Hm. This song is a lot of fun to dance to, but i don't think i could sit and listen to it, it's definately a dance floor-only song for me. the lyrics are just too kitschy i think. or maybe i just don't get it.

THIS IS THE BEST INTERPRETATION I HAVE READ. This person broke it down verse by verse, line by line. This is by Thomas.

HERE is my take on Mr. Brightside. Feel free to post this.

I'm coming out of my cage> refers to him being unleashed from his non-delusional paranoid state, because he has been doing FINE
And I’ve been doing just fine > up to now he was doing just fine, holding it in check.
Gotta gotta gotta be down > has to be down, finds a reason to be rejected (self loathing), his depression is fueled by delusional paranoia
Because I want it all > he wants to create his self loathing world, to satisfy his low self esteem. and visit the beast, visit all of himself.
It started out with a kiss > that is all it was, a girl he liked or loved JUST kissed another guy, maybe just on the cheek
How did it end up like this > he feels the rejection now, he is going to create a complete fictional story to match it.
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss > telling himself it was only a kiss, repeating it, trying to stop this slide to self loathing
Now I’m falling asleep > too late, reality is now asleep, his delusional imagination has started up.
And she’s calling a cab >> vivid description of what DID NOT happen, all in his mind.
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick > his self imagined story of betrayal has made him sick and feels totally rejected
And it’s all in my head > he is aware he has done this to himself, last chance to get to back to reality,
But she’s touching his—chest > he twists the knife a little deeper so he doesn't go back, he cannot stop.
Now, he takes off her dress > totally betrayed, totally rejected!
Now, let me go > nothing can or will stop him, he is going to follow this pain all the way through, he enjoys his pain
I just can’t look its killing me > he should not look, he knows it is not true, it is so painful to watch or imagine something that is not true yet one wants to it to be for their own self hating reasons and he under its control,
And taking control > has become the sole audience to his delusional pain driven story

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea > it's jealousy , he is jealous. trying to justify his emotional state, as provoked jealously. she provoked him, he (the saint) was just lying in bed, he, the saint has listened to all her pathetic and deceitful stories and has gagged on her lies. hoping they were not true, however she betrayed him, he has made it her fault! SHE IS A LYING WHORE!
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay > that is what he does with his painful imagination, the price the artist pays is in pain.
Destiny is calling me > he is a writer and good writers tell stories of pain and anguish, their blood on the tracks.
Open up my eager eyes > he is willing to go there. to escape the boring cage, though when he opens his "eager eyes" it kills him "I just can’t look its killing me"
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside > because he is so bright, it's his bright side, sarcastically said, Mr. BRIGHTSIDE . However he could have not written this song without it. Now he has to go back into the boring cage. Note: in the second stanza which is identical to the first, except for a voice which comes from another person telling him IT WAS ONLY A KISS, he repeats it as if a friend has told him, it was only a kiss, no big thing, he agrees for a brief moment and then dismisses it.

Closes with I NEVER LEARN, claiming it did not happen, I put myself through this self torture to satisfy my self loathing and good writers tell the painful truth about themselves. I should learn not to do this. it's killing me!!!!

I absolutely love this song, and The Killers, but I don't know anything about them

Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head
But she’s touching his—chest


The most brilliant lyrics ever. I like how he hints at a naughty word, but turns around says something perfecty acceptable.

From Tom Gruenberger : i deleted the NOT >>> It should read>>> hoping they were true >>>> from the jealousy verse.

I LOVE this song!!! I always have it on repeat! I don't care how many times it is played on the radio, this is the best song EVER! The Killers are the best group, and Brandon Flowers is so good looking!

I got this off The Killer's official website:

" “Mr Brightside” - a tale of jealousy that depicts that moment in a relationship when you realise that your other half might be playing away and this thought takes up residence in your psyche feeding the worst fears and visualisations your imagination can then throw at you."

That sounds about right to me :D

alright, my thoughts on this song are more or less the same, but a little different. "Coming out of my cage" I think means having had a first sexual expirence. This guy has finally found a girl, thinks he is in love, and either has a first sexual expirence, or a first meaningful sexual expirence. This gilr is a little more expirenced, though as is recently out of a long term relationship. One night they are out together, and the girl runs into her ex. They are still maybe friendly, or perhaps out of habbit or something, they just kiss, a friendly, innocent kiss, and this drives the new boy insane, and jealousy takes over. Suddenly, his mind and thoughs are overcome with images of her with her ex. Now, he know what the ex looks like, and that the ex exists. He has nightmares, or nightmareish visions of her sleeping with the ex, which drive him mad. He is succum by jealousy and cannot overcome it. Jealousy can be so powerful, and really sucks....

I think that this song is about a guy who was "coming out of a cage" or changing his attitude on things and he met this girl whos really great and he kissed her but she... loves someone else and shes taking a cab after telling him she loves someone out and was freaked out by the kiss, but the guy feels jealous so he cant help to imagine them together and its killing him cause he really likes her and him saying he wont try anything else and let it go because hes mr.brightside

ModKitten, you put a really detailed view on it, I agree with you. :)

I thought it was about a man (Brandon Flowers) who loves a woman and follows her everywhere but she had a boyfriend, and it kills him every time he sees them touching each other up.

I think the "coming out of my cage" line means that he's finally introducing himself to the world - he used to be a real loner. He meets a girl and falls for her. Except there's one problem: she already has a boyfriend. So every time he sees the boyfriend or hears mention of him, he imagines these extremely vivid images of them together ("it's all in my head"), and it kills him inside because he loves her so much but can't have her.

Well Like lets see (im new here btw..
i think its more like either he got in a fight with his girl or she was cheating on him... (how did it end up like this) ... (let me go) he wants to forget wat is happening and forget her but he cant and its taking control. ... lol tell me if u get anything on the destiny is calling me or eager eyes

"Open up my eager eyes" = He is spying on the woman he loves.

"Destiny is calling me" = He must take action and tell the woman he loves her. It's his destiny to be with the woman.

I pretty much agree with the interpretations that have been given so far but I see it slightly differently. 'coming out of my cage' = coming out of a relationship and hes 'doing just fine' but he sleeps with his ex and realises he still has feelings for her. However she has a new boyfriend and he is jealous and keeps imagining them together. He knows he has to move on even though he regrets splitting with his ex, 'but its just the price i pay, destiny is calling me'. 'I never...' at the end is like he never thought it would be like this. Hey, thats just my thoughts...

song is one of the bests of this year.from the title itself,'brightside'.the guy is pretty much trying to be this 'mr.brightside'(or optimistic...) as this girl which he likes(but he kept denying it to himself because as he said,"it was only a kiss")that he saw her with another man and kept on telling to himself that he has seen the truth that he has to move on despite of what he saw("destiny=himself is calling me,open up my eager eyes")
definitely gonna stay at everyones iPods for a long long time.

Eh... I have to be one of the only females who /hates/ this song... It's a combination of all the times it's played on the radio, the fact of how many females like it-it seems to just to like it and for no other reason- and the fact it soudns so damn...whiny. =twitches= So whiny. He should be.... hit.

haha.hit him,Raven_Demonica_666 if ya want to.
i do agree he is whiny at that point.

l love this song..when i frist time this..i feel this song can essentialize Jealousy frame of mind

If someone has the lyrics I've posted below in their profile (keep in mind it's just the first few lines..) do you think there's anyway possible it could be interpreted positively about a relationship?

I'm coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

IMO....he doesnt sleep with anyone.

Its his ex. Cas he's coming out of his cage what ever...they broke up.

Then he see's her with another guy Kissing. (It was only a kiss, how did it end up like this).

And then he goes home and he imagines whats happening. With them. (And it's all in my head...)

for one he loves this girl that he with and but this girl likes both the guy that likes her and this guy thats bisexual so he gets jealous. and he thinks wat if shes with all this guys and then he thinks well its all in my head but he gets so jealous so both guys play game who wins gets the girl since the was going to win he got so mad that he sleped with the guy to get the girl

I agree with MaxQQQ. And after reading mod kitten and suicidal angel, I can also see that you guys may be right too. Great song. Heres my take…. Its about a guy who’s quite insecure and didn’t plan on falling in love with this particular woman….maybe he thinks she’s way out of his league….but whenever he’s not with her he’s utterly paranoid that she’s with another man….He doesn’t want to seem needy to the girl - “I gotta gotta be down because I want it all”. It obviously started with them kissing one day and now he’s full on in love with her. “coming out of my cage” refers to him trying to be more secure in himself and trying not to think that she’s cheating. I think the verse is him laying in bed waiting for her to get home and all these things are running through his head and all he wants to do is fall asleep so he doesn’t have to think about it anymore. The chorus is referring to his dreams turned nightmares as MaxQQQ said, and “Im Mr Brightside” is of course being sarcastic. “the price I pay” is him worrying all the time, but he feels its worth is as he loves her too much. “Ill never learn…” means either that he’ll never be more secure in himself, or him saying he’ll never stop falling in love. Great song, great band, great lyrics, love it!

Im crazy about this song!!!!!

Mr.Brightside is a very powerful song that i guarantee a lot of people relate to it. Its simply about really liking a person and seeing them with someone else. In this case, brandon wrote the song from a perspective of a male, but if you a girl and you re-write the song in the females perspective you will understand it perfectly.

"i just cant look its kiling me" - refers to spotting the person that you like with someone else..and it hurts you so much to see it that you just cant look at it.

I thought it was more like this:
The guy was kinda shy and was just starting to socialise a bit more when he kissed the girl. But she obviously didnt feel as strongly as he did about the kiss... ie he fell in love with her but she just saw it as simply a kiss.
Now he's on the sideline pretending to be "Mr Brightside" as if the kiss meant nothing to him even though he still loves her.
So he feels really jealous and torn within himself when he sees her with other men.
Well whatever this song means, its a damn good song that I could listen to a million times and NEVER get sick of!