Linkin Park: The Little Things Give You Away Meaning
The Little Things Give You Away Lyrics
Up the stairs
Chilling rain
Like an ocean
Everywhere
Don't want to reach for me do you?
I mean nothing to you
The Little Things Give You Away
And now there will be no mistaking
The levees are...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:...I am sorry, but at one time I lived with just about every single song by Linkin Park memorized and running through my mind 24/7 (minus "bleed it out" because I was never quite that emotional) and this song's lyrics do not mention president Bush anywhere at all. Bush was at his 1 vacation when hurricane Katrina struck and I know for a fact that the state of Louisiana refused aid from the national level until it was too late. The only person that seeked the necessary help was the mayor of New Orleans and she did everything that she could. I think this song is written to America in general given that I know most of us on here didn't drive down to NO to pick a car full of strangers up, did we? I know that the schools in Ohio or Indiana or Illinois or Michigan or New York or anywhere else didn't have an emergency fundraiser started until AFTER Katrina hit New Orleans, did they? Please people. Take a chill pill and actually utilize this song's lyrics to get your points across.
The song addresses how the waters rose through the windows and just wouldn't stop. The narrator did say that people didn't want to reach for the people but does NOT state a name. People before it hit had no idea how drastic this would be.
"Hope decays, generations disappear. Washed away as a NATION simply stares. Don't want to reach for me do you? I mean nothing to you." I'm sorry, but that is what I get out of this song, WE failed after Hurricane Katrina. The United States of America failed the people that were in New Orleans (and actually wanted to leave and didn't have the chance, some did prefer to stay keep in mind)
Anyhow, I love what president Obama is doing for the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Can't wait for a song to get scrutinized for mentioning that one! -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:As convincing as you all sound, with your theories on Hurricane Katrina, I have my own thoughts.
What I think it could be is the perspective of someone with love for another. However, this person does not care for them back, at least, not near as much as they love the other. This makes that person terribly upset, but they eventually learn to not be bothered by it, and begin to leave that person.
"Don't want to reach foward to you, I mean nothing to you, the little things give you away, but now there will be no mistaking, the Levee's a-breaking"
If the "Levee" "breaks" it means that that charecter will leave. (Supposing it's a guy,) He then goes to drown himself. But he still loves her (supposing it's a girl,) so he defends her in his final words.
"All you've ever wanted was someone to truely look up to you. And Six feet underwater now I do."
This is changed to "Six Feet underground". I would assume that is the guy's funeral.
That's All, I would still trust that it could be about Hurricane Katrina, but this is just how I see it. -
How did nobody catch that “All you ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you,” refers to Bush flying over the disaster?
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I think it is about a person who has recently suffered from a tragedy, and now is questioning god for doing it to him
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The thing with Linkin Park is that their songs can be seen from heaps of different angles. It's true that, in the booklet for Minutes to Midnight, it actually says this song is about Katrina, but this song can still be seen from different angles.
I always saw this song as bing about depression, which here could be portrayed as water.
'Water gray
Through the windows, up the stairs
Chilling rain
Like an ocean everywhere'
Some of the lines deal with how depression affects heaps of people,they feel hopeless and sometimes 'flooded' with it, and many people know, but don't do anything to help:
'Hope decays
Generations disappear
Washed away
As a nation simply stares
Don't want to reach for me, do you?
I mean nothing to you
The little things give you away
And now there will be no mistaking
The levees are breaking'
With lines like:
'All you've ever wanted
Was someone to truly look up to you
And six feet under water, I do'
It could be about someone who cares about a loved one with depression, but that person can't see that they care because they are so drowned in sadness.
And with the line:
'And six feet underground, now I, now I do' could mean even in death they'll still care
Keeping with this, I believe 'The little things give you away' could mean: even the smallest things can sink you. Like if your depressed, even the slightest negative thing can put you in deeper.
Not sure if that made sense, but thats how I see it -
I think a lot of you are off. It is really about someone who is trying to be the best he can, make a difference, and just be somebody in life. But nobody thinks that about him. Hence the term "All you've ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you." And this person hates the thought of being a nobody, the term, "the little things give you away." But when a natural disaster hits (probably a flood, "water grey, through the window, up the stairs.") One person, the narrator or singer, finally sees him as hero, but sadly the hero dies. That is what I think.
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Forrgottensidewinder - it could be both. Hurricane Katrina hitting and two supposed "lovers" are caught in their house and one just shrugs the other away. My guess be fire seeing yours was mainly about the aftermath of hurricane Katrina
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Top rated comment I am sorry to tell that you are mistaken. LP wrote this song after Katrina it's like Hands Held High in how Bush made a mess of the situation. Now how you understand it is you own opinion. LP makes songs that can be viewed from many angles.
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This song is a big middle finger to the bush admin
for not helping with their best ability
during the horrors of hurricane katrina
the song sounds like a sad one
but the undertone is actually full of anger and bitter disappointment
especially 'dun wanna reach for me do you? i mean nothing to you' and 'all youve ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you, and six feet underwater i do.'
they could not have written it any better
it captures the grief and anger perfectly
and the guitar solo is magnificent -
i guess i agree with the katrina thing. i think it's being told from the point of the victims speaking to God maybe. "all you've ever wanted is someone to truly look up to you. and six feet underwater, i do" is saying after the people are drowned in the disaster of Katrina, they look to God for help. and then "six feet underground" is after they're dead, they finally look up to God again...idk.
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in the Minutes to Midnight album book it actually says that it (the little things give you away) was written after the band visited new orleans where the hurrican hit, so i think its more likely that it was written about the hurricane, and W. Bush's policies in general.
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Actually it's about both Katrina and the tsunami that hit.
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This song was written after hurricane Katrina, and was written to the people that only help to get some attention (BUSH!)
"All you've ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you and six feet under water I Do" -
Yeah in the booklet for the cd it said they wrote it when they went there. 6 feet underwater= the hurricane
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