Lyrics for Breaking The Habit as interpreted by ruben

Breaking The Habit Lyrics
Memories consume
Like opening the wounds
I’m picking me apart again
You all assume
I’m safe here in my room
(unless I try to start again)

I don’t want to be the one
The battles always choose
‘Cause inside I realize
That I’m the one confused

I don’t know what’s worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don’t know why I instigate
And say what I don’t mean
I don’t know how I got this way
I know it’s not alright
So I’m
Breaking the habit
Tonight

Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again
I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I had no options left again

I don’t want to be the one
The battles always choose
‘Cause inside I realize
That I’m the one confused

I don’t know what’s worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don’t know why I instigate
And say what I don’t mean
I don’t know how I got this way
I know it’s not alright
So I’m
Breaking the habit
Tonight

I’ll paint it on the walls
‘Cause I’m the one at fault
I’ll never fight again
And this is how it ends

I don’t know what’s worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I’ll never be alright
So I’m
Breaking the habit
Breaking the habit
Tonight

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green_monkey
05-07-2004

Rated 0 
I agree that this song could be about either self-mutilation or suicide but I think that the 'habit' could also be about hostility maybe. I think it's saying how he has all this anger in him and self-deprecating thoughts because, 'I'm picking me apart again' and he might lash out at people (or vice versa) which turns into fights with people but he hates fighting and doesn't mean to and questions why he does it thus,
'I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
Cause inside I realize that I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright '
.
It's emotionally and physically draining as it says, 'I try to catch my breath again' and he can't express how he is feeling to everyone else or even himself which triggers self-harm or depressing thoughts as 'Memories consume Like opening the wounds.
I'm picking me apart again.' He thinks it's his fault for all the pain he and other people feel 'Cause inside I realize that I'm the one confused', or maybe he also doesn't want to be living with them either anymore, and thinks the only way out is by commiting suicide because he might 'have no options left again.' Maybe he is depressed but no one understands this and thinks he just has a bad 'habit.' It also says 'again' so he may have thought about committing suicide before and didn't go through with it but now he 'hurts much more than any time before' or perhaps it didn't work. He doesn't know how to say what is going through his head so by committing suicide he can 'have some clarity, To show you what I mean. ' So the 'habit' could be his inability to communicate his feelings with others which leads in fights and violent outbursts which he thinks is wrong and feels guilty and regretful about, because the chorus is says that he doesn't know why he 'instigates' those things towards others and then says, 'I don't know how I got this way, I know it's not alright. So I'm breaking the habit tonight.' But I think everyone is right about all the different meanings. This is just another slightly different idea.

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linkinparkbabe13
05-11-2004

Rated 0 
i think that it's about his problem with self-mutilation and how he tries to stop and he's told everyone that he's okay now but he is temted to go back and hurt himself again.

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Celtic_Demon
05-13-2004

Rated 0 
Very good song. It could be about suicide, but it could be about vampires too.

"Memories consume
like opening the wound."
Doesn't that sound like something a vampire would say.
"You all assume
i'm safe here in my room.
Unless i try to start again"

See?

It's a good song, no matter how complicated the lyrics are.

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nowhere_fast
05-15-2004

Rated 0 
To start with - this is one of the best off the album (fuckin cool film clip they just released too!)

I agree with Methmeth and all the stuff she said. To me its about self mutilation. Bout a year ago i went thru all that shit and it hurt alot of ppl.
Im pretty much ova it now but i see this song as my themesong coz it was really hard to 'break the habbit'

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impact__
05-15-2004

Rated 0 
It shows a girl dealing with her self image (the girl writing nothing) and there's also the girl who finds out her partner is cheating on her, that's why she throws the shopping bags at him). I think you all pretty much got it spot on, it's about self harm/mutilation and trying to find a resolution.

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Sickerth
05-21-2004

Rated 0 
The song is about self-injury.. Or at least, I think it is. MethMeth has said everything, I wanted to say.. :)

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LPSTchick
05-22-2004

Rated 0 
Hi, uh, yeah. I'm on the LP streetteam and in LPU and I'm totally obsessive with Linkin Park and so I've studied anything I can about them. This song was written by Mike initially and some things retouched by Chester even though he sings the entire song. The song is about (for Chester) not trying to hurt yourself literally because he used to be addicted to crack and stuff because he had a hard childhood but I think Mike meant for it to be about just keeping yourself safe. Don't literally hurt yourself, watch what you say, and just try to protect yourself and so whatever you're doing to make your own life suck, you can stop it.

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jenlovesmusic
05-23-2004

Rated 0 
this song is so sad,the sound of it,the feel of it the vibe you get from it its simply an end to something,its like making a point that you have finally had enough and this is it like the final word,it makes me cry personally cos sometimes i feel so empty and like im so lost....ppl sayin this is about drug habits but do they really know that? i hope it aint its kind of a let down knowing that fact cos id rather it b about loss of self belief so that i can relate lol

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wang_mayo_baker
05-25-2004

Rated 0 
try putting spaces between the verces, bridges, and choruses ruben. try this

Memories consume
Like opening the wounds
I'm picking me apart again
You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again

I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
Cause inside I realize
that I'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again
I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I have no options left again

I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
Cause inside I realize
that I'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

I'll paint it on the walls
Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

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1168
05-29-2004

Rated 0 
There has been a lot of talk about the nature/accessibility of Linkin Park’s lyrics, since they inexplicably hit it big a few years back. Now, if you are currently a young person, living in this day and age (who else populates such a website?), the chances are quite good that you spent a substantial portion of your junior/high school years feeling frustrated, miserable, alone, and misunderstood. Hey, it happens to everyone, including myself, and many of us endured deep depression, thoughts of suicide, staying up all night eating corn chips and wondering how to get yourself a social life, or what have you. The problem with lyrics like these is that they deliver everything a sad young person wants to hear on a silver platter; we as a generation are self-absorbed enough to see our problems in anything that even vaguely relates to our past experiences, and it’s a sad sign of our times that legions of fans have rallied behind such generic complaints. Ideally, these lyrics would make some insight beyond what is obvious to any teenager, or deliver them in a manner that seems less trite and overused; as it stands, they could be interpreted as anything from relationship troubles to manic depression to biting your nails to your cunt of a stepmom not letting you out past curfew on a school night. Creativity in music should ideally extend beyond a laundry list of youthful angst, delivered in a dated rap/metal synthesis. A little searching, a little more effort, could reveal a treasure trove of wonderful artists that can do anything that this particular band does, better.

P.S. get a job, all of you... for Christ's sake

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1168
05-29-2004

Rated 0 
There has been a lot of talk about the nature/accessibility of Linkin Park’s lyrics, since they inexplicably hit it big a few years back. Now, if you are currently a young person, living in this day and age (who else populates such a website?), the chances are quite good that you spent a substantial portion of your junior/high school years feeling frustrated, miserable, alone, and misunderstood. Hey, it happens to everyone, including myself, and many of us endured deep depression, thoughts of suicide, staying up all night eating corn chips and wondering how to get yourself a social life, or what have you. The problem with lyrics like these is that they deliver everything a sad young person wants to hear on a silver platter; we as a generation are self-absorbed enough to see our problems in anything that even vaguely relates to our past experiences, and it’s a sad sign of our times that legions of fans have rallied behind such generic complaints. Ideally, these lyrics would make some insight beyond what is obvious to any teenager, or deliver them in a manner that seems less trite and overused; as it stands they could be interpreted as anything from relationship troubles to manic depression to biting your nails to your cunt of a stepmom not letting you out past curfew on a school night. Creativity in music should ideally extend beyond a laundry list of youthful angst, delivered in a dated rap/metal synthesis. A little searching, a little more effort, could reveal a treasure trove of wonderful artists that can do anything that this particular band does, better.

P.S. get a job, all of you… for Christ’s sake

Log in to reply
1168
05-29-2004

Rated 0 
There has been a lot of talk about the nature/accessibility of Linkin Park’s lyrics, since they inexplicably hit it big a few years back. Now, if you are currently a young person, living in this day and age (who else populates such a website?), the chances are quite good that you spent a substantial portion of your junior/high school years feeling frustrated, miserable, alone, and misunderstood. Hey, it happens to everyone, including myself, and many of us endured deep depression, thoughts of suicide, staying up all night eating corn chips and wondering how to get yourself a social life, or what have you. The problem with lyrics like these is that they deliver everything a sad young person wants to hear on a silver platter; we as a generation are self-absorbed enough to see our problems in anything that even vaguely relates to our past experiences, and it’s a sad sign of our times that legions of fans have rallied behind such generic complaints. Ideally, these lyrics would make some insight beyond what is obvious to any teenager, or deliver them in a manner that seems less trite and overused; as it stands they could be interpreted as anything from relationship troubles to manic depression to biting your nails to your cunt of a stepmom not letting you out past curfew on a school night. Creativity in music should ideally extend beyond a laundry list of youthful angst, delivered in a dated rap/metal synthesis. A little searching, a little more effort, could reveal a treasure trove of wonderful artists that can do anything that this particular band does, better.

P.S. get a job, all of you… for Christ’s sake

Log in to reply
1168
05-29-2004

Rated 0 
There has been a lot of talk about the nature/accessibility of Linkin Park's lyrics, since they inexplicably hit it big a few years back. Now, if you are currently a young person, living in this day and age (who else would populate such a website?), the chances are quite good that you spent (or are currently spending) a substantial portion of your junior/high school years feeling frustrated, miserable, alone, and misunderstood. Hey, it happens to everyone, including myself, and many of us have endured deep depression, thoughts of suicide, staying up all night eating corn chips and wondering how to get a social life, or what have you. The problem with lyrics like these is that they deliver everything a sad young person wants to hear on a silver platter; we as a generation are self-absorbed enough to see our problems in anything that even vaguely resembles our past experiences, and it's a sad sign of our times that legions of impressionable fans have rallied behind such generic complaints. Ideally, these lyrics should make some insight beyond what is obvious to any teenager, or deliver them in a manner that seems less trite or overdone; as it stands, they could be interpreted as anything from relationship troubles to manic depression to biting your nails to your cunt of a stepmom not letting you out past curfew on a school night. Creativity in music should ideally extend beyond a laundry list of youthful angst, delivered in a dated, abrasive rap/metal synthesis that has far outstayed its welcome. A little searching, a little more effort could reveal a treasure trove of wonderful artists that can do anything this particular band does, better.

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1168
05-29-2004

Rated 0 
oops... clicked about three too many times... damn shoddy internet service... kind of undercuts my attempt to provide mature analysis, doesn't it?

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Socko505
06-01-2004

Rated 0 
Well, This Is My Favorite Linkin Park Song, And I Don't Know If This Is Maybe Just My Mood Now, But To Me The Song Is About Like Considering Suicide, Then Realizing That Everything Will Be Ok. Maybe I Am Wrong.

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tenar
06-04-2004

Rated 0 
even if this song isn't about self harm, bits of it say a lot about my experience of it:
"You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again"
its true, people assume you are ok if you are not actually hurting yourself.
"I hurt much more
Than anytime before "
thats true to. quitting self harm was probably the most painful thing i will ever go through. and yet everyone thinks its ok that your not cutting or whatever it was anymore.

my two rather depressed cents

xx

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tenar
06-04-2004

Rated 0 
oh yeah.... i forgot this stuff

"i have no option left again"

i don't see that as about suicide, i see it as about having no way of dealing with problems without self harm. when he was self harming he had an option, a way of coping. now he doesn't

also...what is with the tomato throwing in the video

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Dodge82
06-12-2004

Rated 0 
This song is a way of saying sorry. I think it shows a person that has had problems with his girlfriend or wife, and he constantly argues and fights with her.
"I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean"
His violent outbursts and mistreatment is his habit that he is trying to break and every time they argue he hurts himself, which is common, im sure if you've ever gotten into a fight with a loved one it can tear you apart also.
"I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again
I hurt much more
than any time before"
and this...
"I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose"
and that last part? about im the one at fault that no one can seem to answer, it fits perfectly...
"I'll paint it on the walls
Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends"

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maxter
06-16-2004

Rated 0 
i dont think i can relate this to suicide. personally i think its about solitude. too much of it.
Memories consume - wasting his time thinking something he regrets
Like opening the wounds - bringing back the pain by thinking more about it
this song is about feeling wasted all the time because you think about a particular problem too much that you just confuse yourself. and that is becoming a habit. and now decides to break that habit.

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Perky9253
06-16-2004

Rated 0 
it has to be about suicide, he says "i'll never be alright" ...so how could he break the "habit" or soltiary confinement/ anger/ etc etc, if he previously states that it cannot be fixed, so naturally the only escape would be suicide.

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YcSoCoLp
06-17-2004

Rated 0 
My freind told me this song was about breaking the habbit of masturbating. I asked him how did he know that and he said "Clutching my cure (penis)/I tightly lock the door" And then the part where he says "I'll paint it on the walls." LoL. I think it's about suicide. If you watch the video it's blurry on the subject. But the lyrics drop some hints. "Clutching my cure" I think is refering to a gun. Paint it on the walls is refering to blood being splattered on the wall after he shoots himself. I do think he killed himself because of drugs, cause he has no options left to stop it besides killing himself. Therefore, breaking the habbit.

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ForgottenAngel17
06-19-2004

Rated 0 
I really love this song. I also really think that this song is about suicide. A lot of people say it's just about "breaking a habit" just like the song is titled. I wrote something with this song and it was about suicide and it fit perfectly.. so yeah.. it's about suicide.

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ForgottenAngel17
06-19-2004

Rated 0 
I really love this song. I also really think that this song is about suicide. A lot of people say it's just about "breaking a habit" just like the song is titled. I wrote something with this song and it was about suicide and it fit perfectly.. so yeah.. it's about suicide.

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RuthLess
06-19-2004

Rated 0 
this song is amazing, i love songs i can relate to.
Memories consume
Like opening the wounds
I'm picking me apart again
You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again

that part hits home like no other line in a song i've heard before.

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RuthLess
06-19-2004

Rated 0 
oh ya,haha the meaning..i think it's like the person got over self mutation/suicide/depression or something, and now there getting back into that state of mind...i'm safe here in my room..unless i try to start AGAIN.
they want to control themselves, but their scared they can't,
ok i'm done

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