What does The Diary of Jane mean?

Breaking Benjamin: The Diary of Jane Meaning

Album cover for The Diary of Jane album cover

Song Released: 2006


The Diary of Jane Lyrics

If I had to
I would put myself right beside you
So let me ask
Would you like that?
Would you like that?

And I don't mind
If you say this love is the last time
So now I'll ask
Do you like that?
Do you like that?

No!

Something's...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 20th 2007 !⃝

    It goes even DEEPER than all of you have written. Jane doesn't exist. Jane is just a generic name for a girl, like John Doe, or Jane Doe are generic names for people who have no identity.

    The reason why there is no identity is that this guy is going through many many many women. None of these relationships are working and Jane is just the current girl he's on at the moment. Even though he randomly has sex with these girls, he wants his relationships to mean something, but they never do.

    The significance of him "finding his place, in the diary of jane" is he wants to be an important part of these girls' lives. He wants to matter, even though his relationships are so short and meaningless.

    As he "burns another page" someone him, or her always gets hurt, as he "looks the other way" cold and callused to her feelings, only caring about his. He contradicts himself as he simultaneously cares about their feelings and doesn't, but has no idea what their feelings really are

    "Die for anyone" means that in his quest to find love he has sex with all these sluts, usually boozing and doing drugs with them, and may die from an overdose or AIDS.

    "WHAT HAVE I BECOME!?!?" signifies how much of a whore/drunk/drug addict he has become as his desire for love becomes futile, thus turning into a desire for pleasure.

    "Do you like that?" is just a question you'd as while having kinky sex with someone. Some people are really perverse and to strange things in bed, like biting you, hurting you, because they've done it so many times, their bored. "NOOOO" says that he doesn't like what she's doing, but really he doesn't like what he's doing, even though he does at the same time.

    "Desperate I will crawl" Crawling on the floor drunk, he realizes that he's so desperate he'll have sex with girls he doesn't even like.

    "No love" That's pretty obvious.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 9th 2007 !⃝

    I believe this song is about a guy who is dating a girl who is cheating on him. He wants her to be good to him but she just keeps doing her adventures.

    I think the first line is him telling her that he will be next to her all the time. So that she wouldnt have to run around. He asks if she would like that because he would never leave her alone by herself.

    He says he doesn't mind if the love is the last time because he wants her to stop cheating. The love meaning the next guy she cheated on him with. Do you like that meaning if she likes that this situation keeps happening. He says NO because he is tired of being treated like that.

    Her premiscuity is getting in the way of a good relationship that he wants to give her. Maybe his heart/ soul/ relationship is about to break.
    He wants to know if she really cares for him despite the things that she has done to him. I think maybe he found out she might be unfaithful in her Diary and he is looking to see if he can find something that proves to himself that she still loves him and keep the hope alive that they can work out.

    He wants to find out what makes her tick meaning why does she need to cheat. what makes her do the things she does when he is being good to her. Why he is not good enough to be the only one. He lies there sore and sick because he may read about the things she has done with the people she cheated on him with. He wants to know if she likes to see someone who loves her so messed up for the things she did.

    A fine line between love and hate meaning that he still loves her despite the troubles. He doesn't mind giving her another chance if he can justify her actions. Maybe he likes that he is giving her another chance. He still wants what they used to have.

    He continues to look for what he needs in her diary(something that proves that she loves him). As I burn another page means that he is burning those pages that upset him(maybe the ones with other men in them). Maybe if he gets rid of them it would be like of they never happened or that they can forget about it and move on. As I look the other way, he is saying that he doesn't want to see that she has been unfaithful and he still wants her in his life.

    Desperately crawling back to his cheating girl. He sees that she has no love for him and he still tryis to convince her to love him. He would die to keep her. Why is he even bothering her(thinking about what he has become a begging fool to a girl that has proven that she doesn't love him). He still has hope that he will find what he needs in her diary.

  3. literofcola2369
    click a star to vote
    Mar 28th 2007 !⃝

    Ok I've read everyones interpretation of this song. I have no idea what the meaning is of it but am slowly starting to piece it together... I think. I feel that "as I burn another page, as I look the other way I still try to find my place in the Diary of Jane" is his way of saying that this is his way of trying to get over her, but for whatever reason he can't! also think of it this way when people are so angry with someone the "burn bridges" with them. So he's burning a page, and trying to look the other way, but the feelings he has for are to strong and he's still trying to find his place as a means of closure. Hopefully that makes sense. The reason I think that is what this about is because I feal I'm going through the same kind of thing now. Let me know what you think.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 21st 2007 !⃝

    Well let's see here, this is my first submission for something like this so cut me a little slack.

    If I had to
    I would put myself right beside you
    So let me ask
    Would you like that?
    Would you like that?

    What I get out of that after listening to the song many many times and watching the video I am just assuming it meens something about dying with her, to be buried along side of her maybe.

    And I don't mind
    If you say this love is the last time
    So now I'll ask
    Do you like that?
    Do you like that?

    From this verse I get the idea he is talking about how his love for her will never go away and he will never be able to love again. and as for asking "Do you like that" I think he is asking if this is what she wanted to happen from her death.

    Something's getting in the way.
    Something's just about to break.
    I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane.
    So tell me how it should be.

    This confuses me more than most this song. I don't believe that the "Diary of Jane" in any way refers to an actual Diary, regardless if the video showed it or not. I believe that whole statement meens something to the nature of finding his place within her life, what he really meant to her.

    As I burn another page,
    As I look the other way.

    This right here is the fun one that seems to have everyone baffled. Just from these two lines I think of a whole new interpretation of the song.

    Just for fun maybe this song is not about her dying and him missing her or anything, maybe it's about his relationship with this girl and how she treats him. Sounds kind of like he is in a relationship where he is being controlled, and just mentally butchered by this women. She is doing things that hurts him, could be drugs, might be just cheating on him I don't know, but if this was true then burning another page could refer to going through another day in their life and "looking the other way" would meen that he chooses to ignore what she is doing to herself and him. Overall he wants to know where he fits into this girls life, and no matter what he does he is basically her slave because of his love for her.

    Yea this is me just babbling on but maybe this will spark some creative ingenious thing within one of your minds and you will be able to tell us all the exact truth of this song.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 14th 2007 !⃝

    OK, I thought on the headstone thing it said Jane Eyre but that makes no sense because there is no connection between Jane Eyre and this song..but maybe it said Brye or whatever....idk I was doing a book report on Jane and we had to come up with a song that related to the book, and ,naturally, this one came to mind...kayso, this isn't really an interpretation...but still <3

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 2nd 2007 !⃝

    Its hard to reconcile the song and the video.

    The song is worded from the viewpoint of the man who loves someone and hopes he was important enough to make it into Jane's diary. He doubts he will find himself mentioned but maintains hope.

    The video portrays a woman who wakes up in a bathtub and gets dressed as Ben is leafing through her diary. She then comes to realize she is dead since she cannot see herself and the diary is positioned on a gravestone.

    The words of the song portrays his grief. The video displays her unrest. Something is getting the way of their love: she is dead. He is experiencing the normal stages of grief: disbelief, denial, and acceptance.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 1st 2007 !⃝

    Hey! I posted the last bulletin and accidentally cut it short, so continuing on. He was trying to move on. But still wants to know where he fits in her life. (I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane) In the third verse, he tells her he is so desperate he will crawl and beg for her love He says he has been waiting forever, but it was worth it (she broke up with "Frank") Then he realizes there is no love/compassion coming from Jane. He is sickened with himself for two reasons. One, to beg and plead and disgrace himself for some girl. The second reason, now stay with me, I have a mind-blowing point if you believe me. He is a vampire. He attacks her and takes blood to clone hisself another Jane. (yet another reason he is a nutjob) Now in the music video, she can't see herself in any of the mirrors inside the house. She checks her neck for bite marks after regaining consiousness in the bathtub. (He put her there hoping she wouldn't remember the attack after she passed out) Jane finds no bite marks, BUT, in Steven King's book, "Salem's Lot" When bitten by a vampire the bite marks all disappear. Then again, as for the person who said she is searching for what she has and can't find it, you make a fairly good point. So now I'm gonna wrap up this long interpretation hoping I gave some people a deeper meaning of the song and if it connects with your life, Ihope I've helped you out. Oh, and by the way, My name is David Lee McKellar and I'm only 14, so make a guess as to my grades in school. The words all A's come to mind. Sorry for bragging, I just act self-centered sometimes. Please tell me what you think of my interpretation of the song in your own interpretation. I'm out!!! :);):>;>:/;/:D;D;

  8. rainmaker1414
    click a star to vote
    Feb 1st 2007 !⃝

    I don't really know. I think that he's trying to find his place (hence the lyrics " I still try to find my place") maybe in this girl's life. In the chorus, I think the thing that's getting in the way of trying to find who he is, is what he's burning in the diary. He's still trying to filter out the things in his life, which maybe is almost everything since he sounds like there's no hope left, that are keeping him from who he is or wants to be.
    "Desperate I will crawl, Waiting for so long, No love, there is no love"
    - he doesn't feel that he's being loved in some way

    "Die for anyone, what have I become?"
    -but he's giving his all, or loving with his all, he would "Die for anyone"
    This is just what the song means to me.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 31st 2007 !⃝

    I for one believe this song is deeper than want anyone has said. I believe he is going insane as he falls more in love with her. They were prevoiusly dating and she broke up with him. He was in love and she got rid of him, and the man's name who she left him for is unknown. (though some I have talked to believe it's Frank)

    Alright, time to break it down to everybody. Firstly her name is on the tombstone. (Jane Bryan, an actor in the 30's and 40's although BB may have a connection to another Jane Bryan) Also at the beginning he is saying he will always be beside her. (if I had to, I would put myself right beside you) he asks her does she like that about his personality. (would you like that, would you like that)


    He also says he doesn't mind if he's her last love (marriage) but later on it becomes different, as I will explain.

    When he screams "NO" that could either be her rejecting him or him screaming no when she tells him it's through.

    Now in the chorus (something's getting in the way, something's just about to break, I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane, so tell me how it should be)
    He is realizing it's over in the first two lines, then he is looking for where he ever really fit into her life (if at all, he wonders looking through the diary)

    In the second verse he is saying wants to see how she thinks so he can get back with her, which has now become the only goal he will ever have in the rest of his life. He says also that does she like seeing him suffering, dying of her. (basically, if she says yes he will either regain atleast some sanity and get over the, in his mind, vain bitch, OR, he won't pay any attention to her and still stay the course for her love) He then says he is torn between love and hate for her now. BUT, he still likes this feeling he has. (his growing insanity)

    Now during the second chorus, he trys to walk away and recover from her grip on his mind. (as I burn another page, as I look the other way, I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 26th 2007 !⃝

    Ben deeply loved Jane but she was psychotic and did not recognize herself. Ben broke up with her to save himself with deep regrets. Ben wanted to get back together. However, before the reunion, Jane kills herself. Ben feels so guilty about her suicide he is willing to join her in heaven. But he needs more information and examines the diary and is left with even more questions about his love. He leaves a rose as an expression of his love but closes the book.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 25th 2007 !⃝

    i dunno I guess I have two interpretations to this song which I guess has already been mentioned ^^^ but here goes anyway.
    without seeing the video clip and just hearing the lyrics themselves I would say it is about a guy in love with the girl (jane) yet he doesn't know how she feels, or that she is constantly keeping him at a certain point, bringing him in only to push him out again. Toys with him. He wants to find out how he stands in her life. possibly becoming more frantic as it moves along.
    with seeing the video a whole different view could be seen. more from her point of view of trying to find herself. Trying to make sense of what has happened to her life. She goes searching for her life. can't find herself (hence no reflections). There could possibly be an underlying regret in what she had never said during her life and now that she begins to realise this possibility that she is dead she maybe regrets what she said to the guy that she loved. or that the way she treated him.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 5th 2007 !⃝

    A diary is a review of someone's life... so he's just trying to find his place in her life.

    i agree with everyone ^^ up there but wanted to put it simpler.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 9th 2006 !⃝

    I don't think it's literally a diary. I think that the guy is in love with some girl and he doesn't know if she likes him or even know him.
    So he is going crazy to find out how she is feeling about him. Her diary is simply her thoughts and feelings, cause that's what you write in a diary.
    So he's trying to find out what she likes. "try to find out what makes you tick" and "so tell me how it should be"
    And he's waiting and waiting. But there's no love.
    Eventually he's trying to get over her ("look the other way" and "burn another page"), but he fails to do so. He can't get her out of his mind.
    Anyway, that's my theory. Hope it makes sense.

  14. brokenenterprises
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    Dec 4th 2006 !⃝

    The music video is hard to figure for this song. When I first saw it I thought that they were just trying to portray the girl as someone dead. But now I think that there is something more to the meaning but I can't put my finger on it. Why do they have all the mirrors? And why can't she see herself in the mirrors, the movie also goes from color to black and white in different parts, that has to have something to do with the meaning.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 1st 2006 !⃝

    This song is about a guy who's in a relationship with a girl who doesn't seem to have a lot of time for him or she doesn't treat him what he considers "right". That's why he's "trying to find his place" and "looking the other way", trying to find out where he fits into her life. Basically, he would do anything for her, but he's not sure she cares about him.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway



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