"What I've Done" as written by Chester Charles Bennington, Robert G. Bourdon, Brad Delson, Mike Shinoda, Dave Farrell and Joseph Hahn....
In this farewell
There's no blood, there's no alibi
'Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth of a thousand lies
So let mercy come and wash away
What I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
Put to rest what you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty
So let mercy come and wash away
What I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
For what I've done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I'm forgiving what I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
(Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na)
What I've done
(Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na)
Forgiving what I've done
(Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na)
(Na na na na)
There's no blood, there's no alibi
'Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth of a thousand lies
So let mercy come and wash away
What I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
Put to rest what you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty
So let mercy come and wash away
What I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
For what I've done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I'm forgiving what I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
(Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na)
What I've done
(Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na)
Forgiving what I've done
(Na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na)
(Na na na na)
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What's the song's problem or tension? Guilt over past actions. I'm a Christian, so I am naturally going to interpret this, very easily, as a song about sin, God's forgiveness, and the need to move beyond the guilt. This is not to say that LP is in any way religious, however they have chosen certain phrases ("So let mercy come and wash away..." for example) that they must know will appeal to a religious listener, particularly one that is Christian. If this song was performed by a band in the Christian fringe line Underoath, Head (Brian Welch), or even Lifehouse, how would it be interpreted? It would get heavy play on Christian radio and in Christian Youth Groups.
What's your world-view? Are you a secular-humanist? An environmentalist? Supporter of animal rights? The good thing about the song is that there is a positive message in there for you, too.
And in the end, if you begin to ponder the idea of God and His Grace and Mercy, that's great, too. Have an open mind and heart.
I agree with your interpretation of the song. I am not a religious person at all. To me, it meant something a little different. I trouble handling the stress of being a whistle blower, trying for my PhD and all of these things. I was drinking excessively and at times completely out of control. She put up with it until the day she discovered that I had cheated on her and we broke up.
After months had passed, I recently sent this song to my ex-gf (before ever watching the music video). I have been trying to "win her back" since. For me it meant, that everything we think we know about "therapy" is incorrect. Think of AA or NA, "Hi my name is X and I'm an alcoholic". I believe that VERY LINE is the reason programs like AA only have a 3% success rate. Every-time, you say "I am" anything, your brain strengthens those neural connections. Effectively, you become what you believe. Your entire life is based on beliefs, the beliefs that if you sit in a chair you wont fall through it, or hit a wall it will stop you. However, there is nothing innate about these properties. Humans (homo-sapiens) have an incredibly developed per-frontal cortex and I believe that by focusing the energy of this, you can re-wire your brain, your neural connections, almost instantly. I practice meditation for hours, take Omega 3, 6, 8 etc. and then go to sleep. I wake up the next day feeling different.
As Charlie Sheen said once in an interview I had a problem but I don't anymore. I rewired my brain in a nano-second and it was a gone. Of course nobody believed him and thought he was crazy. But I believe that is the moment in my life when I realized that he wasn't crazy, he was right. We all have the power to rewire our brains if we only try.
Instead of saying "I am", or "I have" this to anything negative. You should instead replace this with, "I don't have a problem with X", or "I am not X". Also, use "passed tense" when referring to a problem. "I had a problem with X" etc.
Back to the song:
I believe the Linkin Park discovered the same thing. Listen to the lyrics:
"I'll face myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done"
It seems so simple, "Erase myself", "cross out what I've done". Because it IS that simple.
"Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty"
He's changed, put to rest what you thought of me. He's cleaning his slate, but he's lost (likely experiencing "lost dreams", as I do all the time). Because he is uncertain of his destination yet he still believes he can clean the slate.
Anyways, maybe this will add something to the way you perceive the world.
You cannot "earse yourself...for what I've done." That requires someone else to forgive you.
The sound is great...but the lyrics are problematic and distrubing, to say the least.
Clearly writing to folk that want the power to erase their own sins. Sorry folks...it does not work like that.
Cdad was here...
Wash away - forgetting the old stuff
I start again - In with the new stuff
hands of uncertainity
what ever pain may come-they are unsure about how it will be recieved and frankly don't care
At least that's what I think though it's all about interpretation.
In the video, there are clips of wars, scandals, global warming, etc. and I think that the song is trying to say that we can fix all of this by starting over. For so long, we have denied global warming, let conflicts between countries continue and haven't really learned from the past. If we just face the music, and try to work on all of these issues, the future may not look quite so bleak.
I was expecting a bit more from the single, but of course this is the only song out at the moment, so I hope that the album is as eclectic as the band says it is. And Mike, what's with the "na na na"'s at the end? Siiiiing!
Yes, the video shows how the song is refering to mankind's faults, but I think it can also be interpreted as in personal relationships, and something makes me think that this was the first intent that inspired the songwriting (that's just a feeling though).
Forgive me, I never intended to do all that s*it to you. I run out of hopes and out of control, while I should have protected you.
Forgive me, Chiara, I love you.
I read the interview in KERRANG last year... how they were saying that they looked at the songs that sold best and emulated them. I hate to say it but it feels like theyve sold out their image.
They said in the same interview that people saying they were nu-metal was like saying they sucked. Complete crap. The other big players in Nu-metal, (IMO) disturbed, KORN etc. Theyre sticking with it and their fans love them for it. With Minutes to midnight... i lost my respect for LP... almost completely. If they bring out a new album, ill be very wary to buy it.
While the lyrics are still fairly consistent with their old stuff, the music comes dangerously close to pop-rock.
Then again, I wasn't a big fan of the Jay-Z thing, and Fort Minor wasn't too great, and this sort of thing seems to have gone in a completely different direction to all that.
I guess I'll probably buy the album, but by changing their rather distinctive sound Linkin Park risk losing their identity.
Man is something that must be overcome.
This song is great. Or good at least, can't wait to hear linkin parks new upcoming album... it should be good. Although i'm hoping to hear mike in their songs as much as chester.