The band Linkin Park is composed of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer Rob Bourdon. They also had Chester Bennington, who was the lead vocalist of the band, but he sadly passed away in July 2017. The band hasn’t created any songs since. Linkin Park is known for their meaningful and heart-wrenching lyrics, like in the songs in the Meteora album, which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary, on March 25th.
“Don’t Stay” is about wanting somebody who hurt you to leave you alone. Bennington relays how the person used to mean something to him in the line, “Sometimes I feel like I trusted you too well.” He used to rely on the person, but they broke his trust and now he wants them to stay away from him. Bennington feels like he was being molded by the addressee into who they wanted him to be instead of letting him be himself.
“Somewhere I Belong” is about wanting to fit in when you feel like an outcast. In the lines “What do I have but negativity/ ‘Cause I can’t justify the way everyone is looking at me”, Bennington sings about his negative self-views and how he feels different from everyone else. He also states that he is “Just stuck, hollow and alone/ And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own.” He expresses how he is isolated from people because of his feelings toward himself and states that it is his fault that he is like this. He blames himself for being the way he is.
“Lying from You”: This song is about trying to distance yourself from someone and pushing them away by changing your personality. Bennington is addressing a person who wants him to be someone else. Bennington states that he can not be the way the addressee wants him to be, so he lies to them to get away from them. He sings, “I want to be pushed aside, so let me go/ Let me take back my life, I’d rather be all alone.” Bennington expresses how he does not want the person to dictate who he is, and to let him be who he wants to be in the world.
“Hit the Floor”: This song is about yet another toxic relationship with somebody. The person that Bennington is addressing has talked about him behind his back, and he is telling the person that he knows what they’re doing. He is tired of frequent conflict with them and relays that they have an advantage over him. Bennington wants the roles to switch, as he conveys in the line “so I’m waiting until the upper hand is mine.”
“Easier to Run” is about being scared to face your problems and instead running away from them. Bennington hints that the problems he had were in the past, and he still can’t shake them off. He lists all of his regrets and wishes he could take things back and change his past. Since he knows he can’t go back and fix what happened, he states how he wants to forget everything and shake it off. This is displayed in the lines “sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back/ And never moving forward so there’d never be a past.”
“Faint”: This song is from the perspective of a person who has most likely been emotionally abused or neglected. Bennington relays how he wants to be heard and respected by his abuser because they’re all he has. He admits that he is insecure about himself, and acknowledges that he is tired of being ignored. He states that he can’t feel the way he used to, assuming he means a positive emotion.
“Figure 0.9”: This song is about the traumatic experiences Bennington had and how they affect him in the present. In the line “I took what I hated and made it a part of me”, he reflects on how he has taken on hated qualities similar to his abuser’s. He just wants to get them out of his life and possibly become himself again. He wants to let go of all the memories he’s had with his abuser and not be afraid of them anymore.
“Breaking the Habit” is about fighting addictions such as self-harm, alcohol, drugs, etc, and trying to find a different way to cope. Bennington relays that he doesn’t like conflict, which is shown in the line “I don’t want to be the one the battles always choose.” It also seems like he’s questioning himself and everything, and possibly having an existential crisis. The lines at the end of the song “I’ll never fight again/ And this is how it ends” could be taken negatively or positively.
“From the Inside” is about losing trust in someone because of how many times they broke that trust. This is shown in the lines “take everything from the inside/ And throw it all away/ ‘Cause I swear for the last time/ I won’t trust myself with you.” Bennington wants to throw away all the memories, emotions, and trauma this person has caused him. They seem to tire him out and take away all of his energy by causing him to be on edge.
“Nobody’s Listening”: This song is about Linkin Park’s struggle with songwriting and the stress of creating music. It is also about resisting the negative criticism from people who call them names and say they’re not a good band. They’re telling everyone that they put their “blood, sweat, and tears” into their songs and they could care less about the feedback.
“Numb” is about having conflict with parental figures/guardians because of their high expectations. In this song, Bennington expresses his resentment toward them and their actions toward him. He says he’s “become so numb” and feels exhausted from all the pressure they put on him. He feels as though everything he does, his parents think is a mistake.
Meteora is undoubtedly one of Linkin Park’s best albums, and they deserve the amount of love they get from their fans.
