What do you think The Little Things Give You Away means?

Linkin Park: The Little Things Give You Away Meaning

Album cover for The Little Things Give You Away album cover

The Little Things Give You Away Lyrics

Water creeps through the windows
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...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    InexorableDream
    click a star to vote
    May 13th 2010 !⃝

    ...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!

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    ForgottenSidewinder
    click a star to vote
    Jul 20th 2009 !⃝

    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.

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 22nd 2020 !⃝

    How did nobody catch that “All you ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you,” refers to Bush flying over the disaster?

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 10th 2014 !⃝

    I think it is about a person who has recently suffered from a tragedy, and now is questioning god for doing it to him

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 1st 2013 !⃝

    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

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 8th 2012 !⃝

    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.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 11th 2012 !⃝

    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

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 21st 2011 !⃝

    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.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 16th 2009 !⃝

    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

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 15th 2009 !⃝

    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.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 21st 2009 !⃝

    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.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 9th 2009 !⃝

    Actually it's about both Katrina and the tsunami that hit.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 10th 2008 !⃝

    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"

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 28th 2007 !⃝

    Yeah in the booklet for the cd it said they wrote it when they went there. 6 feet underwater= the hurricane

  15. MRO1989
    click a star to vote
    May 17th 2007 !⃝

    It has been said many times that this song is about Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, and all of the destruction it had caused to New Orleans.


More Linkin Park songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]




Just Posted

Amnesia anonymous
Your Smiling Face anonymous
You Should Be Dancing anonymous
Washing Machine Heart anonymous
Souvenirs anonymous
Art Deco anonymous
Let It Go anonymous
The Greatest Show anonymous
Vampire anonymous
Vampire anonymous
Sippy Cup anonymous
A Place For My Head anonymous
I Hope You Dance anonymous
Metaphor anonymous
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) anonymous

(We won't give out your email)