What does Breaking the Habit mean?

Linkin Park: Breaking the Habit Meaning

Album cover for Breaking the Habit album cover

Song Released: 2004


Breaking the Habit Lyrics

Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again
You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again

[Bridge:]
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 3rd 2012 !⃝

    Basicaly, the song is about suicide, about how you feel when you're out of options, and you give up of your life.

    "Memories consume
    Like opening the wound
    I'm picking me apart again"
    *The memories are causing suffering, he doesn't like those memories, and every time they come he feels like openning his scars*

    "You all assume
    I'm safe here in my room
    Unless I try to start again"
    *Now he is talking about how the others see him, assuming he is ok, when he's actually in suffer*

    "I don't want to be the one
    The battles always choose
    'Cause inside I realize
    That I'm the one confused"
    *He is tired of what he is going through, and he knows that it is his fault*

    "I don't know what's worth fighting for
    Or why I have to scream
    I don't know why I instigate
    And say what I don't mean"
    *he lost the will to live, his life has no meaning anymore*

    "I don't know how I got this way
    I know it's not alright
    So I'm breaking the habit
    Breaking the habit
    Tonight"
    *He doesn't know what happened to him, and he is going to suicide (break the habit)*

    "Clutching my cure
    I tightly lock the door
    I try to catch my breath again"
    *This is the moment of the suicide, he locks the door, try to keep calm(catch his breath), and his cure is the suicide*

    "I hurt much more
    Than anytime before
    I had no options left again"
    *Despite the fact that everyone thinks he's allright, he's worse than ever, and out of options*

    "I'll paint it on the walls
    'Cause I'm the one at fault
    I'll never fight again
    And this is how it ends"
    *He will show to everyone that he is the on at fault, and after he's dead he won't ever have to fight again, it will be how it ends*

    "But now I have some clarity
    To show you what I mean"
    *The last chorus changes, and he's sayning that in the end he found a way to show his point*

    Hope you enjoyed :)

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 29th 2012 !⃝

    I actually think its more literal than people think. It just about people who speak without meaning, and cant real picture themselves on the inside because they don't know who they really are, so they say what they can to get through the day and realize this, but don't know what to do about, and they even question how they became like that. Such as speaking without thinking on complete habit, and instigating people unintentionally.

  3. spongebob
    click a star to vote
    Feb 3rd 2012 !⃝

    this song is about some one (chester ) going through a difficult time in his life. like i think tht the writer wants to make a point the they have messed up and their starting over again. and their...Breaking the Habit...

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 22nd 2012 !⃝

    You can interpretate as a drug addicted or as a suicide song. If you don't know the background of the singer and you would have not known all the words, you would say: "Hey, this song is about a dude who has given up all options and try to break his habit (kill himself).
    On the other hand, you could say it is about drug addiction. It is a very bad habit. He says: You all assume, I'm safe here in my room. "Unless I try to start again" .Cause inside I realize, that I'm the one confused, and I don't know how I got this way.

    "I'll paint it on the walls
    'Cause I'm the one at fault."
    In this sentence he want to make clear that he wants to make it public, what kind of habit he had, and say that he's the one at fault. He's the one who is guilty for himself. And he wants it never again, so this is the moment that it will end.

    Conclusion: You can interpretate in on two ways, one, suicide, two, drug addiction. I think it is very nice if you can make a song which you can interpretate differently.
    The best sentence which makes it clear after you've heard the song is the title itself. Breaking the habit. If you heard about the battles, and says that he don't want to fight again(against bullies) so he says, and this is how it ends, so he'll break the habit of living!
    The other side shows us that it could be about drug addiction.
    So it's your dicision.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 29th 2011 !⃝

    Damnit you guys, you do know that Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, right? Anyone can go on and put whatever they think. As sources go, Wikipedia is not a reliable one

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 14th 2011 !⃝

    You guys are so depressing why couldnt it be about something like habit of doing something anoying not everything is drugs and wrist cutting.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 4th 2011 !⃝

    I"M Going Thorugh Apathy and I Miss Writing
    To Political people,Cheerleaders and My Friends ECT. And I Want To BReak The Habit
    By Getting Right with God and I HAve ADD,
    and I've Got Sneaky and Caught Up With THe
    World System and I want To Be Known as an
    Honest MAn Of God Again Trustworthy,Dependable
    and reliable And I Want To Be MY Self and
    I'm Ready to Do Some Damage To The Devil
    and Following God With My HEart Now.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 25th 2011 !⃝

    I think this could be about two things:

    1.) Drug Addiction. "Clutching my cure, I tightly lock the door... I hurt much more, than anytime before, I had no options left again." It could be about the addict stealing a pill bottle (full of, say, Vicodin) because He/She cannot withstand the withdrawl any longer.

    OR

    2.) Breaking Self-Destructive habits. Like worrying or cutting. "Memories consume, Like opening the wound, I'm picking me apart again."

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 15th 2011 !⃝

    I think it is a song about his life

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 22nd 2011 !⃝

    I think the song is about Chester comiting suicide"Clutching my cure" He has to be talking about a gun,right? "I'll paint it on the walls" I think he's talking about his gun. That's my interpertation.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 12th 2011 !⃝

    My interpretation is that even tho its about committing suicide its also showing the pain it gives not just to the person committing suicide but the ppl around eg the girls facial expression at 1:17.

  12. Felisha
    click a star to vote
    Feb 1st 2011 !⃝

    I think this song is about a person who is dealing with their past and confused on where their life is going. He/she feels that their life is ruined. So...it's kinda like suicide.

  13. Anthony Bowling
    click a star to vote
    Jan 26th 2011 !⃝

    THis song is obviously about his addiction to McDonald's. Like when he says, "Im eating fried rabbits tonight." He's talking about how he's not eating McDonald's tonight.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 23rd 2010 !⃝

    Well I heard that this song was looking back on chesters childhood and how he was bullied throughout high school and never felt good enough. So he and mike wrote this song looking back on the past and how Chester tried to runaway from not feeling good enough (:

  15. linkinparkfoxraider
    click a star to vote
    Dec 22nd 2010 !⃝

    linkinpark4eva is spot on and u shouldnt always judge song by their filmclips number1 guy




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