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)
When They Come for Me
Linkin Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am not a pattern to be followed
The pill that I'm on
Is a tough one to swallow
I'm not a criminal
Not a role model
Not a born leader
I'm a tough act to follow
I am not the fortunate and the fame
Or the same verse I'm telling you to forfeit the game
I came in the ring like a dog on a chain
And I found out the underbelly is sicker than it seems
And it seems ugly, but it can get worse
'Cause even the blueprint is a gift and a curse
'Cause once you have the theory of how the thing works
Everybody wants the next thing to be just like the first
And I'm not a robot
I'm not a monkey
I will not dance even if the beat's funky
Opposite of lazy, far from a punk y'all
Stop talking, start tryna catch up motherfucker
And all the people say
Aah, aah, aah
Try to catch up motherfucker
Aah, aah, aah
Lauren said money changes situations
Big said it increases the complication
Kane said don't stab, I ain't the one
Chuck said a an Uzi weigh a motherfucking ton
And I'm just a student of the game that they taught me
Rocking every stage and every place that they brought me
I'm awfully underrated
But can be corrected
And so this second I'm gonna save it for the record
I am the opposite of whack
Opposite of weak
Opposite of slack
Standing in the heat
Standing in a crack
Closest to a beat, far from a punk
Y'all oughta stop talking, start tryna catch up motherfucker
And all the people say
Aah, aah, aah
Try to catch up motherfucker
Aah, aah, aah
Oh when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
Oh, when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
Oh, when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
And all the people say
Aah, aah, aah
Try to catch up motherfucker
Aah, aah, aah
And all the people say
Aah, aah, aah
Try to catch up motherfucker
Aah, aah, aah
Aah, aah, aah
Aah, aah, aah
Linkin Park's "When They Come for Me" is a rap-rock song from their 2010 album, "A Thousand Suns". In this song, the lead vocalist, Mike Shinoda, takes a defiant stance to criticize the notion of following a set pattern or conforming to societal expectations. Shinoda starts the song asserting that he's not someone who can be easily followed. He then refers to the medication he's taking to cope with his state of mind, emphasizing that it's not an easy pill to swallow.
Shinoda then drops lines that summarize the theme of the song. He asserts his individuality and states how he won't be following any set pattern like a robot or a monkey. He then criticizes society's love for the blueprint when looking for the next big thing, explaining how it can be both a gift and a curse. In the final verse, Shinoda makes reference to other rappers' (Lauren, Big, Kane, and Chuck) beliefs and experiences. He speaks of how he has learned from them but that he is still an underrated artist.
Throughout the song, Shinoda repeats the phrase, "try to catch up, motherfucker," emphasizing his stance on not following set patterns and bowing to societal pressures. The chorus is catchy and highlighted by a mix of electronic drums and sample effects.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah
An affirmation to the lyrics that follow
I am not a pattern to be followed
I'm not someone you should try to emulate as I am unique
The pill that I'm on
Is a tough one to swallow
The reality of who I am and what I represent is not easy to accept
I'm not a criminal
Not a role model
Not a born leader
I'm a tough act to follow
I'm not someone you should look up to or try to follow, as I'm not perfect
I am not the fortunate and the fame
Or the same verse I'm telling you to forfeit the game
I'm not one of those who are blessed with fortune and fame, nor am I someone who would encourage you to conform to society's expectations
I came in the ring like a dog on a chain
And I found out the underbelly is sicker than it seems
I started my career as an underdog and found that the music industry is filled with hidden ugliness
And it seems ugly, but it can get worse
'Cause even the blueprint is a gift and a curse
The music industry seems unpleasant, but it can get even worse, and even the formula for success can be both helpful and harmful
'Cause once you have the theory of how the thing works
Everybody wants the next thing to be just like the first
Once you know what makes a hit song, everyone expects you to replicate it instead of experimenting with new ideas
And I'm not a robot
I'm not a monkey
I will not dance even if the beat's funky
I am not a machine or a puppet and will not conform to the industry's expectations even if the music is catchy
Opposite of lazy, far from a punk y'all
Stop talking, start tryna catch up motherfucker
I am not lazy or a coward, and I challenge others to try to keep up with me
Lauren said money changes situations
Big said it increases the complication
Kane said don't stab, I ain't the one
Chuck said a an Uzi weigh a motherfucking ton
Referencing the knowledge and wisdom passed down from other rappers
And I'm just a student of the game that they taught me
Rocking every stage and every place that they brought me
I am still learning from the other artists who came before me, but I am performing and traveling on stage passionately
I'm awfully underrated
But can be corrected
And so this second I'm gonna save it for the record
Even though I am not as popular as I should be, I have the potential to change that and will document my progress
I am the opposite of whack
Opposite of weak
Opposite of slack
Standing in the heat
Standing in a crack
Closest to a beat, far from a punk
Y'all oughta stop talking, start tryna catch up motherfucker
I am the opposite of uncool, powerless and disorganized, I am confidently performing even in challenging circumstances, and I challenge others to keep up with my rhythm
Oh when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
Oh, when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
Oh, when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
I am aware of the hypothetical criticisms that others may have of me, but I will not be bothered by it as I will focus on creating new content and moving forward
And all the people say
Aah, aah, aah
Try to catch up motherfucker
Aah, aah, aah
I am challenging others to keep up with me, and the crowd is echoing this sentiment by chanting in support of me
Aah, aah, aah
Aah, aah, aah
Aah, aah, aah
Repetition of supporting chants from the crowd
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
@luigi377
I am not a pattern to be followed
The pill that I'm on is a tough one to swallow
I'm not a criminal, not a role model
Not a born leader I'm a tough act to follow
I am not the fortune and the fame
Nor the same person telling you to forfeit the game
I came in the ring like a dog on a chain
And I found out the underbelly's sicker than it seems
And it seems ugly, but it can get worse
'Cause even a blueprint is a gift and a curse
'Cause once you got a theory of how the thing works
Everybody wants the next thing to be just like the first
And I'm not a robot
I'm not a monkey
I will not dance even if the beat's funky
Opposite of lazy, far from a punk
Ya'll ought to stop talking start trying to catch up motherfucker
And all the people say
Try to catch up motherfucker
Lauryn said; money change a situation
Big said; it increase the complication
Kane said don't step, I ain't the one
Chuck said that uzi weigh a motherfuckin' ton
And I'm just a student of the game that they taught me
Rockin' every stage in every place that it brought me
I'm awfully underrated, but came here to correct it
And so it ain't mistaken I'ma state it for the record
I am the opposite of wack, opposite of weak
Opposite of slack, synonym of heat
Synonym of crack, closest to a peak
Far from a punk
Ya'll ought to stop talking, start trying to catch up motherfucker
And all the people say
Try to catch up motherfucker
Oh, when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
Oh, when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
Oh, when they come for me
Come for me
I'll be gone
And all the people say
Try to catch up motherfucker
And all the people say
Try to catch up motherfucker
@konstantinmatyushov9922
Hyperlinks:
0:01 (50 sec) – Instrumental
0:51 (46 sec) – Verse 1
1:37 (22 sec) – Chorus
2:00 (31 sec) – Verse 2
2:32 (22 sec) – Chorus
2:55 (39 sec) – Instr. + Vocal 1
3:35 (33 sec) – Chorus
4:09 (45 sec) – Instr. + Vocal 2
@HenryMP
"A Thousand Suns" was such an underrated album that carried a VERY IMPORTANT message within.
@HenryMP
@@vukasindabovic4238 haha i know my friend, those are very popular hits, and I agree. But i mean like the entire album itself is a masterpiece, with songs like The Radiance, The Requiem, Fallout, the album had a distinguished and unique sound and lyrics that were very powerful and a kind of a warning towards humanity. I've read many comments saying it was an awful album because it wasn't "heavy" (and I get it, it's not their classical old school sound), and that got many fans to kinda dislike the album like a "meeeh, okay". But no one can deny that when you hear the lyrics in The Catalyst, you get chills.
@TehAntares
Given that the Minutes to Midnight album was inspired by the Cold War, it didn't do a good work at depicting that as much as A Thousand Suns did.
@HenryMP
@@TehAntares exactly, it had a strong message about humanity
@lennyrepongo78
My personal favorite LP album. Love the creativity and their exeperimentation into different sounds and styles. One of those few albums in life that I dont have any one place to go listen only, and really enjoy the album as a whole. Top 10 album of all time for me.
@rodo4136
Que mensaje muy importante?
@user-ij7nj3qy9k
The most unique song ever in LP's discography
@yuhah65
Damn right.
@OogaBooga-sq4xg
nobody's listening is a close second
@tiojoao5415
FRG10, Nobody Listen and High Voltage.