Linkin Park – Breaking The Habit

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  General Comment:Putting aside the heavy addiction theme, this song has always struck me as a reflection of living with severe depression.

  Flag dalakaon May 15, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:I think it could be about the drug problems Chester had while younger

  Flag George8521on January 27, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:I think it's about a girl (or guy) whose boyriend is out of town for a few more days; she's feeling down (as she always does this time of year); and she wants to use someone so he'll keep her company until lil' Jasmine or Nicole returns for some good lovin'. She's really not going to break any habit. She wants to repeat the cycle at his expense. And he wants none of it 'cause he knows the end result. It doesn't change. Good song.

  Flag cumonbabylitemyfireon December 28, 2012   Link

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• +3
  My Opinion:Ok to start off before I give my opinion what this song means.. I'm just going to say a couple things about everyone's interpretation. This song is about a drug addiction yes, but what most people don't realize is that this song isn't just about that. It's about your own meaning of the song. You may think it means something about an unhealthy relationship, addiction to drugs, addiction to something else, but the real meaning is what you define it as. In Linkin Parks case they made this song about a drug addiction and learning to break that nasty habit of yours.
  
  Bottom line is that: We as people all have problems in life. Some may say, we should fix them, but others may say we should let them go. Once you've overcame your problem you're always going to have another problem occur sometime in your life. You can either try to build up and learn from it(move on) or you can just choose the fact that you have that particular problem and than move on to not worrying about it.

  Flag gurton September 15, 2012   Link

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    If you think this song means something about an unhealthy relationship, that's what you're defining it as, not what the band or what the actual song is about.

    Flag gurton September 15, 2012  
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  Song Meaning:Well to tell you the real meaning of the song ,it is about Chester's drug addiction and Mike wrote the song for him. The way I like to interpret it is self-harm because I'm a self harmer and whenever i listen to the song it helps me not self harm.

  Flagged alexdbzalexon August 14, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:To me, this song is about someone who's misunderstood and has done some bad things. My example would be the Joker. "I don't know how I got this way," would refer to his scars or him becoming an insane criminal. He doesn't know why he does things, he just DOES. The song really speaks to me for that reason, and it always reminds me of some aspect of my life.

  Flag Ari15on July 28, 2012   Link

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  General Comment: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.

  Flag griffon651on July 17, 2012   Link

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    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 ^^

    Flag TheXFactor3on March 22, 2013  
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  My Interpretation:I interpret this song to be about a drug addict.
  
  VERSE 1
  "Memories consume like opening the wounds" - He knows he's addicted, but feels pain over quite being able to stop it. "I'm picking me apart again" could be a metaphor also, about how he's destroying his body with the drugs. As for the rest of the verse, people think he's safe away from drugs, but if he goes too long without them he -could- find a way to get them again.
  
  VERSE 2
  The addict has, after some time, finally got his hands on some drugs. He was out of breath from what it took to get/buy/steal them. He's suffering from withdrawal, which is why he "hurts much more than any time before". Trying to quit is too much, so "he has no other options left" - the "again" hinting that he tried and failed to stop before.
  
  CHORUS
  He wants to get better, not to have to fight the addiction - but it's messed him up. He doesn't know whether it's worth it to fight the addiction or figuratively fight his friends and family (pushing them away because of the drugs). Also, he's starting to think about not WHEN he'll be free of the addiction but IF.
  At the last chorus there ("but now I have some clarity to show you what I mean), previously he had felt like no one around him had truly understood his situation and the power of the addiction, which is why he composed the song.
  Just before the last chorus, he's giving up - "I'll never fight again."
  He believes that it's impossible for him to be free of his addiction("I'll never be alright"), yet he doesn't really want to live as a hopeless addict. The only other option is death, which is how he truly "breaks the habit".
  
  And this is how it ends.
  
  
  Just my two cents.

  Flag YamiNoKaabiion June 22, 2012   Link

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    Interesting perspective though I always assumed it meant he would often rage about things and is in a moment of self-disgust for saying hurtful things or possibly being violent.
    
    "Clutching my cure
    I tightly lock the door
    I try to catch my breath again"
    
    This sounds as if the "cure" is to calm down and think or take a breath before he attempts to confront the "issue" that causes him to habitually loose his temper.

    Flag driftingdreameron June 22, 2012  
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  General Comment:to me, this song is about self mutilation and trying to "break the habbit" of the addiction.

  Flag tbell950on June 12, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:To me:
  
  It reminds me of being in an unhealthy friendship to the point where it was just so painful being with that person. So I gave up on the friendship and terminated it.
  
  "Breaking the habit" is breaking out of the unhealthy relationship and moving on from it.
  
  Also: "I'll paint on the walls" - I interpret it as he is declaring it out loud to the public that he wants change and WILL change. Declaring it out openly is a technique people use when their resolution is to lose weight. By making it public, they are now stating their committed to the decision.

  Flag ichiro3923on January 15, 2012   Link

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