Skin to Bone
Linkin Park Lyrics


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Skin to bone, steel to rust
Ash to ashes, dust to dust
Let tomorrow have its way
With the promises we made
Skin to bone, steel to rust

Ash to ashes, dust to dust
Your deception, my disgust
When your name is finally drawn
I'll be happy that you're gone
Ash to ashes, dust to dust

(Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
Ash to ashes, dust to dust
(Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
Skin to bone and steel to rust

Right to left, left to right
Night to day and day to night
As the starlight fades to gray
I'll be marching far away
Right to left and left to right

(Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
Ash to ashes, dust to dust
(Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)
Skin to bone and steel to rust

Let tomorrow have its way?
With the promises betrayed?
Skin to bone and steel to rust




Skin to bone and steel to rust
Skin to bone and steel to rust

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Linkin Park's Skin to Bone express the finality of life, using the imagery of physical degradation: "Skin to bone, steel to rust / Ash to ashes, dust to dust." This serves as a reminder of death's inevitability and a call to seize the day, to let go of any doubts and live life to the fullest. The repetition of the phrase "Ash to ashes, dust to dust" reinforces this point while also referencing the Bible's Ash Wednesday phrase "Remember you are dust, and to dust, you shall return." The lyrics then take a darker turn, exposing the betrayal of a relationship and the disgust felt towards the other person who deceived the singer. The final lines imply a sense of relief and closure as the singer welcomes the other person's departure: "When your name is finally drawn / I'll be happy that you're gone." The overall message of the song seems to be about the acceptance of death and holding oneself accountable for living a meaningful life, while also acknowledging the impermanence of relationships and the importance of realizing when it is time to move on.


Line by Line Meaning

Skin to bone, steel to rust
Comparing the fragility of the human body to the decay of metal over time


Ash to ashes, dust to dust
Acknowledging the inevitable cycle of life and death


Let tomorrow have its way
Accepting that the future is uncertain and out of our control


With the promises we made
Reflecting on broken promises and the consequences they bring


Your deception, my disgust
Expressing feelings of anger and betrayal after being deceived


When your name is finally drawn
Looking forward to the end of a toxic relationship or situation


I'll be happy that you're gone
Feeling relieved and content once the negative influence is removed


Right to left, left to right
Referencing the constant motion and changing nature of life


Night to day and day to night
Highlighting the unpredictability and cyclical nature of time


As the starlight fades to gray
Emphasizing the passage of time and the fleeting nature of happiness


I'll be marching far away
Choosing to move on and leave the past behind


Let tomorrow have its way?
Repeating the acceptance that the future is uncertain


With the promises betrayed?
Further examining the consequences of broken promises and trust


Skin to bone and steel to rust
Reiterating the fragility and decay that everything and everyone experiences over time


Skin to bone and steel to rust
Repeating the central theme of the song - the inevitability of decay and change


Skin to bone and steel to rust
Concluding the song with a final reminder of our own mortality and the transience of all things




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brad Delson, Chester Charles Bennington, Dave Farrell, Joseph Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Robert G. Bourdon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@sefurachan

Skin to bone, steel to rust
Ash to ashes, dust to dust
Let tomorrow have its way
With the promises we made
Skin to bone, steel to rust.

Ash to ashes, dust to dust
Your deception, my disgust
When your name is finally drawn,
I'll be happy that you're gone
Ash to ashes, dust to dust.

(ah) ash to ashes, dust to dust
(ah) skin to bone and steel to rust

Right to left, left to right
Night to day and day to night
As the starlight fades to gray,
I'll be marching far away
Right to left and left to right

(ah) ash to ashes, dust to dust
(ah) skin to bone and steel to rust

Let tomorrow have its way?
With the promises betrayed?
Skin to bone and steel to rust [3x]



All comments from YouTube:

@televisxr

Only Linkin Park can make a song that's so simple in terms of beat and lyrics, but still express a much larger meaning.

@novacrawford7244

kind of like Robert Frost

@kyloren4283

Mate, Roads Untravelled as well

@christopherknecht3233

Absolut,der Text klingt recht banal,aber gepaart mit dem beat,ist die Lyric wieder passend und genial und sowas beherrscht einfach nur Linkin Park,die einzig wahre universalband die jeden Musiker auf lange Sicht derbe alt aussehen lässt

@oleg4209

​@@christopherknecht3233endlich ein deutscher Kommentar

@EjsCF

Underrated and it's almost criminal that it hasn't been played live

@sonicflubber

Yep. Still waiting for In My Remains, lost in the echo, castle of glass, and skin to bone live

@GackylGhaster

***** Lost in the echo, Castle of glass, and the instrumental of skin to bone was played live. The instrumental of skin to bone was played with the lyrics of "wreches and kings".

@sonicflubber

Swagnemite "The instrumental of skin to bone was played with the lyrics of wreches and kings". Que the darth vader NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Not that wreches and kings is a bad song, it's just that I would prefer that wreches and kings keeps its instrumentals.

@GackylGhaster

***** To be honest wreches and kings sounds better with it's own intrumentals. But we can't choose a setlist.

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