Linkin Park: In The End Meaning

Song Released: 2001

In The End Lyrics

(It starts with one)
One thing I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try keep that in mind
I designed this rhyme to explain in due time

(All I know)
Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings...

1. anonymous

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   May 10th 2008 !⃝

   I see this as a friendship betrayal, because that's what I was going through when I first heard it.
   
   It's basically saying that no matter how hard he tried, his friend still broke everything they had together in a matter of minutes.
2. anonymous

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   May 10th 2008 !⃝

   He also talks about how life is short and "time is a valuable thing" and if you want to get something done, you have to do it now because if you keep putting it off you may never get around to it before you die. Don't waste your life saying next time you will do something because you don't know when there won't be a next time.
   
   He talks about how sometimes now matter how hard you try you cannot get what you want. The singer is about to give up on something because it seems to him that no matter how hard he tries it will never get any better. He feels his efforts are not paying off, but doesn't realize that just because this isn't working out doesn't mean that nothing else will work out. Maybe this one thing didn't work because it was not supposed to happen.
3. anonymous

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   May 6th 2008 !⃝

   This song really relates to my anorexia but I think that it can be interpreted heaps of way, depending on the person. It has really helped me thin about how I have felt and let anorexia take over my life.
4. Gurl_E_Nerdd

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   Apr 19th 2008 !⃝

   When it all comes down to it things don't matter anymore.
5. Arash

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   Dec 24th 2007 !⃝

   This is not an interpretation. This is a reminding note for anyone who wants to interpret a song.
   
   I was looking for some songs interpretations, so I searched the net and found this site. And after looking at some interpretations I was disappointed, because I think here we have lost the meaning of interpretation.
   
   First of all I think everybody agrees that some poems are very simple and straight (or let`s say vulgar) which means that they don`t require any interpretations. Because they don`t have any hidden message.
   
   On the other hand there are poems which are deep and time-taking to understand. These poems are consisted of two (or sometimes more) layers. The first layer is the apparent layer which everybody can see and understand. But distinguishing the other layers of a poem requires a deeper and more serious look. It also requires a basic knowledge of what is called figures of speech. Because figures of speech are poets` means to tell their ideas indirectly. So when one wants to interpret a poem, he should show the use of figures of speech in it. (Especially those which are connected with the meaning (tropes) like metaphor or symbol, not those which are connected with the appearances of the words (schemes) like alliteration)
   
   Second is that I don`t know why when users here want to interpret a poem, they choose a special part and talk about it. I think the right way of interpreting is that you start interpreting from the beginning of the poem. Quote a line then interpret it (of course maybe some lines do not require any interpretations, but you should quote them so the viewer can see that they are not out of your attention) and continue like this to the last line. And don`t forget that by interpreting the first line you are choosing a theme for your whole interpretation and you must continue your interpretation using the same theme.
   Of course the user "NobodyKnows" is considering this point and I hope he/she finishes his interpretation using this method.
   
   In the end you can put a place for conclusion where you say the final goal of the poem in your idea and according to your interpretations from other lines and how the lines are connected to each other and how each of them complete the poem`s meaning.
6. NobodyKnows

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   Dec 17th 2007 !⃝

   I think I might just be thinking about this too deep but to me this song expresses a lot ideas about life and existential ideas. First line: It starts with One thing / I don’t know why. The one thing is your birth, and nobody knows why because nobody knows the meaning of life. "What it meant to me / will eventually / be a memory / of a time when I tried so hard And got so far But in the end It doesn't even matter" - which means that even if you go through life and do the best you can do, it won't matter at the end because we all die and we all will only be a memory. Also the first half of the song about time talks about how fast it can go by and that we will die soon if we don't use it to the fullest. Also this part of the song that makes everyone think that it is about a ex-girlfriend and their broken up relationship can mean more that you might think : "In spite of the way you were mocking me Acting like I was part of your property Remembering all the times you fought with me I’m surprised it got so (far)Things aren’t the way they were before You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore Not that you knew me back then" It really doesn't have to be about a girl, it is talking about a relationship though. The relationship is about a person and society. society was holding him back. "mocking me" talks about how society holds a certain standard for success which it always make you compare your life to but for almost all of us can't measure up to. "acting like I'm part of your property" refers to how society tries to owns us by setting a guild line for how actions. "Remembering all the times you fought with me" refers to the many times you try to break out from the control of society and be your own person. "I’m surprised it got so (far)Things aren’t the way they were before You wouldn’t even recognize me anymore" refers to how long it took to find his own identity without conforming to what society has set for him. Well anyways that is basically all I got, but I can explain more if needed.
7. Indexit

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   Nov 24th 2007 !⃝

   I actually think that this song has multiple meanings. Some say that it is about a failed relationship, while others suggest a last-call suicide note. Both suggestions fit well with the lyrics, with evidence on each side. In Verse (II), [he] sings "Despite the way you were mocking me / Acting like I was part of your property / Remembering all the times you fought with me / I'm surprised it got so far / . . . . You wouldn't even recognize me anymore / Not that you knew me back then/. In my eyes and ears, it seems like [he] is explaining possible issues with a relationship. But also throughout the song, his choruses, can be seen as a last resort way of ending everything-- suicide. If someone talks about "trying so hard" or "in the end it doesn't even matter" then it seems like someone is giving up hope because, literally, in the end, it won't matter because I will be dead. This song probably has 2 levels of meaning too it. If not these two ^ then what else is it?
   
   Fantastic Song, of course.
8. Seeba

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   May 24th 2007 !⃝

   You have to think of the first line that is sung - 'it starts with you' before he begins his rhyme. I think it's the end of a hopeless relationship, one he really wanted. It starts with you...but in the end, it doesn't even matter.
9. anonymous

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   May 2nd 2007 !⃝

   Perhaps it's about a video game, but more specifically about a long-extended game. You play forever, get to basically the last level...and die. And you forget to save.
   
   In the end, it doesn't even matter. Everything you just worked for...is nothing. Game over.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. ynitsed

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    Apr 11th 2007 !⃝

    I missed a valuable point, when mike says "it all comes back to me (in the end)" could mean as people say when you die your life flashes before you.
11. ynitsed

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    Apr 11th 2007 !⃝

    I always thought this song had to do with everything you achieve in life will never matter because once your dead it doesn't mean anything to you because, maybe from whoever wrote it believes when you die you just rot, so whats the point in doing anything. Hence "in the end (meaning death) it doesn't even matter".
12. spitsock

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    Mar 18th 2007 !⃝

    I think this song is about all he went through with various things things in his life. "In the end" can refer to after it all. It also has a part that mentions "I put my trust in you" so it could apply that someone failed him.
13. anonymous

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    Feb 28th 2007 !⃝

    I would really say it is about depression/anxiety/sad feelings that a person would struggle with.
14. anonymous

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    Jan 16th 2007 !⃝

    I like all these intepretations here. For how long have I been thinking about this song? For too long I guess. But I found one which probably fits best for me. It is about a relationship. But not between a man and a woman. I think this song is about a demon out of a virtual game-, dream- or fantasyworld and your personal life. All the time you`ve spent in this virtual reality was for nothing, you just wasted your time. The video could give you this hint. They are standing inside a virtual world. I mean if you play MMORPGs or video games all day your friends and people will leave you alone. You waste your time and watch them go. But in the end, when you finally wake up you find yourself in hell on earth. All the time you're invested in your wonderful gameworld doesn't even matter. The second part is about you and your personal demon out of a virtual world. All other people left you. The games made you sick and cold, so that no one would recognize you anymore. You fought with this demon. He wanted you to stay. You`ve put all your trust in that game, in that demon. But what you finally get is nothing. All youve done doesn't even matter.
    
    So this song can be about a depressing video game addiction, resulting in a very bad suicide with a suicide not as well.
15. anonymous

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    Dec 3rd 2006 !⃝

    Wow all of these interpretations do work, but from what I have heard and know about the lead singers past, I would say it's about death and suicide. In fact I ahve heard from a good number of people that the Lyrics were from a suicide note, whether it was one Chester himself wrote or one he saw somewhere I am not sure but I was listening to the radio one day and I believe it was a St. Louis station near a concert but, he was talking about previous battles with depression and fear of rejection, despite his success as an artist.

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