Jared Leto described the meaning of the song as, "It's really about a relationship with yourself. It's about confronting your fear and confronting the truth about who you are." He has also said it is about "confrontation as a crossroads" — coming face-to-face with who you really are. In September 2007, "The Kill" was re-released again in the UK. It is currently available as a Compact Disc with a A Beautiful Lie poster and two stickers, and a special limited edition 7" vinyl version. The song is played in 6/8 time, commonly found in ballroom songs and almost all waltzes.
Being entirely based on the American film The Shining, several scenes are versions from the movie, such as when Shannon Leto enters Room 6277 and encounters the woman in the bathroom, when Matt Wachter being served drinks at the bar by an apparition while both films culminate in an elegant ballroom.
As for the cinematography, Jared Leto has clearly adopted the split screen visual from working with Darren Aronofsky in Requiem for a Dream.
The number 6277 is used for the room number because it spells out "Mars" on a telephone keypad. The number also makes an appearance in the video for "From Yesterday".
Scenes from the music video - Top: Jared Leto confronting himself. Bottom: The band perform their song to the 1920s-themed audience.
The music video was selected as the second best video of 2006, falling short only to "Savin' Me" by Nickelback. And it was voted the 2nd greatest of the 21st century on Scuzz TV. It was also selected as the greatest rock video ever in the Kerrang Rock 100 on 27th June 2009.
At 1:29, the papers that Jared Leto has been typing are briefly made visible and the words on them appear to read, over and over, "This is who I really am." This is another allusion to The Shining, in which Jack Nicholson's character types up pages and pages of the same line, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", over and over in the same sense.
Also, it is shown at 2:18, a negative of what appears to be the woman's corpse appears on the screen briefly. This image also reappears at 3:18. However, on YouTube, the version from Capitol Music doesn't show the corpse as a negative, but rather in its raw form, with blood. This may be to emphasize the song title because she looks as though she was only killed recently.
When the press release info for "The Kill" video was released, Jared stated that the video was directed by an albino Danish man named Bartholomew Cubbins. This was intended as a joke as Cubbins is the main character of the Dr. Seuss book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, however airings of the video on music channels still list Cubbins as the director.
The music video features the band exploring a hotel which they are care-taking. At the start, Jared Leto states that they have the hotel all to themselves for three days; although, later on, after the first chorus, it comes on the screen saying "One Week Later", before showing the pages saying "This is who I really am". In the extended version of the video the other band members complain that they have been at the hotel longer than expected and have canceled shows because of Jared's peculiar behavior, explaining the discrepancy.
A letter from the hotel owner tells the band to "Enjoy your stay and please stay out of Room 6277." The band does not heed the warning and opens Room 6277. Following the opening of the door, each band member begins to experience the effects of the room. Each member experiences the effects differently, but one thing remains constant for each individual — they encounter a tuxedoed version of themselves. Several other apparitions then take up residence in the hotel, dispelling the promise Jared made in the beginning of the video that the band will have the hotel all to themselves and that "there's not gonna be a single fucking soul". The video reaches its climax when the tuxedoed bandmates are shown performing the song in the hotel's ballroom in front of an elegantly-dressed crowd dancing with themselves.
The Kill
30 Seconds to Mars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laugh it all off in your face
What would you do?
What if I fell to the floor
Couldn't take all this anymore
What would you do, do, do?
Come, break me down
I am finished with you
What if I wanted to fight
Beg for the rest of my life
What would you do?
You say you wanted more
What are you waiting for?
I'm not running from you
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
I tried to be someone else
But nothing seemed to change
I know now, this is who I really am inside
I've finally found myself
Fighting for a chance
I know now, this is who I really am
Come, break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you, you, you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you
Come, break me down
Break me down
Break me down
What if I wanted to break
What if I, what if I, what if I (bury me, bury me)
The lyrics of 30 Seconds to Mars's song, "The Kill," express a deep sense of frustration and resentment towards someone who has caused emotional pain to the singer. The opening lines, "What if I wanted to break; laugh it all off in your face," suggest that the singer is deeply hurt but wants to mask it with humor. However, the next lines, "What if I fell to the floor; couldn't take all this anymore," reveal the depth of the singer's emotions and the struggle to keep up appearances.
The chorus, "Come break me down; bury me, bury me; I am finished with you," expresses the singer's desire to be free from the emotional pain caused by this person. The singer is done with holding onto the hurt and wants to move on from the relationship. The lines, "Look in my eyes; you're killing me, killing me; all I wanted was you," reveal the singer's disappointment in the other person, who was supposed to be a source of love and support.
The last verse, "I tried to be someone else, but nothing seemed to change; I know now, this is who I really am inside," suggests that the singer may have tried to change themselves to fit into the other person's expectations. However, they have finally found themselves and are fighting for a chance to be themselves.
Overall, the song is a raw and emotional expression of the pain caused by a failed relationship and the struggle to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
What if I wanted to break
What if I wanted to reveal my true self and let go of any illusions or false personas?
Laugh it all off in your face
Dismiss any criticism or judgement from others with humor or sarcasm.
What would you do?
How would you react and respond to my actions and words?
What if I fell to the floor
What if I become overwhelmed by my emotions and can't handle it anymore?
Couldn't take all this anymore
Reach a breaking point wherein the weight of the situation becomes too much for me to bear.
What would you do, do, do?
What actions would you take to help or hinder me in this situation?
Come, break me down
Take control and confront me head-on.
Bury me, bury me
Metaphorically bury me alive and suffocate me.
I am finished with you
I am tired of pretending and am ready to be honest with myself and others.
What if I wanted to fight
What if I wanted to argue or stand up for myself?
Beg for the rest of my life
Plead for understanding or forgiveness indefinitely.
You say you wanted more
You claim to desire more from me than what I am currently offering.
What are you waiting for?
Why aren't you taking action or doing something about it?
I'm not running from you
I am not avoiding or evading you, but rather confronting you head-on.
Look in my eyes
Pay attention to my emotions and feelings.
You're killing me, killing me
Your actions or words are causing me great emotional pain and distress.
All I wanted was you
My desire for connection and validation has driven me to desperation.
I tried to be someone else
I attempted to conform or change myself to fit societal norms or expectations.
But nothing seemed to change
Despite my efforts, I still felt unfulfilled and unhappy.
I know now, this is who I really am inside
I have reached an epiphany and realized my true identity.
I've finally found myself
I have discovered my true self and am ready to embrace it.
Fighting for a chance
Struggling to prove myself or show my worth.
Come, break me down
Continue to test and challenge me.
Break me down
Take away any false pretenses or illusions and see me for who I truly am.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JARED LETO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@imnothingbutastreetcat7996
Who's here after Chad nailed it in Drumeo 😂
@Redd0718
Me AHHH
@Lucas_magnus
Bro that episode was phenomenal
@gregliles6387
This guy
@ninobalza881
Me
@richardmullins4894
Right here 😂
@ethanhymon4519
Ten years later I’m realizing this is Jared Leto
@gabrielg3617
Just realized this is the joker
@Johnisutt
I literally just realized it...
#lame
@christopherquintero6910
Really?