV Nation Ghost, Blue October Into the Ocean, Elizabeth on the bathroom floor by the Eels to name a few ^^
Maybe you have a pessimistic point of view. When I hear the refrain I understand that he's going to stop fighting to be normal,he's going to do what he wants,and that's what he means by breaking the habit.
Maybe you have a pessimistic point of view. When I hear the refrain I understand that he's going to stop fighting to be normal,he's going to do what he wants,and that's what he means by breaking the habit.
Oilblackstar: Based on the lyrics of this song I think there is only one meaning that makes sense when you look at every line in the song. I didn't want to make my meaning post overly long so I left some things out. The only meanings to a song that works are ones that make sense when you can tie that meaning to every line in the song.
Oilblackstar: Based on the lyrics of this song I think there is only one meaning that makes sense when you look at every line in the song. I didn't want to make my meaning post overly long so I left some things out. The only meanings to a song that works are ones that make sense when you can tie that meaning to every line in the song.
Your meaning of "he is going to start doing what he wants and stop trying to be normal" does make sense when you look at the refrain by itself. However, when you look at the second verse then the positive meaning doesn't work. In the second verse he is talking about "clutching his cure" and "I hurt much more then anytime before I have no options left again." So that tells you that he is breaking the habit by doing something physical. "Breaking the habit by trying to stop being normal" doesn't make sense when you look at that verse. Especially when you look at the rest of the verse "I have no options left again." Breaking the habit in the sense your talking about only requires a mental change. He is obviously talking about a physical change in "breaking the habit."
So we can establish that whatever his situation may be, its causing him unbearable pain and he has no options left but to break the habit. "Trying to stop being normal" can't take the pain he is describing away. Because its not being abnormal that's causing his pain, its whatever his problem is that's causing the pain. The only way he can stop that pain is through suicide.
@griffon651 I agree, and now incredibly sadly confirmed, years after this song was written. Also, I think Chester's use of the word "Tonight" really adds a lot of power and poignancy to the lyrics If he would have said anything else, the line would not be as powerful, but "tonight" really evokes a lot here just that word. anyway, the world lost a great artist.
@griffon651 I agree, and now incredibly sadly confirmed, years after this song was written. Also, I think Chester's use of the word "Tonight" really adds a lot of power and poignancy to the lyrics If he would have said anything else, the line would not be as powerful, but "tonight" really evokes a lot here just that word. anyway, the world lost a great artist.
@griffon651 Edit here - I looked up the song on wikipedia and there is a note stating that Mike started writing this before Bennington was even in the band. "Mike Shinoda began writing the song before he met Bennington based on another close friend's drug addiction.".
@griffon651 Edit here - I looked up the song on wikipedia and there is a note stating that Mike started writing this before Bennington was even in the band. "Mike Shinoda began writing the song before he met Bennington based on another close friend's drug addiction.".
Fwdvision: Your absolutely correct. I should have clarified what I meant in that other post. Mike did write the song about a friend of his. But when Chester heard the song it must have struck a chord with him because he couldn't sing the song without crying sometimes. I thought the song reminded him of past issues that he dealt with and those issues were already resolved by this point in his life. Sadly with his passing its clear that he was still dealing with his demons.
Fwdvision: Your absolutely correct. I should have clarified what I meant in that other post. Mike did write the song about a friend of his. But when Chester heard the song it must have struck a chord with him because he couldn't sing the song without crying sometimes. I thought the song reminded him of past issues that he dealt with and those issues were already resolved by this point in his life. Sadly with his passing its clear that he was still dealing with his demons.