Linkin Park: Hands Held High Meaning
Hands Held High Lyrics
Light weights step aside when we come in
Feel it in your chest the syllables get pumping
People on the street they panic and start running
Words on loose leaf sheet complete coming
I jump on...
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The quote "when the rich wage war, the poor die" is from John-Paul Satre who was an advocate of Marxism, met Castro and admired Che Guavera.
Thus the tie-in with the red covered book. -
I think it means that you are praying to god because your world is collapsing and swallowing you like the ocean.
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The ending "With hands held high into the sky so blue as the ocean opens up to swallow you" I think is about raising your hands in the air, surrendering. Maybe
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Someone said they weren't sure what the dad and the brother had relevance for. He's talking about how his dad is fearful, though I'm not exactly sure of what.
"My brother had a book he would hold with pride
A little red cover with a broken spine
On the back he handwrote a quote inside
'When the rich wage war it's the poor who die'."
I'm almost certain the book is the bible and the quote, I think it's obvious it means that the rich are the ones who decide whether or not we go to war. Do we, the 'poor', get a say? No. The rich wage the war, and the 'poor' are the ones who go out and fight it. Because when the rich wage war it's the POOR who die... -
like cmon guys.. it said the bomb blew the mosk up yeterday... any1 hear about the bali bombing in indonesia??? it was a bomb hiddin in a jeep and thats what it said....
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I believe the song is about not following the stupid rules the Gov't has put in place, it's about standing for what's right & not letting the gov't get away with murder "Risk somethin, take back what's yours, say something that you know they might attack you for".
It's also about how war "Caters to the rich & abandon the poor" do you really think the regular people we're attacking want this? You think it's bad because YOUR taxes have gone up? Imagine your entire life being thrown into upheval & you're not even safe in your own home. There's nothing good about war, it doesn't solve problems, it creates them.
I believe the line "it's ironic, at times like this you pray, but a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday" is saying you'll pray for the soldiers & for your own coultry but you rejoice when we have a victory. We live in a hypicritical society, we care about ourselves & noone else.
Apparently the American country is a Christian country, well it certinately doesn't seem that way. My favourate section of the song is "My brother had a book he would hold with pride, a little red cover with a broken spine, on the back he hand wrote a quote inside, when the rich wage war it's the poor who die" -
I agree with the idea of how 'when the rich rage war and the poor who die' Even though I support the soldiers, the past has never changed, the rich don't go overseas and risk there lives. Instead, the poor or middle class have to go fight, and then its the poor who are out on the streets and are casualties for both sides, fighting because there leader told them to. I think the part where he says "In the living room laughing- like what did he say?" there making fun of the president and how he just makes a fool of themselves, then later when he declares war, taxes are raised, innocents are sent to battle and killed, there angry, but they didn't do anything to stop it. This song is kind of a call to arms to just stand up for your believes, cause thats what were fighting for is freedom. and meanwhile, the 'poor' are being forced to fight to put food on the table while the Rich relax and reap only the benifts without being conisdered about the price.
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I understand this song completely.
Like other interpretations this is about the war in Iraq but like other linkin park songs you need to relate it to your own life experiences.
My dad is in the Navy for most of his life, and like all military men he had the very scary probility that he could get called out to war. Since of his operations he would have to be on the ground, in a base where anything could happen. Anything.
Recent interpretations are correct, about how most of America is angry about sir dumb a and his decision to send my dad to war. "He's got alot of fear I know, but enough pride inside not to let that show." Refferring to as in my case I could see the fear in my dads eyes as he waited for the call.
"My brother had a book he would hold with pride" This is symbolism in which when my father got promoted to chief he gave me his chiefs coin (the red book) as a present. When he got called away that became a reminder "these ------- are laughing to the bank and cashing the check" while they are asking me to have some respect?
NO. My father is now K.I.A and my book with the broken spine is my coin which is now very old and probably cost a good sum of money. I have no intention of selling it.
Now since so many people voices are being heard its like a ocean that is swallowing George Bush. Amen well I like to think that is for my father but sadly it is not instead it is for the thousands of soldiers that died. -
Illuminati.
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I think the songs meaning is that we the ppl ar scared for our troops overseas and what we are fighting for is now wrong but the rich are getting richer while the poor suffer more.
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"A little red cover with a broken spine" I believe this could mean many things but the that struck me the most is that the book represents the boy or the boys family saying that the war
has broken them when talking about the broken spine -
Hands Held High is very prestigious to me. I admire the message it sends out to people who understand it. I constantly think about the meaning to this song and I've literally thought about it for hours. And one of those times was today, and here's what I came up with. I'm sorry it's so long, but, like I said, it's very prestigious to me. I analyzed every line. And, (P.S.), don't try to tell me the lyrics are wrong. I got the lyrics from the album's lyric book.
Verse 1:
"Turn my mic up louder I got to say something"
Self explanitory
"Lightweights step it aside when we come in"
Lightweights referring to the peoples' judgement to his opinion and he's setting it aside
"Feel it in your chest the syllables get pumping"
It's building up and the words are ready to come out
"People on the street they panic and start running"
Self explanitory
"Words on loose leaf sheet complete coming"
He's written his opinion down
"I jump in my mind and summon the rhyme I'm dumping"
He's searching his mind to find how to word it
"Healing the blind I promise to let the sun in"
People who are too blind to see how the world truly is and he wants to shed some light on them
"Sick of the dark ways we march to the drum and jump when they tell us that they wanna see jumping"
He's sick of how we follow one person and obey their orders
"F*** that I wanna see some fist pumping"
He hates and he would rather see people doing their own thing
"Risk something take back what's yours"
Self explanitory
"Say something that you know they might attack you for"
Take that risk to act out on your own no matter to consequences
"'Cause I'm sick of being treated like I have before"
Self explanitory
"Like it's stupid standing for what I'm standing for"
Self explanitory
"Like this war's really just a different brand of war"
Self explanitory
"Like it doesn't cater to rich and abandon poor"
Like the quote at the end of the song, ("When the rich wage war it's the poor who die"), the rich get off too easy and the poor get stuck with all the sh**.
"Like they understand you in the back of the jet when you can't put gas in your tank"
Wars make the economy worse and some people will actually try to steal gas from the military
"These f***ers are laughing their way to the bank, cashing a check"
F***ers referring to the rich. They have all their money and it's safe in the bank
"Asking you to have compassion and have some respect for a leader so nervous in an obvious way"
They think the war is stupid (which all wars are) and they think they should just play follow the leader
"Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay"
The leader is nervous and it's all over the news
"And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day"
Self explanitory
"In their livingroom laughing like 'What did he say?'"
The fact that there is a war going on is still pretty much a joke to a lot of people
Verse 2:
"In my livingroom watching I am not laughing"
He's starting to get really serious
"'Cause when it gets tense I know what might happen"
Watching what's happening at the war scene and he knows it's not a joke
"The world is cold, the bold men take action"
Self explanitory; Bold men referring to our courageous soldiers
"Have to react or get blown into fractions"
Send out the soldiers or the country will die
"Ten years old, it's something to see"
It's a lot for a ten year old to witness and/or realize what's going on
"Another kid my age drugged under a jeep"
I assume he's taking the place of a ten year old for a comparison. He's overwhelmed and went to drugs
"Taken and bound and found later under a tree"
He was under a jeep. He was probably either captured by a foreign invasion, or taken by bullies also overwhelmed and beat him up and left him under a tree when they were done
"I wonder if he had thought the next one could be me"
Self explanitory
"Do you see the soldiers? They're out today"
Self explanitory
"They brush the dust from bulletproof vests away"
Self explanitory
"It's ironic, at times like this you pray but a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday"
The irony: You pray, but the mosque (which is a Muslim place of public worship) was blown up yesterday
"There's bombs on the busses, bikes, roads, inside your market, your shops, your clothes"
Self explanitory
"My dad, he's got a lot of fear, I know, but enough pride inside not the let that show"
Dad was either drafted into the war and has to go to, his son/daughter was drafted and is afraid he/she won't come back, or he's just plain afraid because of the war in general
"My brother had a book he would hold with pride"
Self explanitory
"A little red cover with a broken spine"
Self explanitory
"On the back he hand wrote a quote inside:"
Self explanitory
"'WHEN THE RICH WAGE WAR IT'S THE POOR WHO DIE'"
My favorite quote EVER. It's the rich who wage on war and the poor end up dying. This and the last three lines confirm my thoughts about his dad's fear. His brother most likely went to war
"And meanwhile, the leader just talks away"
Self explanitory
"Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay"
The leader is still nervous and it's still all over the news
"The rest of the world watching at the end of the day"
Self explanitory
"Both scared and angry like 'What did he say?'"
People are finally getting it! The leader is serious about the war!
"With hands held high into a sky so blue as the ocean opens up to swallow you"
This line really stumps me. But I think it's saying that our country is joining together to win the war. The sky is blue and the ocean is probably referring to the war lovers of the world trying to reel you in to their side
Also, quick note:
The last lines of the verses
1. "In their livingroom laughing like 'What did he say?'" They're innocently laughing in disbelief of what's being said
2. "Both scared and angry like 'What did he say?'"
After seeing it all on TV, they finally get it. They're scared because, who wouldn't be scared right after they found out their country is at war. They're angry because their country actually went to war.
This is necessarily correct, but I hope it answers what you're thinking about the song. Thanks for reading :) -
This song represents both sides of the non-war combat.
The first side represents(the first half of the song) the side that doesn't really know what's
going on. They would rather fight for peace because they believe
that it's the right thing to do. They are the average americans who
Work from paycheck to paycheck and believe that the war is costing them
Money to where they can't put gas in their tank. These people laugh at
The world leader because that he is doing more harm than good and believe that he should Just shutup.
The second half of the song is the people who watch the news because they either
A)support their troops
B)has a family member in the army fighting for freedom
C)has lost a family member in war and knows what these men are fighting for
This group of people are afraid of what may happen if war does not happen
They see the horrors such as a kid getting killed. The brother with the book realized
That the rich were the ones raging the war and he noticed that the poor were dying
This group as they listen to the leader are scared because of the war and angry that there
Kids and family members are over across seas risking their lives
The last lines of the song represents how war may seem to be the right answer until
People begin to die and the gruesome side of war shows it face -
A lot of people think this is either a hard or easy interpertation. I, myself think it's quite simple. It'se a song about the history of our economy of the U.S from the past, present, and future. All of it has a meaning, but some of it might mean different things to different people, such as:
"A little red cover with a broken spine."
Who knows? that could be refering to a bible, notebook, or just any book. This song has so many meanings, and so many things it could mean. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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