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. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 13th 2007 !⃝

    One, it's not COPYING The Shining..... If you knew anything about 30stm, you would know that the video concept for 'The Kill" is an homage to The Shining. And if you don't know what an homage is then go look it up in the dictionary >.>

    ~~~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 all this anymore
    What would you do, do, do?~~~

    He's speaking to himself, to the person he wants to be, asking what would happen if he just gave in and laughed at himself for thinking he couldn't?

    ~~Come break me down
    Bury me, bury me
    I am finished with you~~~

    He's challenging himself to change, for better or worse. Taunting that side of him to break down what is there and make something new.

    ~~~What if I wanted to fight
    Beg for the rest of my life
    What would you do?
    You say you wanted more
    What are you waiting for?
    I'm not running from you (from you)~~~

    Again, he asking himself what it would take to change or what would happen if he gave into his other persona. Part of him wants to be more.... To be better, and part of him is through with running from that desire to be better (or worse)

    ~~~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~~~

    The person he is killing him (possibly physically or mentally) and he's finished with the extra baggage he's been carrying around. He's finished with fighting himself.

    ~~~I tried to be someone else
    But nothing seemed to change
    I know now, this is who I really am inside.
    Finally found myself
    Fighting for a chance.
    I know now, this is who I really am.~~~

    This would be the other persona either finally taking over or giving in to who he really is. He's finally found himself and he's fighting to keep it that way.

    ~Revel

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 29th 2006 !⃝

    Leto actually said this song is about your relationship with yourself, and how different sides of you can compete to make you who you really are. And eventually one side will win, and make you who you are.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 4th 2007 !⃝

    i think that he is talking about himself to himself. There isn't really a person there except himself. "I tried to be someone else but nothing seems to change I know now, this is who I really am inside finally found myself fighting for a chance I know now this is who I really am.... He drove himself crazy trying to fit in with everything and everyone else and realized that he was better off the way he started. He likes who he is and doesn't have to try to be someone else.. He knows that it doesn't work that way... He can't be someone he's not.
    -that is why in the video he is fighting himself....

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 21st 2018 !⃝

    Its quite simple. He is in the Illuminati and working for santan. Therefore he's struggling to go on with his sacrifies and shits. But he wanted to be famous,and this is how It goes. There's not even a single lyric from 30STM not talking about the same. The end is near,bla bla and he's on the edge with satan. And the last thing,looking like "jesus". Thats mocking. Stop listening this crap

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  5. Angelboo
    click a star to vote
    Oct 16th 2018 !⃝

    I think this is a song that can have more than one meaning. It can be interpreted as him talking to himself, a lover, a bully, or a parent.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 4th 2013 !⃝

    When no one knows exactly what a song means,unless the writer wants you to know and makes it very obvious or they'll just tell you, that's when I think when someone writes a song, they keep their interpretation to themselves,sometimes. So the listener can interpret it to their own life.So everyone can feel closer to each other and not so disturbed and alone.
    It seems to me that most of these opinions are taken directly from the video.Which could be possible, but I doubt it.
    Jared is also an actor, and 'The Shining' is probably one of his favorite movies and he wanted to do a music video parody of it.(I really don't KNOW. Jared stopped calling me too! HA HA just kidding.) And if anyone has seen any of their videos,they're like small movie productions.So I certanlly can't interpret exactly what some songs have to do with the video/movie.
    In the first part of that song, 'What if I wanted to break, laugh it all off in your face.' I could swear he is saying 'faith' instead of 'face'. Just changing that one word really throws a hurtful,heavy 'What if'. I don't know?
    I interpreted it and made it my own, which could be similar to the meaning of this song, because I was dumped by my baby's dad, after 14 years, and I did 'break' and I asked him 'what would you do?' And he ignored us for 3 weeks.I still don't know what I did that was so wrong.
    'What if I fell to the floor, I couldn't take this anymore?' I did collapse and fell to the hard floor,and landed on my head and ended up in the hospital for 2 days. All because I couldn't stop crying (a nervous 'break'down). And what he did was get a new girlfriend before I knew he broke up with me. Now he comes around to try to 'break me down' with his delusions,lies,throwing his girlfriend in my face 'till I cry,trying his damndest to get me REALLY insane and not trust myself.
    'Bury me, bury me' I think means 'bury me because I'm already dead to you,and now 'I'm finished with you' to. So FU.
    'What if I wanted to fight,beg for the rest of my life? What would you do?' I would be wasting more lost time and sanity I can never get back. And he would be happy with me hurting.
    'You say you wanted more, what are you waiting for? I'm not running from you.' And I never have,he's always ran away from me.What he was waiting for was an inheritance that will never be there, and poof,he's gone.
    'Look in my eyes, YOUR KILLING ME,KILLING ME! All I wanted was you!' I guess I was asking for way too much.When he looks in my eyes,seeing he's killing me,I see in his eyes a sick glimmer of satisfaction.
    'I tried to be someone else;' so he wouldn't leave me,and that someone else was turning into him or one of his friends,that he always treated with more respect than me and his son,I stopped trying to beat him and tried to join him,but couldn't be deceiving and straight up cruel to people. 'But nothing seemed to change; I know now, this is who I really am inside.Finally found (and accepted) myself, fighting for a chance, I know now,THIS IS WHO I REALLY AM!!!' Who is not like that sociopathic, selfish,unloving,child that makes up lies to try and make me think I'm crazy and to make his life more palatable to his distorted,delusional,twisted reality.
    And the 'Oh,oh,OH,' ect. Jared sings is filled passionately with so much pain in his heart that no words can describe. I felt that pain he expressed.
    Another interpretation I think is possible is maybe Jared and Shannon father abused or lost touch with them or maybe dad abandoned them to,and they wanted him in their lives they tried to be what they thought his dad would accept and love.'But nothing seemed to change' and after so many promises broken and pain that they felt over and over was 'breaking' them, so they gave up on dad,found themselves,and said 'bury me' as in, 'It seem we are officially dead to you and we are finished with you'(him).It's a very emotional, deep, and painful closure song to a 'bad romance' or 'bad dad'!
    Thank for reading! :)

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 18th 2013 !⃝

    My thoughts on the song. First he says, what if i wanted to break,laugh it all off in your face what would you do. What if i fell to the floor,could'nt take this anymore,what would you do,do do. for me its a relationship,what if i want to break it off or break like go insane, which would be the laughing. What if i fell to the floor could'nt take this anymore what wld u do. Would u finally see me and realize im hurting here is what hearing. Next. Come break me down bury me bury me i am finished with you. In otherwords he knows nothing he does will matter so im done he days clearly not meaning it. What if i wanted to fight,beg for the rest of my life what would you do. You say you wanted more what are you waiting for im not running from you. Hes asking if hed gonna hv to fihht and beg forever for any affection,love,to be noticed. And obviously his lover speaks as though they need more,maybe commitment wise who knows and he says, u say u want it but ur the one running. Next. look in my eyes youre killing me,killing me,all i wanted was you. Thats pretty easy to understand. I tried to be someone else but nothing seemed to change i know now this is who i really am inside finally found myself,fighting for a chance i kno now this is who i really am. Being in that relationship he had to play the part of someone he wasnt, walk on nails, do what had to be done to keep her and he says while he was doing that and fighting to be what she wanted he found himself and hes not gonna be or pretend to be anyone else no matter that he loves her. But he still tells her shes killing him and he only wanted her again. I can relate for almost three years i did just that. Even had a baby with the jerk but in the end you jv to b true to urself especially when ur doin all of that for someone who doesnt never did,has,or will see you no lmatter who u r or what u do. Thats just my opinipn. pretekkkkthat he loves her.

  8. 30SecondsToMars_ADayToRemeber
    click a star to vote
    Jan 10th 2013 !⃝

    Okay..
    The Kill(Bury Me) is about fighting with yourself.I am absolutely sure about that.
    Jared Leto said that himself.
    The people who keep saying it's about a girl and/or a relationship-I'm sorry but you're wrong.
    And that's just the truth.
    And this is an absolutely amazing song.
    I know it by heart.
    So please stop saying it's about a girl and/or a relationship.
    Thanks.
    XD

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 21st 2012 !⃝

    I personally think that this is about a guy saying all this to a girl, most clearly seen in a few parts:

    "You say you wanted more
    What are you waiting for?
    I'm not running from you"
    -she wanted more from a guy, and the speaker knows that and is saying like "What the hell? I'm just sitting here, I'm what you want!"

    "Look in my eyes
    You're killing me, killing me
    All I wanted was you"
    -he's telling her that he's hurting on the inside, perhaps after she got with yet another jerk, and he's heartbroken more and more each time.

    Every instance of "What would you do, do, do?"
    -he's asking what she would do, if she would even care at all.

    Anyways, it's my all-time favorite song, and 30STM is awesome.

    -BAQ

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 16th 2012 !⃝

    I thoink this song has to do with yourself only. Pretty much, you are fighting with yourself to find out who you really are

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 21st 2012 !⃝

    I know that Jared enterprets this song as a relationship with one's own self.

    Here is my attempt for the interpretion of the kill:

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

    Here I think Jared puts his real self, wanting to rebel and end something inside of him, asking the part of himself about to be ended how it would react.

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

    I think this 3 verses, are the answer of the part, inviting the real self to destroy and bury it, as if it is this part's desire to be ended. And the same part goes on:

    What if I wanted to fight
    Beg for the rest of my life
    What would you do?
    You say you wanted more
    What are you waiting for?
    I'm not running from you

    I think here Jared gives a voice to the part about to be killed, to express 2 opposite sides: on one hand, it begs in order to stay alive and on the other, it invites him to make the kill by saying to the real self that if he wants more, he shouldn't wait, it is not going to run.

    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

    Again, the 2 sides of the part about to be killed in the previous verses: one inviting for the kill as if desiring it and the other begging for its life expressing the desire for him.

    I tried to be someone else
    But nothing seemed to change
    I know now, this is who I really am inside.
    Finally found myself
    Fighting for a chance.
    I know now, this is who I really am.

    Finally, I think Jared reveals that the part of himself which has to end is really a part from another one inside of him, not allowing him to be himself. So, the real self explains to the part of the other inside him, which is about to be killed that he can have a chance only if he does this kill and this burial in order to be who he really is.

    I think that in this song Jared sings about his conflict to be himself and through the voice of the part about to be killed expresses both his desire to kill the other but also his desire for the other to go on existing inside of him.

    If we composed the lyrics and the video of the song, we would have more features for the interpretation of the song.

    So, in the video they all go to a deserted hotel and they find a prohibition: not to enter a specific room. The room is entered only by Shannon, who finds a woman and kisses her, while at the same time images of her murdered appear. Tomo only looks inside from the outside of the room and witnesses a bear and himself in a stance insinuating that the bear just had his pinus in its mouth. Jared has nothing to do with the room. He only writes, while the other guy has a relationship with alcohol. Later on, Jared is chasing himself and the images of 2 selves appear for all 4 of them, as well as images of twins, brothers, sisters and couples.

    I think the theme of the video is the relationship between males and females. This is what is hiding in the room. And in the video, we have 2 possibilities happening between them: either the woman is dead or the pinus is bitten by a wild animal. Between these possibilites, we could see a connection: the woman is dead in order to keep her from bitting the pinus. Jared seems to be away of the room, away from the relationship with the woman, resorting to writing and the narcissistic relationship to himself, as well as the 4th guy, who is related to alcohol instead.

    The old guy could be the receptionist or the hotel owner and in this sense could represent the father and the woman of the video the mother. These 2 persons are the only ones in the hotel which the 4 of them visit. In this sense, the room could also represent the room of the mother and the father and the prohibition that exists for the children: they can't be part of the sexual relationship of the parents, and if they do in their phantasy, the danger of the bear exists.

    If we return to the lyrics, we could say that Jared has a dialogue with 2 parts of himself as he puts it, his real self and another part, which has to do with the other, but doesn't let him be himself. He writes, putting his real self speaking to the part that needs to be buried that he can have a chance only if he does this kill and this burial in order for the real self to survive.

    I think that the video explain more about what is killed. I think that the narcissistic end means that the part of the self that relates to the other, in this case the part of a man related to the woman, is buried, sacrificed in order for the self to survive and have a chance to go on in life.

    I think, also, that the video could be more accurate regarding which part of Jared is singing which verses. I think this could be better adjusted to the dialogue between the 2 parts of Jared, coming to life in the song, as I see it.

    I think this is a great song, expressing in every way (lyrics, music, video) deep conflicts in a very true, genuine and direct way.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 21st 2012 !⃝

    I know that Jared enterprets this song as a relationship with one's own self.

    Here is my attempt for the interpretion of the kill:

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

    Here I think Jared puts his real self, wanting to rebel and end something inside of him, asking the part of himself about to be ended how it would react.

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

    I think this 3 verses, are the answer of the part, inviting the real self to destroy and bury it, as if it is this part's desire to be ended. And the same part goes on:

    What if I wanted to fight
    Beg for the rest of my life
    What would you do?
    You say you wanted more
    What are you waiting for?
    I'm not running from you

    I think here Jared gives a voice to the part about to be killed, to express 2 opposite sides: on one hand, it begs in order to stay alive and on the other, it invites him to make the kill by saying to the real self that if he wants more, he shouldn't wait, it is not going to run.

    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

    Again, the 2 sides of the part about to be killed in the previous verses: one inviting for the kill as if desiring it and the other begging for its life expressing the desire for him.

    I tried to be someone else
    But nothing seemed to change
    I know now, this is who I really am inside.
    Finally found myself
    Fighting for a chance.
    I know now, this is who I really am.

    Finally, I think Jared reveals that the part of himself which has to end is really a part from another one inside of him, not allowing him to be himself. So, the real self explains to the part of the other inside him, which is about to be killed that he can have a chance only if he does this kill and this burial in order to be who he really is.

    I think that in this song Jared sings about his conflict to be himself and through the voice of the part about to be killed expresses both his desire to kill the other but also his desire for the other to go on existing inside of him.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 25th 2011 !⃝

    After watching the music video I see it is much deeper. They're placed in a huge hotel will anything they could want. And alll they have is one restriction ...room 622. The first man sees a seductive women and ffollows her into the room. She's flashing images of blood. Eventually curiousity killed them all... they all saw something evil about themselves.
    In a religious point of veiw. The hotel is earth. Adam and eve only had one restriction ... don't eat the fruit from one tree. Just like don't go in one hotel room. Adam ate the fruit eve offered him much like the music video. Then they became aware of good AND bad. Just like each band member once they went in that room.
    Now read the song meaning. Its about seperation and independence from God.
    Those who believe in God are aware of this struggle.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 20th 2011 !⃝

    I think coming out of the closet is a theme here. Even the music stops, like that moment is a climax and turn of events. Someone, a woman, is hurt badly. Indeed she is slaughtered by it. Also facing addiction (alcohol at the bar). Dressing up and serving the spectacle. This is madness, although it looks flawless.
    Those dancing and kissing twins are the ultimative symbol for narcissism.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 17th 2010 !⃝

    I think that the song is about self hatred and how he can't change himself:
    'I tried to be someone else, but nothing seemed to change. I know now, this is who I really am inside.'

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 24th 2010 !⃝

    No matter wat it is or isn't abt everyone has the right to their own interpretation if the song. Y is every 1 bn so hateful to each other

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 3rd 2010 !⃝

    I honestly think it's about coming out of the closet. Cause in the video, he's giving a guy a blowjob in a bear suit. And eventually, the girl leaves.

  18. GameOver369
    click a star to vote
    Oct 4th 2010 !⃝

    Yes, this song is about losing your mind. But, doesn't necessarily mean sticking to one thing. Whenever I listen to this song I think about the changes I'm going through. At one point I've lost people I've loved and my closest friends. So I learned from it. And started changing myself. I think of the past. "What if I wanted to break? Laugh it all off in your face." That was me saying "what if I became someone I'm not and rubbed it in their face saying I can change." Should I fight my decisions or just pick and go. In some versions he actually says "marry me, bury me." In which I think is a love/hate relationship within him/yourself. It fits, don't you think?
    30S2M <3<3

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