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Mr. Brightside
The Killers Lyrics


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Coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest now
He takes off her dress now
Let me go
And I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside

I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
(It was only a kiss), it was only a kiss
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest now
He takes off her dress now
Let me go
'Cause I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control

Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibi
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside

I never
I never
I never
I never

Overall Meaning

The song Mr. Brightside by the American rock band The Killers starts with the lines "coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine" which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer has been in a relationship with a woman who has cheated on him, and he is grappling with feelings of jealousy, betrayal, and heartache. He wants it all, but he can't have it, and he is struggling to come to terms with what has happened. The lines "it started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this, it was only a kiss" convey a sense of nostalgia, regret, and confusion. The singer is trying to understand what went wrong and how things got so out of hand.


The chorus of the song, "jealousy, turning saints into the sea, swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis, but it's just the price I pay, destiny is calling me, open up my eager eyes 'cause I'm Mr. Brightside" brings out the underlying theme of the song. The singer is struggling with his jealousy and how it's eating him up inside. He is trying to overcome his jealousy, recognize his preconceptions about love, and move on in his life. The song's colloquial feel, narrative structure, and catchy melody have made it a classic of the indie rock genre.


Line by Line Meaning

Coming out of my cage
I am finally breaking free from my restraints and allowing myself to live my life.


And I've been doing just fine
I have been successful in carving out a happy life for myself despite past struggles.


Gotta gotta be down
I must remain humble and grounded in my pursuit of my goals.


Because I want it all
I am motivated by my desire to experience all possible aspects of life and achieve everything I dream of.


It started out with a kiss
My current situation began with a seemingly insignificant moment.


How did it end up like this?
I am confused and unsure about how my situation has spiraled out of control.


It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
The cause of my current pain is simply a fleeting moment, but the consequences are severe.


Now I'm falling asleep
Despite the adrenaline and stress of my situation, I am becoming mentally exhausted.


And she's calling a cab
My love interest is leaving the scene with someone else, probably to start a new romantic encounter.


While he's having a smoke
The person my love interest left with is casually enjoying a cigarette, seemingly unfazed by their actions.


And she's taking a drag
Even though my love interest has left with someone else, I cannot shake the mental image of her smoking a cigarette.


Now they're going to bed
My love interest and the person she left with are most likely sharing a bed, and my mind is tormented by this thought.


And my stomach is sick
My emotions are getting the best of me and causing physical symptoms of nausea and discomfort.


And it's all in my head
None of the scenarios I am imagining are actually happening, and my mental state is the cause of my pain.


But she's touching his chest now
In my mind, my love interest is being intimate with the person she left with, and this thought is unbearable.


He takes off her dress now
The imaginary scenario playing out in my head is becoming more vivid and detailed, making it harder to bear.


Let me go
I am begging my mind to release me from this tormenting mental state.


And I just can't look, it's killing me
The pain and mental anguish I am experiencing are causing me to avert my eyes and avoid the situation altogether.


And taking control
Despite my attempts to regain control of my thoughts, I feel as though this mental state is consuming me and taking over my life.


Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
The powerful emotion of jealousy has the ability to change even the most virtuous individuals and make them act on their worst impulses.


Swimming through sick lullabies
Jealousy is a sickening and depressing mental state that forces one to constantly replay their fears and anxieties in their mind.


Choking on your alibis
The person I am jealous of is likely making excuses or coming up with justifications for their actions, making it harder for me to accept the situation.


But it's just the price I pay
The emotional toll and pain I am feeling are just the consequences of my choice to allow myself to love and be vulnerable.


Destiny is calling me
I feel as though my fate or some greater force is trying to send me a message or guide me towards a new path.


Open up my eager eyes
I am hoping to gain a new perspective or understanding of my situation by looking at it more closely and being receptive to new ideas.


'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside
Despite the challenges and pain I am experiencing, I choose to remain positive and hopeful, looking for the bright side in every situation.


I never
The repetition of this word is likely a lyric choice to emphasize a feeling of regret or missed opportunity.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brandon Flowers, Dave Brent Keuning, Mark August Stoermer, Ronnie Jr. Vannucci

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Patty Theiss

Ed sharron

Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@gustavomejia421

Coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine
Gotta, gotta be down because I want it all
It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I'm falling asleep and she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke and she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed and my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head, but she's touching his

[Pre-Chorus]
Chest now, he takes off her dress now
Letting me go
I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control

[Chorus]
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay, destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes, 'cause I'm Mr. Brightside

[Instrumental]

[Verse 2]
I'm coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine
Gotta, gotta be down because I want it all
It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I'm falling asleep and she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke and she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed and my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head, but she's touching his

[Pre-Chorus]
Chest now, he takes off her dress now
Letting me go
'Cause I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control

[Chorus]
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay, destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes, 'cause I'm Mr. Brightside

[Outro]
I never
I never
I never
I never



@dianaroman4556

Lyrics
Coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, let me go

I just can't look its killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
Cause I'm Mr Brightside

I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, let me go

'Cause I just can't look its killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibi
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
'Cause I'm Mr Brightside
I never
I never
I never
I never



@Jacobyjasta

Hey Daniel,

Below I will post my comment that once became the top comment on this video. I saw The Killers on 6 March this year at the front row. When they played this song, I jumped the highest I ever did. During this song Brandon Flowers looked me right in the eyes so history was written that day. Lately he says before playing this as last song of the set: 'Listen. I know life can be tough. Sometimes that's the way it goes. But you gotta remember... Sometimes, it goes the other way too.' Words I will never forget, and I hope you will do the same. Short said, but straight to the heart. When he said that, I was already in tears because I knew the moment of my life was coming in a few seconds. Some things will never be forgotten.

This is my story:

You can interpret the song in different ways but for me personally it remembers me of the hardest time of my life. I have the Asperger syndrome (a kind of autism) which makes me have obsessions. My main obsession is music. Once in my life I fell in love with the no. 1 perfect girl I could imagine. Beautiful, smart, attentive, sense of humor... We talked / chatted every day (whether on Facebook or in real life) and became best / good friends. I thought about her every minute. She made me smile and laugh every time. She always read and listened to all the shit I had to say and always reacted so helpful.
One day tragedy happened... She became together with a good friend of me and I felt so angry and sad. Me and her were still good friends, although he didn't really like that haha, I felt too scared to tell her my intense, passionate, insanely, deep love for her. One day they broke up for a while and decided to tell her my true feelings. That was the end of our friendship. The guy was even totally pissed at me because I didn't tell him first before saying it to her, while I was thinking like: What's your problem compared with what I go / went through...

Through that time, this song made me cry for over a hundred times and I smashed my fist many times on the wall 'til it was bleeding. Once when this song came on in my playlist on shuffle, I even fainted. This is the only well-known and good song I know that I can relate to with my experience / story.

After our friendship broke, I decided for myself to oblige myself to never fall in love again, because it might kill me.

I don't need compassion or anything, I just wanted to share this with random strangers. Maybe some people can relate to it and went through the same like me, although I hope you all didn't. Btw, I even didn't tell any of my friends that this is my favorite and most emotional song. ;)
In March I will see The Killers and when this tune starts, I'm already sure I'm gonna cry like a total baby, haha. If I would be in the mood to rage, then I still got the fences, right? ;D

Sincerely,

Mr. Brightside



All comments from YouTube:

@shav7134

This is one of those songs that u don't remember listening to for the first time but u still remember it years and years later

@idraw600

Shav OC ikr

@GravityDontMeanTooMuchTooMe

Yeah I don't remember listening to it yet it feels so familiar helpp

@Bacondya

@@GravityDontMeanTooMuchTooMe actuals like i knew the lyrics right away!

@lauramayfield5410

so true!!

@KristenASMR373

I still remember the first time I heard this song! Laying on my grandma’s bed listening to my transistor radio, heard it for the first time and been my favorite song since 😍

8 More Replies...

@PascalRoss-y1i

Unbelievable master piece, the sound of my youth.

@ΣπύροςΠετράς

I love music❤❤❤❤

@BriannaEmmiHorn

@@ΣπύροςΠετράς I have been to several concerts. They are a classical ART.

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