It is a song centered around suicide, with Eilish warning her lover to hurry up and listen to her before she kills herself.
After it was premiered at a show in Melbourne, the song was speculated to be titled “l i s t e n,” but Eilish later shared in a comment on Instagram that the song is titled “listen before i go”, and would be included on her debut album.
Although Eilish has made public her struggles with depression, the song isn’t necessarily about her life experience, but could be an artifact of her songwriting process. Eilish shared with Genius' own Rob Markman that when writing, she often impersonates other people and other people’s thought and problems:
"You don’t have to go through anything to write about it, or you can go through everything and write about something else. It’s literally like telling a story, you can write about something you’ve done, you can write about something your friend’s done, or you want to do, or you used to do, or your mom’s done."
At her first show in Toronto during the 1by1 tour, she talked about what the song is
“Basically it’s like, um it’s about, it’s just about depression, and what can come out of depression, which is not pretty good. […] When this comes out, I don’t want it to break you down, I want it to bring you to me and I don’t know, be like a mental hug, I guess. [… ] What I’m really trying to do is let my words be your words and stay ours.” (She continues to talk about how her fans are the reason she is here and how much she loves them).
In an interview with Radio Energy, Eilish listed “listen before i go” as “—one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written in my life”.
In an interview with PopBuzz, Eilish confirmed that the final three song titles on the album were intended to form a sentence, beginning with “listen before i go”, then “i love you”, ending on “goodbye”.
In an interview with Radio Energy, Eilish listed “listen before i go” as “—one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written in my life".
At the end of the track, police sirens and screams can be heard. Since “listen before i go” plays as a suicide note, with Eilish about to jump off a building— many believe it to show that she’s committed the act at that point within the song’s storyline.
The song’s Spotify artwork was done by @_italiyana on Instagram.
In an Instagram story, Billie revealed that “listen before i go” was inspired by “Smother” and “I don’t wanna do this anymore."
During the week ending April 13, 2019, “listen before i go” debuted and peaked at #63 on the Hot 100.
Listen Before I Go
Billie Eilish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna see the world when I stop breathing, turning blue
Tell me love is endless, don't be so pretentious
Leave me like you do
If you need me, wanna see me
Better hurry 'cause I'm leaving soon
Sorry can't save me now
Sorry I don't know how
Sorry there's no way out (sorry)
But down
Hmm, down
Taste me, these salty tears on my cheeks
That's what a year-long headache does to you
I'm not okay, I feel so scattered
Don't say I'm all that matters
Leave me, déjà vu
If you need me, wanna see me
You better hurry, I'm leaving soon
Sorry can't save me now (sorry)
Sorry I don't know how (sorry)
Sorry there's no way out (sorry)
But down
Hmm, down
Call my friends and tell them that I love them
And I'll miss them
But I'm not sorry
Call my friends and tell them that I love them
And I'll miss them
Sorry
The opening lines of this song, "Take me to the rooftop, I wanna see the world when I stop breathing, turnin' blue" set the tone for the rest of the lyrics. Billie Eilish is asking to be taken to a high place where she can overlook the world, and she seems to be seeking solace in this view when she is no longer alive. The line "Tell me love is endless, don't be so pretentious" suggests that she wants to believe that even after death, love can continue to exist. She then says "Leave me like you do" which implies that she feels alone and abandoned.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Sorry can't save me now, sorry I don't know how, sorry there's no way out, but down." It seems that Billie Eilish is acknowledging that there is no escape from the pain she is feeling, and that suicide may be the only way out for her. The line "Taste me, the salty tears on my cheek" emphasizes the sadness and despair that she is feeling.
The bridge of the song, "Call my friends and tell them that I love them and I'll miss them, but I'm not sorry" feels like a goodbye to her loved ones. She wants them to know that she loves them, but she is not sorry for her decision to end her life. Overall, the song seems to be a haunting depiction of someone who is struggling with depression and feels as though they have no other way out.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me to the rooftop
Take me to a high place where I can see the world.
I wanna see the world when I stop breathing, turnin' blue (blue)
I want to see the world when I die and my body turns blue.
Tell me love is endless, don't be so pretentious
Assure me that love lasts forever, don't be arrogant.
Leave me like you do (like you do)
Abandon me as you always do.
If you need me, wanna see me, Better hurry 'cause I'm leavin' soon
If you want to see me, you better hurry because I'm leaving soon.
Sorry can't save me now
Apologies cannot rescue me from my current situation.
Sorry I don't know how
I'm sorry, but I don't know how to fix things.
Sorry there's no way out (sorry), But down, Mm, down
I'm sorry, but there is no escape from the situation except death.
Taste me, the salty tears on my cheek, That's what a year-long headache does to you
Taste my tears, salty as they are, that come from my constant stress and headaches.
I'm not okay, I feel so scattered. Don't say I'm all that matters. Leave me, deja vu (mm)
I'm not okay; I feel lost and confused. Don't say that I'm the only thing that matters. Let me go, it's like I've experienced this before.
Call my friends and tell them that I love them. And I'll miss them. But I'm not sorry
Call my friends and inform them that I love them and will miss them, but I'm not sorry for what I'm about to do.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Billie Eilish O'Connell, Finneas Baird O'Connell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheGroovyGuitarDude
For anyone who wants to play this on guitar or piano, here's how :)
- Standard Tuning - No Capo -
- Structure Of The Song -
Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge
* All chords are the same for guitar and piano *
- Verse & Chorus Chords & Strum Pattern -
F, E, Am, C/E
Strum a single ↓ strum for each chord!
- Bridge Chords & Strum Pattern -
Dm, G, C/E, F
Strum a single ↓ strum for each chord!
Hope this helps out! If you get stuck or need a little extra help, I just posted a video guitar lesson for this on my channel :)
@0nly._y0u19
I’m tired..
Tired of being judged.
Tired of living.
Tired of breathing.
Tired of eating.
Tired of drinking.
Tired of crying.
Tired of walking.
Tired of faking a smile.
Tired of waking up.
Tired of loving.
Tired of loosing.
Tired of talking.
Tired of explaining.
Tired of hurting.
Tired of helping.
Tired of reading.
Tired of studying.
Tired of life.
Tired of being left.
Tired of getting betrayed.
Tired of being tired.
”Im tired.”
@7clouds
What do you think of Billie's new album?
@pbreexp5934
It’s beautiful!!
@siddhantbagchi4131
Fire🔥
@bigcat3896
@Night Shine! yos!
@jeensulayman7946
It’s all dark idk
@charisseseikbert-hodge2743
Love! Love! Love! Love it!
@fatmehabushanab4406
for everyone worried about her, she made this song when she was very depressed a few years back. She is fine now:)she said it in a interview
@monaetalk
fatmeh abushanab people always lie about feelings , especially celebrities.
@pinkheaartss
What is the interview called?
@misssunn1015
@@lace2294 no, maybe she is saying that Billie is saying she's happy but is not