What does Bleed It Out mean?

Linkin Park: Bleed It Out Meaning

Album cover for Bleed It Out album cover

Song Released: 2007


Bleed It Out Lyrics

Yeah here we go for the hundredth time,
Hand grenade pins in every line
Throw 'em up and let something shine
Going out of my fucking mind
Filthy mouth, no excuse
Find a new place to hang this noose
String me up from atop these roofs
Knot...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 2nd 2009 !⃝

    I have a bit of a different interpretation than most... been listening to this song a lot as I work through my issues in life, I have been dealing with addictions and major losses in my life and this song holds a great deal of meaning to me. There are multiple facets of the "personality" that go into the whole codependance/addiction, some of which are easy to see and others aren't, please bear with me as I try to explain.

    Yeah here we go for the hundredth time,
    Hand grenade pins in every line
    Throw 'em up and let something shine

    we always find ourselves back in the same spot, craving our addiction, giving in to it, we know what will happen if we give in, but we do it anyway and hope/expect that the results will be different this time.

    Going out of my fucking mind
    Filthy mouth, no excuse
    Find a new place to hang this noose
    String me up from atop these roofs
    Knot it tight so I won't get loose

    fighting to recover from the "demon" inside of us and cherish the inner child of god can be one of the most challenging things ever mentally and emotionally and often, unless you have been there you wouldn't understand how crazy you feel not knowing whether you are sane or not. Some of the issues that come up during the downward spiral that occurs as our lives self destruct can be described here and in a lot of ways we do it to ourselves. a true "addict" isn't about the drug of choice, but about finding the next "fix", I have been through many different thing that I have been addicted to... drugs, alcohol, sex, religion, work, love, relationships... the point is that you can trade one for the other easily and it always ends the same way where we create a situation that is inescapable.

    Truth is you can stop and stare
    Bled myself out and no one cares
    Dug a trench out, laid down there
    With a shovel up out of reach somewhere

    the final stage of addiction is looking for answers when you have hit bottom, the people in your life that have supported the addictive behavior will treat you like crap because you are flaking out on them. sometimes hitting bottom is a suicide attempt, but you will never get real help from the people that have been your "friends", you are stuck having to try to work it out yourself, but often the problems that you have created are unmanageable or unfixable, the resolution to the problem is out of reach and the fact is we did it to ourselves.

    Yea someone pour it in,
    Make it a dirt dance floor again
    Say your prayers and stomp it out
    When they bring that chorus in

    Wanting someone else to fix it for us, to bring us back to where things were ok… often addicts also have issues with wanting to escape from their life or what they have created and will want others to do it for them so that they don’t have to face the consequences of their own choices. The dirt dance floor is a reference to starting over again from the bottom. Prayer is a reference to the connection that is lacking with god and the need to get “fired up” about doing the work needed to get free and become better.

    I bleed it out
    Digging deeper just to throw it away
    I bleed it out
    Digging deeper just to throw it away
    I bleed it out
    Digging deeper just to throw it away
    Just to throw it away
    Just to throw it away

    Often, there are many things where an addict has stuffed many issues deep down inside and never faced them, part of breaking that addiction and learning something new is digging deep inside and unloading the garbage that we have carried around for so many years. “bleed it out” is a reference to the pain of doing so, I can honestly say that I have never done anything in my life that was difficult as this… quitting smoking was a walk in the park compared to looking at all the garbage and emotions that went with it that had to come out and just be let go of. Not easy at all.

    I bleed it out
    Go, stop the show
    Chop your words in a sloppy flow

    This is about trying to control the outcome of your life, using words to try to explain your way out of the mess you have created which usually doesn’t work very well.

    Shotgun opera, lock and load
    Cock it back and then watch it go

    A shotgun opera is an opera that doesn’t pause or stop no matter what, it is one single act from beginning to end. In conjunction with the lines previous it means that you are not able to stop, you are “triggered” by something and you are powerless to change the outcome.

    Mama help me, I've been cursed

    This leads back to the desire to have a safe environment where we can heal this wound that seems unfair that we are saddled with.

    Death is rolling in every verse

    All roads lead to death and destruction if we don’t do something different.

    Candypaint on his brand new hearse

    When we substitute one addiction for another, we still haven’t beaten it, we have just made it look different and prettier, the “demon” is still within us and going to end up in death and destruction again.

    Can't contain him, he knows he works

    The “demon” within is also our “fake self”, the mask we wear to hide behind so that we don’t have to face our problems and hope that no one sees the real person that is afraid of being seen. This “alter ego” is generally the persona that we put forth for the world to see and often takes on a life of its own… even when things are bad and we don’t want to be where we are, this “alter ego” will keep telling us that it knows what is best for us if we would just listen to it. We can’t stop him, he still finds ways to come out and even though we don’t want him to, he is suffocating our “inner child” and is strong because he knows that it has worked for him in the past, yet we don’t give up, we keep working at it or we die.

    Practice hurts, I won't lie
    Doesn't matter how hard I try

    It hurts like hell and is scary to dig deep and pull out all the garbage, the emotions I have felt while working through all of this and getting past my “mask” to my “inner child” have been everything I have buried for all of my life and there were times when I thought the hurt itself would kill me... I honestly don’t think I have ever been so afraid in my life.

    Half the words don't mean a thing
    And I know that I won't be satisfied
    So why, try ignoring him
    Make it a dirt dance floor again

    Words are cheap, only action makes a difference, but even when we try, we find that there is yet still more that needs to be dug out and discarded and usually this is coupled with trying to be perfect which is impossible and we end up hating ourselves for not getting it right. We can’t ignore our “demon”, our “mask” the persona that we hide our inner child behind, the one that keeps us in our addiction and we find ourselves back to square one, right back where we started from, at the bottom, he has to be dealt with. The dirt dance floor is a reference to starting over again from the bottom.

    Say your prayers and stomp it out
    When they bring that chorus in

    Prayer is a reference to the connection that is lacking with god and the need to get “fired up” about doing the work needed to get free and become better.

    I bleed it out
    Digging deeper just to throw it away
    I bleed it out
    Digging deeper just to throw it away
    I bleed it out
    Digging deeper just to throw it away
    Just to throw it away
    Just to throw it away

    Again, back to digging it out of ourselves, purging the hatred, the self loathing, the shame, everything that has been stuffed deep inside that feeds our “demon” when it tells us that we aren’t worth anything, that it is hopeless… it has to go.

    I bleed it out
    I've opened up these scars

    Many of us have serious childhood wounds or trauma that taught us to be who we are and those old wounds are very much like scars that must be looked at and dealt with.

    I'll make you face this

    We have to force ourselves to look at the things we don’t want to see, sometimes it is truly terrifying.

    I pulled myself so far
    I'll make you face this now

    We have come this far in searching for the answers, we aren’t about to give up and quit, we will make ourselves face our issues no matter what and we won’t put it off again in hopes of finding another solution that ends up just being another addiction.

    The song wraps with the chorus repeating over and over showing that it is a never ending cycle, this isn’t something to be “cured”, it is something that is a process, a journey and an understanding that we will never be perfect, that we will always need to do the work and until our “inner child” is stronger than our “demon”, our “mask”, we will have to start over again and again and again and….

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 6th 2012 !⃝

    I think it is talking about depression and all that comes with it. The part about bleeding it out could mean that somebody is cutting and letting all the worries just leave them. The part about digging him self in a ditch could mean the person suffering from depression is being buried under the worries and sorrow.
    This is just what I got from it.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    BeatRhymer
    click a star to vote
    Jul 17th 2007 !⃝

    This song seems to have a double meaning. I think it's either about how everything from news and music and movies are flooded with violence and death. And how we can't escape the dangers of the world and nothing will make a difference:

    Truth is you can stop and stare
    Run myself out and no one cares


    You can't just sit back and watch, you must keep going.

    Dug the trench out laid down there
    With a shovel up out of reach somewhere


    Dig your grave early.

    Mama help me I've been cursed
    Death is rolling in every verse


    Everything from news and music and movies are flooded with violence and death, and we can't escape it.

    Fuck this hurts I won't lie
    Doesn't matter how hard I try


    The truth hurts, and no matter how hard he tries he can't escape the reality.

    Half the words don't mean a thing
    And I know that I won't be satisfied


    No words of comfort help, let alone have any real meaning.

    Say your prayers and stomp it out
    When they bring that chorus in


    Pray that everything will be ok to help ease the worrying.


    But some lines he seems to be talking about the war (which is what most of the album is about):

    Yeah here we go for the hundredth time
    Hand grenade pins in every line.


    Talking about how politicians continue to give their excuses for why we aren't doing anything about the war and other problems in America.

    Throw 'em up and let something shine
    Going out of my fucking mind


    Listening to all of the continuous political arguments are making him insane.

    String me up from atop these roofs
    Knot it tight so I won't get loose


    The terrorists have thrown/hung soldiers from rooftops.

    Shotgun opera lock and load
    Cock it back and then watch it go


    There are always shootings going on.

    Mama help me I've been cursed
    Death is rolling in every verse


    Death is coming closer and quicker for everyone.

    Fuck this hurts I won't lie
    Doesn't matter how hard I try


    No one realizes how bad things really are, and he's being effected by it and nothings being done.

    Half the words don't mean a thing
    And I know that I won't be satisfied


    Everything that politicians say (from their views to words of assurance) don't have any meaning, and he's not satisfied.

    Say your prayers and stomp it out
    When they bring that chorus in


    Pray that you will make it through another day, and try your best not to worry.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 15th 2023 !⃝

    I have been dealing with depression and self harm since I was 11. I know that Chester Bennington has also dealt with substance abuse and though I dont know for sure, I assume self harm as well.
    "Bled myself out and no one cares" refers to the lack of help and concern he has recieved and I interpret "I bleed it out digging deeper just to throw it away" refers to trying to stop cutting. Throwing whatever you used away because of the guilt that came with slicing your skin and because you think you'll stop if you dont have it anymore. The repetition of the lyrics refers to repeating this action several times. Cutting and throwing away and cutting again.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 4th 2022 !⃝

    For the hundredth time we hear others say you're fine even though really you are not. It makes me feel like i'm going insane because they're invalidating my feelings. We can't take negativity out of the world We have to learn to adapt to it. And of course when someone is negative you can force them out of your life, like a friend and the same as with family if they don't make you feel welcomed. I can't solve anyone's problems and heck I don't know what any acquaintance or a stranger is actually going through.

    We need people, or someone who can just accept that we are not fine and just be there for us. But sometimes that does not always work out that way, we may be a loner we may not have friends maybe not even really family that is close. But It's better to not even have a friend that is toxic to your physical and mental health than to have one. In fact they weren't even friends in the first place they were still an acquaintance/ someone that was 2 faced. Don't give up hope for friends.

    Trust me, you are not alone! There will be many opportunities out there where a good friend will come. You just have to find the right one of course, you will know if they are right when you feel good around them, meaning an inner peace. It is always up to us to change our life around, it is for our sake to make our lives happier by doing the things we love, the things we have passion for. Whenever we go down a road that leads us to a bad outcome, in the end and never makes us satisfied we tend to do it again. That's when I ask myself "is this what truly makes me happy??"

    Why do it again when it's not something 'deep down in your heart' that you actually love. You should ask yourself the same thing. Your life and your happiness is truly important even when you don't agree. Even if you don't have a human friend it can be an animal for example; a dog: They are the most loyalists. A friend is someone who helps you prosper in life and really cares about you.

    You got so much in store for you starting today. Just start out with the things you got not with what you don't have. Get rid of the things that aren't good for you and replace it out for the things that make you actually feel better. Obviously it's a lot easier 'said' than done. IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF YOUR TIME to get off drugs, stop smoking/vaping, drinking to get drunk Or anything that makes your mental or physical state in a bad place because you think that's a way to escape.

    You always want to be sober/aware of things so when something bad happens you can be prepared. We can tell ourselves that no one cares but that just lies. There is plenty of good in the world you just didn't come to the right place at the right time. We expect others to come and save us but sometimes we can't rely on others, true; we can't always rely on someone. We have to learn how to follow our own pace.

    We obviously know, that person is there but they just weren't willing to help us. This world isn't perfect. We only get 1 chance at life. Life is a beautiful thing that I can't explain. Just because some people won't listen does not mean that no one will.

    That is lies that get put in our head by us meaning you; yourself or you could say it's the evil one. I say 'Get away from me satan'. Meaning not the person, but satan that is working inside of that person. In this world there are blessings and curses. And sometimes we feel like giving up, that's when you feel like throwing it away like it was all for nothing.

    But not your life. Your life was not for nothing. Even if it was by mistake you were bound to be here by the LORD the good one. The evil one wins when you let it; by giving up. Learn to rest not to quit!

    We may not succeed in everything, we may fail sometimes but failing is one step closer to learning from that past to succeed. Face your problems don't hide from them. Face your emotions let them happen so you can learn how to work through your problems. Lincoln park was here to help you realize that by making a song that related to his life. Bleed it out cry it out!

    Face the pain, later on it'll just make you stronger. The enemy tries to attack when you are not prepared/ not aware. Keep God's armor on, take care of yourself/love yourself while also loving others. Set yourself free from the worries, stress, and anxieties. Be a warrior/fighter.

    BE A SOLDIER

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 9th 2020 !⃝

    i think this song is a about how the singer wanted to eat cheerios but hos mom said no u cant have any cheerios and he got mad and shooted her lul

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 3rd 2020 !⃝

    I like to believe that this song is about how they put so much emphasis on death and suicide in their songs and it is too often overlooked. When Chester says "I bleed it out" I think that he is referring to him bleeding out his emotions into his music, and he keeps "Digging deeper" they talk about these deep and tragic times from their lives in their music, for most listeners to "Throw it away" and just enjoy their songs but not really understanding the underlying concept of them and feeling the bands pain and emotion in their songs.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 24th 2019 !⃝

    This song is pretty easy to interpreting. It s about how others people (especially close people) don t really take care about you and your situations/feelings.

    They look like to said " oh you're fine, take it easy is not so hard. Don't worry. Stop to exaggerated". They know your not fine, you said you re not, but they dont want to believe you. They Prefer to pretend everything s okay.

    In the end, you just bury your unhappiness and your bad feeling. Because ignoring your situation is the best way to stop suffering.

    But it cant work. You need to set you free of all your bad condition/feelings. And you need to fight for making other stop try to say you re fine when you re not fine.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 3rd 2019 !⃝

    It's about shooting up and/or not able to hit himself hes able to draw the blood but not able to inject it so he keeps digging deeper till eventually the needle is full of blood and clogged so he throws it away....yeah someone poor it in make it a dirt dance floor again..having someone else hiting him chasing that almost die high... knot it tight so I won't get loose tighing your arm off so veins are easier to hit and find just my opinion

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 25th 2016 !⃝

    REALLY,no ONE can accept this meaning/message to get through to where Your "ego" is hidden you from Your True Self? The meaning & Purposes are to reach those who are almost ready to See the me, they thought them to Be. That IS why the song was written. And nearly every other song that you connect with more deeper, but have NO understanding as to why. Linkin Park, along with most other Bands of this State of Being, are doing everything there ability can create for all can Know One as ONE. Money don't make their World go around,they help us reach a Higher ground.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 23rd 2014 !⃝

    I read an interview with Mike when minutes to midnight was released that asked this question. Apparently Mike wrote a shitload of lyrics, and Chester rejected them, so Mike wrote this as an outlet, Chester liked it, and that's how it ended up on minutes to midnight.

  12. Karen.Kristensen1
    click a star to vote
    Oct 1st 2013 !⃝

    Bleed it out in simple terms to me means letting the pain and hurt go, working through them (Bleed it out). I owe a lot to Linkin Park and this song and their song Given up. I lost my mom and sister within 3 months of each other in 2008. My pain was debilitating. I didn't want to get out of bed or do anything. I would listen to these two songs and literally sing and scream the words by myself in my car and it helped me work through the pain. It didn't take care of missing them but it helped me to move on. I saw Linkin Park live last year and it was awesome. They will always be by number one band.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 24th 2012 !⃝

    This would be great as a tampon slogan XD

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 19th 2012 !⃝

    It's about a TAMPON. BLEED IT OUT. TAKE IT DEEPER. JUST TO THROW IT AWAY LOL

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 13th 2012 !⃝

    I must say that the first comment was the best...But in the second verse the song doesn't say practice hurts.. It says Fuck,,this hurts...I won't lie... .....

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 21st 2011 !⃝

    I think this song is about frustration and anger. Listen to the chorus and think about the irony there "I bleed it out digging deeper, just to throw it away".

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 10th 2011 !⃝

    i think its about tampons ;) girl has her period la di da di da etc 3tc

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  18. MusicKat911
    click a star to vote
    May 16th 2011 !⃝

    I have always found this song about suicide, and this is what I listen to when in that type of mood. "Shot-gun opera, lock and load, cock it back and watch it go. Mama help me, I've been curse, death is rolling in every verse." If you see what they're saying :D But every song has a different meaning for each person, it is always different for the original version <3

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