What does Leave Out All The Rest mean?

Linkin Park: Leave Out All The Rest Meaning

Album cover for Leave Out All The Rest album cover

Song Released: 2008


Leave Out All The Rest Lyrics

I dreamed I was missing
You were so scared
But no one would listen
Cause no one else cared

After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving
When I'm done here

So if you're asking me
I want you to know

[Chorus]
When my...

  1. anonymous
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    May 10th 2009 !⃝

    this song is about a man worried about being forgotten when hes gone. he wants people to forget his faults and remember him for the better things hes done, not to be mad at him, and think of him when your upset.

  2. XxXEmoXxXLoveXxX
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    Jan 5th 2009 !⃝

    When he says "keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest" I think he's saying that he knows that he's done terrible things but when he's gone (whether it me of death or another cause) he wants people to remember him...not his actions.

  3. anonymous
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    Dec 4th 2008 !⃝

    i beleve that, from when i was listening, it's about a man who says no one would care if he went missing,or if he died, exept for someone unmentioned in the song, that can be a lover, or a best friend. He want's to do somthing to be remembered. If that's not possable, he told them to keep him in their memries, and leave out all the rest.

  4. fastfordfocus
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    Nov 12th 2008 !⃝

    Ok,
    So I may be a little off here, but this is what I think of when I hear the song. First of all, it's a great song, with lyrics every bit as beautiful as the music. A rarity, in my opinion.
    Anyway, I really think this song is about a recovery compulsive masturbater. I had an ex boyfriend like that. It was really embarassing, but I refused to leave him until he eventually got caught doing it at my grandmothers house during a family gathering/dinner party. I've never been more embarassed in my whole life!!

    A few years later, he killed himself. This is a quote from his suicide letter. "...and I wish I could stop. I wish I could just F@#$ing stop it SO BAD! But I can't. I need it and it makes me feel so worthless. Everybody knows. And I know, I know how everyone will remember me. But I feel like I have no choice..."
    So I kind of think the song is about something like that. It really made me think about him a lot lately. So I asked my youth group leader about it, and he seems to agree with me. He thinks the song is probably about something like that, too. Anyway. That's just what I think.

  5. caljehu
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    Oct 21st 2008 !⃝

    Try to put yourself in the song... There you realize that your crazy or paranoid... and many people think of you that way.... but you always warn them that everybody can be crazy or paranoid on something.... probably to a nightmare with a face... more like your own personal demon...

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
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    Oct 9th 2008 !⃝

    I definitely thought this song was about a man who knew he was a bad father, but wanted forgiveness from his son and his family about how he always was a bad person, and now that he's older and realizes all of this, he wants to leave behind someone who will remember him for the good things that he did in his life, and the good times they did have.

    "help me leave behind some, reasons to be missed"
    metaphorically saying he wants his children to remember him as a better person than he actually was.

  7. anonymous
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    Sep 17th 2008 !⃝

    I think this song is saying that there's this person that's done bad things and has been hated by everyone except one person, the person he trusts. you can tell from when it say " I dreamed I was missing you were so scared, but no one would listen, cuzz no one else cared"
    so basiclly this guy is telling his friend to help him be remembered when he dies for good and not bad I think, and to forget the wrong that he's done.

  8. anonymous
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    Aug 7th 2008 !⃝

    I believe this song is about how someone is about to die and he didn't have a good past with others and doesn't want to be remembered like this.he/she wants people leave behind all his negativity and think of good things he/she did..

    In other words..he/she wants people to leave out all the rest of the things he did wrong and he/she only wants to be remembered in good memories or times..

  9. anonymous
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    Aug 7th 2008 !⃝

    Well no pin pointing but this is about someone who is thinking of death and want other people to remember him or her for the good he or she had and to forget his weakness just like he once wanted to do for himself...

  10. caljehu
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    Jun 5th 2008 !⃝

    The song itself speaks of a sinful person who's trying to correct all of his mistakes and wanted to be remember as a good person before he dies.


    but I find its music video " doesn't fit that much " or video is not a " straightforward " to the song. The director of the video, Mr.Hahn stated that its like their daily life in outer space and he thinks that it ties in to the song because their leaving their homes, love ones behind to do something better.

    he does have a point but in additional, I think they also wanted to be remembered as " miracle workers " because they've done anything to achieve their goal.

    if you guys have other opinions then let me know. :)

  11. dancingdog
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    Oct 13th 2007 !⃝

    "I dreamed I was missing, and you were so scared, but no one would listen, because no one else cared" he's talking about if something should happen to him, no one would notice, no one would care.

    "After my dreaming I woke with this fear, what am I leaving when I'm done here?" He realized that if he were to leave, he wouldn't have left anything behind that anyone would remember him for.

    "When my time comes forget the wrong that I've done, Help me leave behind some reason to be missed. Don't resent me and when you're feeling empty keep me in your memory leave out all the rest, leave out all the rest" He wants people to remember him not for what he did or did not do, but for who he was as a person.
    "Don't be afraid, I've taken my beating, I've shared what I made. I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through. I've never been perfect, but neither have you" He't telling them that he's paid for what he's done. He seems tough on the outside, but he isn't on the inside, and he isn't perfect, no one is so don't expect that of him.

    "Forgetting all the hurt inside you learned to hide so well. Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself. I can't be who you are." Don't just ignore the hurt, but recognize it and then move past it. And don't just think that someone else will come and help him, but do it yourself, and remember that he is and never will be anyone but himself.


    I think this is a very good song, about forgiving, moving on, and just being a person.

  12. Revel
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    Jun 24th 2007 !⃝

    This song really strikes a chord with me.

    I see it like this:

    He regrets the awful things he's done, the horrible things he's said and how he's affected people. He wishes, that when the time comes for them to die and move on, that people will remember him for who he was as a person, instead of what he's done.

  13. anonymous
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    Jun 15th 2007 !⃝

    I think this song is about just breaking up with someone you really loved, and as the song says "don't resent me when you're feeling empty" it just means to think about the good times you had, and "help me leave behind some reasons to be missed" that means that you don't want this person to remember you because of all the wrong or bad things you did, but you want to be remembered in a good way. when it says "I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared, but no one would listen, because no one else cared" I think that means that someone dreamed he/she was missing and the only one that cared is the one that left them or the one they left because he/she probably still has feelings for that person.

  14. MRO1989
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    May 17th 2007 !⃝

    Clearly, this song is about being remembered, and leaving something good about you behind, after you die. You don't want to be remembered as a wonderful person. Chester fears not being remembered. That's how I see it.

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