What does The Kill mean?

30 Seconds To Mars: The Kill Meaning

Album cover for The Kill album cover

Song Released: 2006


The Kill Lyrics

What if I wanted to break
Laugh it all off in your face
What would you do? (Oh, oh)
What if I fell to the floor
Couldn't take this anymore
What would you do, do, do?

Come break me down
Marry me, bury me
I am finished with you

What if...

  1. anonymous
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    Mar 30th 2008 !⃝

    Ok Listen! A LOT of people truly don't see the real meaning behind this. A few of you have almost got it. Most of you apply this song to something that happens in everyday physical life. *Break-ups, friendships, etc.* What you really don't see is that Indeed he is battling himself. Those people who have actually had this type of spiritual experience can totally relate. Where quite literally, you "Find" yourself. This type of experience happens to those who genuinely regain who they are. All the things you see in the video, Naked women,(representing lust), the teddy bear, (representing homosexuality) are all these things those who have been plagued with them indeed battle with. 30 Seconds to Mars are Definitely Christians, and as a Christian, we are blessed with the power to Identify these Inner Demons. And once we over come them, that is when you find yourself, chasing and eventually grabbing on to "yourself". In which, things of that nature become part of the past. As far as Jared saying "what if I wanted to fight?" He is talking about God and how we all either know, or have heard the truth and we try not to believe it, for the things we do in our youth are things that we generally enjoy but have found out that they are wrong.

    When he says "Come. break me down, he is asking to be renewed.

    "I tried to be someone else
    But nothing seemed to change
    I know now, this is who I really am inside.
    Finally found myself (<-- take note)
    Fighting for a chance.
    I know now, this is who I really am"

    This represents how he'd follow someone else and tried to be like them. (Pretty self-explanatory)

    Do you get it now?
    If you want to argue, because for some reason, I can't register for my own account, my email is (adenardbaltimore@yahoo.com)

  2. anonymous
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    Mar 23rd 2008 !⃝

    I think it's about how he's trying to be himself. He's trying to decide how to live his life. maybe he had a big decision to make and its "killing me killing me". and he can't seem to find a fake personality "I tried to be someone else . . . finally found myself." he's just battling with himself.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 2nd 2008 !⃝

    OK let's settle down. There is no need to bash each other. Instead of trying to figure out what this song means to Jared, why not think outside the box and make the song more personal to yourself? Sure you could try and figure out what Jared was feeling when he wrote the song, but then it would mess up the whole view of what the song could actually mean to you.

  4. anonymous
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    Feb 14th 2008 !⃝

    This song is about confronting yourself. You've changed yourself to comform to society so much you've become a different person Like having an alter ego which is suggested in the lines "What if I wanted to break, laugh it all off in your face". Suggests confronting yourself and getting rid of the mask you hide behind and finally letting go, realising who you are and what you are about. You need to break yourself down to build yourself back up. "Come, break me down, bury me, bury me, I am finished with you". A person finally getting rid of the fake attitude and representation they have in their lives and becoming their true self.

  5. sexie_one
    click a star to vote
    Jan 4th 2008 !⃝

    Ok... This is driving me nuts. I do agree with most of the sane people on here that this song is about facing yourself.

    First off, when I saw the video and the bear and the bj looking thing, I was like what?? but now I think if you look at it a little deeper, what it is trying to say is that whatever he is trying to face is really eating away at him. That is why he looks at his "twin" with this look like, "you know you have to confront this or it is going to eat away at you forever."

    Secondly, to the genius who said that the girl on girl and gyu on guy action at the end of the video is about being gay... wow... If you paid attention, all of the girls and guys at the end are "twins" of each, which shows that they have a part of themselves to face too !

    I think that each of the members of the band have something that they don't want to face. For the guy kissing the girl, maybe he is cheating on his wife and he doesn't want to face the fact that he is a cheater or something. I think that the person who said that Jared is singing about the way he feels caught between the real him and what people expect of him as a musician..you hit the nail right on the head! I DEFINATELY agree with you. Lyrics to back up my point...

    What if I wanted to break
    laugh it all off in your face

    maybe he means what if I just said "screw it" and was the real person, would you still accept me and my band for who we are

    what if I wanted to fight,
    beg for the rest of my life

    what if I wanted to quit music and just live the rest of my life normally... what would you do

    you say you wanted more
    what are you waiting for

    i am giving it all I have and I don't have anything else. what is it you expect of me...

    there, that's enough ! lol

    This song is definitely about an internal battle with oneself!

    And no, I don't think Jared is gay, but regardless of whether or not he is, he sure is HOT! lol

  6. Aries26155
    click a star to vote
    Dec 29th 2007 !⃝

    I Think That He Is Talking About A Girl That He Was In Love With And She Did Something To Hurt Him . So In This Song He Is Explaining The Pain That He Felt

  7. prettyxinxyourxpain
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    Dec 23rd 2007 !⃝

    It's like he's asking 'her' if he wanted to do things his way, would she just let him or try to keep him under her control. She doesn't let him be who he wants to be and he lives in her control.

    hope this is right, but that's what I think.

  8. anonymous
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    Nov 18th 2007 !⃝

    No, its "bury me bury me"

    not marry me bury me so yes it is about a guy going insane or might me gay but no it can't be about a girl

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 13th 2007 !⃝

    Honestly, I don't think he's begging for her forgiveness, like someone just said in one their comments. I believe that he's done something to her, and he finally realized that he's done something.

  10. anonymous
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    Oct 6th 2007 !⃝

    I see something completely different in these lyrics than what has been described previously. What I see is a dialog with God. He has a dual nature; one that wants to serve God, and one that wants to serve his own desires, and this torments him. He feels burdened by the life that he feels God has called him. His relationship with God is very frustrating to him.

    Speaking to God (a prayer of desperation):

    “What if I wanted to break
    Laugh it all off in your face
    What would you do?(Oh,Oh,Oh,Oh)

    Here he is telling God he doesn’t feel able to live the life that God has called him to live. It feels like too heavy of a burden placed on him; too much for him to bear. So he cries out in extreme anger toward God.

    What if I fell to the floor
    Couldn't take this anymore
    What would you do, do, do?”

    Here his anger falls away, and what remains at the core is his weakness. Instead of cursing God as in the last verse, he is crying out asking God what will happen if he is unable to make the journey.

    “Come, break me down
    Bury me, bury me”

    But here, he is asking God to break him of his desire to succumb to his own sinful heart, even if that means death (or perhaps he would prefer death than the life of torment that currently consumes him).

    “I am finished with you”

    The ultimate expression of his frustration with God.

    “What if I wanted to fight
    Beg for the rest of my life.
    What would you do?(Do,do)”

    Here I see him evaluating all of his options with his relationship with God. He now is asking God what if he wanted to continue the struggle in his relationship, even though it is not a relationship of peace and love, but more of painful discipline, begging God for his forgiveness for the rest of his life.

    “You say you wanted more
    What are you waiting for
    I'm not running from you (from you)”

    The Bible talks about God wanting more from us in terms of a relationship. Here he is asking God why this relationship is so complicated? What are you waiting for God? I am ready and willing, but I need you to show me.

    “Come, break me down
    Bury me, bury me
    I am finished with you
    Look in my eyes
    You're killing me, killing me
    All I wanted was you”

    “I tried to be someone else
    But nothing seemed to change
    I know now: this is who I really am inside
    I Finally found myself
    Fighting for a chance
    I know now, THIS IS WHO I REALLY AM”

    Here is his brutally honesty plea to God. Telling him that he has tried to be who he thought God wanted him to be, or who the world somehow expected him to act if he truly believed in God, but that he can't do it.

    Come, break me down
    Bury me, bury me
    I am finished with you, you, you
    Look in my eyes
    You're killing me, killing me
    All I wanted was you
    Come, break me down
    Break me down
    Break me down

    What if I wanted to break...? (You say you wanted more, what are you waiting for? (bury me) I'm not running from you...)
    What if I, what if I, what if I... (bury me, bury me)

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 4th 2007 !⃝

    Right 1st of all the lyrics are "Kill, Break me down! Bury me bury me" not "marry me bury me"!

    dude who said that, that's wrong
    it's Come Break Me Down, Bury Me, Bury Me not Kill, Break Me Down

  12. anonymous
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    Oct 3rd 2007 !⃝

    I sort of agree with the being gay part....at least for one of the guys. If not, can someone tell me why the guy looks in on himself getting head from a person in a bear costume( which I assumed to be a guy...) ?

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 28th 2007 !⃝

    Right 1st of all the lyrics are "Kill, Break me down! Bury me bury me" not "marry me bury me"!

    this song is about him and his relationship with someone who he loves and he doesn't want to let them go but he feels they are not letting him be himself. and he is asking "what if I fell to the floor, couldnt take this any more, what would you do?" as if he is asking what does he really need to do for him to be able to be in the relationship but just be who he really is?

    and "look in my eyes your killing me killing me!!" is as if the person is sufocating him because he can't be himself.

    thats my opinion anyways!!

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 8th 2007 !⃝

    Is it about going mad with himself? or is it about the girl? or is it that he is going mad because he can't be the man the girl wants him 2 b and he realises he is gay? like whats with the BJ near the end - that's gay man... disgusting.

    Jared Leto described the meaning of the song as, "It's really about a relationship with yourself. It's about confronting your fear and confronting the truth about who you are." He has also said it is about "confrontation as a crossroads" - coming face-to-face with who you really are. (wikipedia)

    does that mean Tomo Miličević (one of the band members) is really gay?

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 7th 2007 !⃝

    I don't know or care if Jared is talking about coming to terms with being gay, this song is open enough and powerful enough to appeal to anyone going through a traumatic breakup like me.

    The scene in the video looks a bit gay though with the bear costume. Whatever the Shining is a brilliant book and film

    I'm not gay and I don't care if Mr Letto is, the song is excellent.




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