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, turnin' blue (blue)
Tell me love is endless, don't be so pretentious
Leave me like you do (like you do)
If you need me, wanna see me
Better hurry 'cause I'm leavin' soon
Sorry I don't know how
Sorry there's no way out (sorry)
But down
Mm, down
Taste me, the salty tears on my cheek
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, deja vu (mm)
If you need me, wanna see me
You better hurry, I'm leavin' soon
Sorry can't save me now (sorry)
Sorry I don't know how (sorry)
Sorry there's no way out (sorry)
But down
Mm, 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
LilyRockstar2012
on lovely (with Khalid)
Thought I found a way
Thought I found a way out (found)
But you never go away (never go away)
So I guess I gotta stay now
Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home
Walkin' out of town
Lookin' for a better place (lookin' for a better place)
Something's on my mind (mind)
Always in my head space
But I know some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home
Whoa, yeah
Yeah, ah
Whoa, whoa
Hello, welcome home
I LOVE THIS SONNGGGGGGGGGGGG
sdasdas
on Happier Than Ever
Hi lobbbbbbbbbbbbb
Billie Eilish fan
on Everything I Wanted
I love this song ❤️♥️
Sophie
on bad guy
Lov love It ❤️
Cléo
on bad guy
Eu amo música
yes
on Everything I Wanted
Hey
There, It is i, yes
I fink personallee that wee wee die rash is referncing the great Martin lufer kin with this
wonderful analogy right at]th]
eht the very start of the song. And what a beautfiful one it ws! so many instruments and pineapples. It rally did
]
open up my minds 12th eye and as I voice crack into puberty, let me sing you out after reading
a very
hearfelt review.
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna gangnam style
Welcome to the nut zone
Only nut inside of squirrells homes
Pressure cook my delicious chickem.
Mail your mum pieces of my love for her.
Nutty bottom nutella
Stitch my wound shut.
Three little words,
Uh oh stinky.
Thnak you yes it was me
Kind regards,
¬And all of my love for eeryone ever
Yes.
yes
on bad guy
Yo
it's ya boi
yes
What the funk does she mean here? there is no actual explanation she literally just ends it on 'Bad', bad whAT! bILLIE! ANSWER ME PLEASE I JUST WNAT TO KNOW THE DEEPER MEANINGS OF THIS SONG SO i CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR COMPLEX BRSIN. (that's brain crossed with prison ;))
Yours
and forever as such,
Yes
yes
on bad guy
Yo this is actually mad disrespectful vro, my girlfriends front bottom is too tight and she had to get surgery to loosen it and I really don't appreciate this kind of disrespect in my young clean Christisan neighborehood. She feels really really seriously insecure about the whole thing and I would appreciate an email from willy eyelash herself
Yours Truly,
Yes.
yes
on bad guy
Ur mum gey
ehaam
on Bored
very nice