Formed in 1996, Linkin Park rose to international fame with their debut studio album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which became certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Released during the peak of the nu metal scene, the album's singles' heavy airplay on MTV led the singles "One Step Closer", "Crawling" and "In the End" all to chart highly on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The lattermost also crossed over to the nation's Billboard Hot 100. Their second album, Meteora (2003), continued the band's success. The band explored experimental sounds on their third album, Minutes to Midnight (2007). By the end of the decade, Linkin Park was among the most successful and popular rock acts.
The band continued to explore a wider variation of musical types on their fourth album, A Thousand Suns (2010), layering their music with more electronic sounds. The band's fifth album, Living Things (2012), combined musical elements from all of their previous records. Their sixth album, The Hunting Party (2014), returned to a heavier rock sound, and their seventh album, One More Light (2017), was a substantially more pop-oriented record. Linkin Park went on a hiatus when longtime lead vocalist Bennington died in July 2017. In April 2022, Shinoda revealed the band was neither working on new music nor planning on touring for the foreseeable future.
Linkin Park is among the best-selling bands of the 21st century and the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 100 million records worldwide. They have won two Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards and three World Music Awards. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium. Billboard ranked Linkin Park No. 19 on the Best Artists of the Decade list. In 2012, the band was voted as the greatest artist of the 2000s in a Bracket Madness poll on VH1. In 2014, the band was declared as "The Biggest Rock Band in the World Right Now" by Kerrang!.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linkin_Park
Studio albums
Hybrid Theory (2000)
Meteora (2003)
Minutes to Midnight (2007)
A Thousand Suns (2010)
Living Things (2012)
The Hunting Party (2014)
One More Light (2017)
Paper Cut
Linkin Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something in the air's not right today
Why am I so uptight today?
Paranoia's all I got left
I don't know what stressed me first
Or how the pressure was fed
But I know just what it feels like
To have a voice in the back of my head
A face that awakes when I close my eyes
A face watches every time I lie
A face that laughs every time I fall
(It watches everything)
So I know now when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is hearing me
Right beneath my skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
I know I've got a face in me
Points out all my mistakes to me
You've got a face on the inside too
Your paranoia's probably worse
I don't know what set me off first but I know what I can't stand
Everybody acts like the fact of the matter is
I can't add up to what you can but
Everybody has a face that they hold inside
A face that awakes when I close my eyes
A face that watches every time they lie
A face that laughs every time they fall
(It watches everything)
So you know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is watching you too
Right inside your skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
Linkin Park's "Paper Cut" is a song about the internal struggle that one faces when dealing with their own demons. It starts off with the lyrics "Why does it feel like night today? Something in the air's not right today. Why am I so uptight today? Paranoia's all I got left." This shows that the singer is feeling uneasy, and there's a sense of danger that's not visible. The voice in the back of their head represents the thoughts that they keep locked away inside, and the face that they hold is a representation of the person they are inside, which they put on as a mask in the society they live in. The lyrics show that this internal face watches every move they make, and it's always present, even when everything in their life is going right.
The chorus of the song depicts the inner turmoil as a whirlwind that they can't stop. They are always paranoid, and the feeling of anxiety never leaves them. They can't shake off the constant reminders of their mistakes, and these thoughts keep swirling inside their head like a vicious cycle.
The song ends with "The sun goes down. I feel the light betray me. The sun goes down. I feel the light betray me." The sun going down represents the end of the day, and the darkness reminding them of the demons they've been fighting all day. The light betraying them represents the fact that, despite their efforts, the darkness and anxiety always have the last word and get the better of them.
Overall, "Paper Cut" is a powerful song that deals with the internal struggle that many people face daily. It's a reminder that we all have a face inside that we hide from the world, and it's important to be aware of it and address it.
Line by Line Meaning
Why does it feel like night today?
Something's not right in the air, and I don't know why.
Something in the air's not right today
I feel like something is wrong and I can't shake it off.
Why am I so uptight today?
I'm feeling anxious and paranoid today and I don't know why.
Paranoia's all I got left
I'm consumed by paranoia, it's all I think about.
I don't know what stressed me first
I don't know what triggered my stress and anxiety.
Or how the pressure was fed
I don't know how I got to this point of feeling so pressured and stressed.
But I know just what it feels like
Even though I don't know why I'm feeling this way, I'm familiar with how it feels.
To have a voice in the back of my head
I have a nagging voice in my head that won't let me be at ease.
Like a face that I hold inside
It's like there's a face with all my fears and anxieties inside me.
A face that awakes when I close my eyes
Whenever I close my eyes, this face reminds me of all my fears and anxieties.
A face watches every time I lie
I feel like this face is constantly judging me, especially when I'm not honest with myself or others.
A face that laughs every time I fall
Whenever I make a mistake or fail at something, this face seems to mock me.
(It watches everything)
This face seems to be aware of everything that's happening to me, even things I'm not aware of myself.
So I know now when it's time to sink or swim
I realize that I have to face my fears and anxieties if I want to move forward in life.
That the face inside is hearing me
I'm aware of this inner voice, but I'm not sure if acknowledging it will make it stronger or weaker.
Right beneath my skin
This voice is so close to me that it feels like it's a part of me.
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
I feel like I'm being watched or followed, and it's making me anxious.
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
My thoughts are going in circles, like a chaotic whirlwind in my mind.
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
Even when I try to ignore this inner voice, I can't seem to shake it off.
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
This inner voice is so close to me, it's almost tangible.
I know I've got a face in me
I'm aware of this inner voice, and I know it's a part of me.
Points out all my mistakes to me
This inner voice seems to focus on my flaws and weaknesses.
You've got a face on the inside too
I acknowledge that everyone has their own inner voice, their own fears and anxieties.
Your paranoia's probably worse
I'm aware that everyone has their own struggles, and I can't compare my own to others'.
I don't know what set me off first but I know what I can't stand
I'm not sure what triggered my fears and anxieties, but I know it's too much to bear.
Everybody acts like the fact of the matter is
People around me seem to ignore or dismiss my fears and anxieties.
I can't add up to what you can but
I feel like I'm not good enough, like I can't live up to certain expectations.
Everybody has a face that they hold inside
Everyone has their own inner voice, their own fears and anxieties they have to deal with.
So you know that when it's time to sink or swim
Everyone has to confront their own fears and anxieties at some point.
That the face inside is watching you too
Everyone has to deal with their own inner voice, and it's watching them closely.
The sun goes down
As the day goes on, I'm feeling more and more anxious.
I feel the light betray me
The light, which usually brings comfort and warmth, is now a source of anxiety and fear.
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
No matter how hard I try, I can't ignore this inner voice.
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
Even when I try to distract myself or avoid my fears and anxieties, they keep coming back.
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
This inner voice is relentless, and it's affecting my everyday life.
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
This inner voice is so strong, it feels like it's a part of my physical being.
The face inside is right beneath your skin
Everyone has their own inner voice, their own fears and anxieties, that are just as close to them as their skin.
The face inside is right beneath your skin
It's important to acknowledge and confront this inner voice in order to move forward in life.
The face inside is right beneath your skin
Ignoring or dismissing this inner voice will only make it stronger and harder to deal with.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brad Delson Delson, Chester Charle Bennington, Joseph Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Robert G. Bourdon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SuzukaNakamoto01
1:57
[Mike Shinoda:]
The face inside is right beneath the skin [3x]
[Chester Bennington (Mike Shinoda):]
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
The sun
(It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back)
(It's like a whirlwind inside of my head)
(It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within)
(It's like the face inside is right beneath the skin)
I feel the light betray me
The sun
(It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back)
(It's like a whirlwind inside of my head)
(It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within)
(It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within)
I feel the light betray me
(It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within)
The sun
(It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin)
@55kidd
Are there people from 2024 here?
@david.e376
No
@nelmiester3558
Yes
@Fan_De_Petunia
Yes
@victoriashellard528
Yes darling
@llawliet2100
Yeah!
@rampageclover9788
Hybrid Theory got me through some dark times...thanks for everything Chester and I'm sorry you were in so much pain at the end.
@tanya8436
Rampage Clover well said! Amazing how many people he healed with his music yet it didn't help him. Breaks my heart. It's like Robin Williams. He made us laugh for decades and lived such a sad life underneath. I guess since they didn't find happiness within, they did what they could to make millions of random strangers happier. #RIPChester may you find the peace you deserve ✌❤
@XDEFC-tg7rb
Rampage Clover same here :-(
@rampageclover9788
and Meteora likewise was terrific aswell...