Linkin Park – Numb

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I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
I don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow

[Chorus]
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
Become so tired, so much more aware
By becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you

Can't you see that you're smothering me?
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control
'Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you
Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow
And every second I waste is more than I can take!

[Chorus]

And I know I may end up failing too
But I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you

[Chorus]

I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be

Send "Numb" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by ruben, edited by Booyahhayoob

Track duration: 03:08

"Numb" as written by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Chester Charles Bennington, Robert G. Bourdon, Dave Farrell, Joseph Hahn

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Numb song meanings
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246 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:for some reason i don't think this is neccessarily about someone who is being abused or anything in that nature; to me it sounds like it's a person talking to life, saying they have lost sight of who they are and even though they don't know what they want in their life they don't like the direction that their life is pulling them in.
    Flag blakelm936on May 16, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:A girl, lost in the reality of her situations, beaten down by everyone around her and without a friend in the world. She feels oppressed, but she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't have the strength to break free without help.

    This song is about becoming numb to the world. It's about seeing your life go bye without you, as if your watching a movie in fast forward. You're not a part of reality. You're an outcast. A lost soul, searching for some shared of hope in the darkness of society. The lyrics “be more like me and less like you” and “put under the pressure of walking in your shoes” talks us that they wish to do as they want with their life, not have it ruled over by the expectations of the other people.

    Also the lyrics “can’t you see that your smothering me, holding to tightly afraid to lose control” show how this person wants to be able to express themselves and not be held back to be formed into something they are not. “Every step that I take is another mistake to you” tells us how although they try they are just shot down.

    In this music video, this is shown in the girls drawing of angels. She wants to be saved from her despair, but no matter how hard she tries, no one is there to pull her out of her mundane existence.
    It's all about feeling trapped in ones own life by the people and pressures around us.
    Flag ghrideron April 02, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think this song came from "you're not good enough son"
    Flag seesawdawon January 07, 2013   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:I absolutely love this song. i had heard this thousands of times before but it wasn't until recently that i listened to it and the meaning hit me dead on. basically, it's about a kid whose parents seem to be expecting too much out of him. they want him to grow up as good as they were if not, better. when it says "caught in the undertow" that means that the kid doesn't want "the pressure of walking in your shoes", but he doesn't know how to tell them in fear of disappointing them. i understand that completely. my mom was a solid A student and has been through college twice. my dad was valedictorian in his high school. they want me to be just like they are, organized, straight A's, no late work. but it's too much pressure. and when i tell them they seem disappointed and threaten to take things away.

    when it says "I can't feel you there" it means that the kid feels as though the parents aren't as the kid remembers them. they used to be so positive and supportive and now they just want things done the way they want them done. they want to take control and relive their high school or college life through their kids. so they think they can control all of their kids decisions. the kid is feeling like he doesn't know them anymore.

    when it says "Every step that I take is another mistake to you" it means the kid feels like every thing he does seems like another mistake or problem that the parents disapprove of. this song applies to my life in many ways but this one is the one that sticks in my brain the most. and i'm sure that there are millions out there that feel this same way. and if you're a parent, look at this song and ask yourself, "could my child even possibly feel this way?'.and keep this song in mind next time you contradict your child.
    Flag Zenith1254on November 03, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:i think this song is about a parent that wants to bring the best out of his son and wants him to follow his footsteps and fulfill the desires the father/mother wasn't able to when they were kids. the child, however feels like they're pressuring him, trying to make him be something he's not and he's breaking under the pressure because his parent cant be satisfied and the worst is, its not the child's wish to do what his parent wants him to but he cant help himself.

    'I cant feel you there' - he feels as though his parent has changed to the negative, they're not like they used to be, they're obsessed with his child succeeding and living the parent's dream

    'But I know You were just like me With someone disappointed in you' - the child knows their parent has experienced the same and doesnt know how to treat him different because it's all the parent's ever known
    Flag chaneIcokeon October 19, 2012   Link
  • +4
    Song Meaning:this song is about someone boy or girl having someone tell them what to do can be a boyfriend girlfriend sibling uncle aunt but is most likely a kid talking to their parent(s). they are so used to it that they are now just functioning on auto-pilot because they are numb. the person expects them to be perfect and live up to their expectation. follow in their footsteps. this most likely being directed to a parent. they have become numb because it is so much more worse than abuse.they are saying that i know that you are doing this because someone did this to you and you let them down now you want me to be perfect for you.
    Flag MizBitchon July 10, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:best song ever this song is so well written
    Flagged girlrockon March 28, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This song has recently took on a new meaning for me, and regretfully, I am the abuser. Over the past two years this is how I've treated my boyfriend, but now I'm changing that, letting him be his own person, doing what I can to make him happy. This song is how he feels to a T. I hope that all the other people out there can stop what they're doing and fix their problems.
    Flagged KuraiHanazonoon March 13, 2012   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • +1
    Memory:Huh, it seems that I'm getting a different impression than everyone, interesting. I'm not a huge fan of LP, but when I heard this I was in a very mentally and physically abusive friendship, and it really just struck a chord with me. I had become physically and mentally numb to everything, including when she would hit me for not doing exactly what she said 100% of the time. It was all exhausting, I became a shell of myself; she was so clingy that it was suffocating, and I knew that the reason she was doing it to me was because she felt like she couldn't live up to her parents' expectations. This song just sorta snapped me out of that haze and gave me the spark of defiance that let me break away from her, and ironically enough, I first heard it when I was at her house. So it's not just about overbearing adults, but it really rings true to an abusive relationship too.

    Just my two cents. :)
    Flag ScarletDragonesson December 21, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:this song sates that never expect someone to be a certain way, don't expect to have someone to be different then how they are, you can't control them, and just because it might have happened to you dose not make it right
    Flag AnnaMon December 08, 2011   Link

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