All These Things That I've Done
Killers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
One more son
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
I want to stand up, I want to let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I want to shine on in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand

Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no

Help me out
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the backburner
You know you got to help me out

And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain't changing me
The cold-hearted boy I used to be

Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the backburner
You know you got to help me out
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down

I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier

Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the backburner
You know you got to help me out
You're gonna bring yourself down
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the backburner
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down

Over and again, last call for sin
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I've done
All these things that I've done
(Time, truth, hearts)




If you can hold on
If you can hold on

Overall Meaning

"All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers is a song that deals with self-doubt and asking for assistance. The lead singer, Brandon Flowers, is singing about a feeling of inadequacy and how he needs help from someone to overcome it. The first verse opens with the questions "When there's nowhere else to run, is there room for one more son?" – the phrase "son" used here is meant to show a sense of dependence and desperation, as if Flowers is pleading for the listener to help him.


The lyrics also touch on the idea of growing older and feeling like it is becoming more difficult to handle, with Flowers saying "Another head aches, another heart breaks, I am so much older than I can take". However, he believes that he has the potential to be something more and make a difference in the world, saying "I want to shine on in the hearts of men, I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand". Despite this, he knows that he needs help to achieve these goals and to overcome his own personal struggles.


The chorus repeats the plea for help, with Flowers asking the listener to "help me out" and not to "put me on the backburner". The repetition of the phrase "if you can hold on" is a reminder that the struggles in life can be overcome, but only with support.


Line by Line Meaning

When there's nowhere else to run
When options are rundown, what's next?


Is there room for one more son
Can an additional person fit in?


If you can hold on
If you can persist


I want to stand up, I want to let go
I want to rise and let loose


You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
You might think you know me, but you don't really.


I want to shine on in the hearts of men
I want to be remembered positively


I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand
I want to find purpose despite struggles


Another head aches, another heart breaks
More pain and hurt to go around


I am so much older than I can take
I feel like I've aged too fast


And my affection, well it comes and goes
My feelings are inconsistent


I need direction to perfection, no no no no
I need a guide to be flawless, but it's not possible


Help me out
Assist me please


Yeah, you know you got to help me out
You have to be my support


Oh don't you put me on the backburner
Don't ignore me


And when there's nowhere else to run
And when I feel trapped


Is there room for one more son
Can someone else come with me?


These changes ain't changing me
I'm not adapting to the changes around me


The cold-hearted boy I used to be
My old self was insensitive


You're gonna bring yourself down
You'll self-sabotage


I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I'm a person with emotions, not just a tool


Over and again, last call for sin
Repeatedly tempting fate


While everyone's lost, the battle is won
Even in chaos there's hope


With all these things that I've done
Despite my past actions


If you can hold on
If you can persevere




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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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@shinra41

This song has helped me come back from the brink a few times. I’ve been at the end of my rope several times, suicide hotline, doctors, medication. But in the end I kept holding on, kept fighting. Like “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier” I’ve got the will to fight, but I’m not a fighter. If anyone finds this comment, just remember you can always keep moving, hold your head high and hold on.

Edit: Still here! I'd forgotten about this comment! haha. Life is still tough, but now I'm sober. 2020 was a hell of a ride for me, as I'm sure it was for a great many people. But I'd like to thank you all for such a wonderful outcry of support and kindness. Sometimes I've forgotten that we're all in this life together. Be kind everyone, and hold on!

Update Edit! 12/16/22:
You all have been so wonderfully supportive. You've all kept me going to be honest. I kept going, I lived with my sister for 3 years and I saved every penny I could and bought my own home! Sure it's a used manufactured home, but it's mine. However, I paid cash so i didn't need a mortgage. Now I'm helping out a friend at the end of their rope, and giving them a place to stay so they aren't homeless. There's no secret sauce to my situation, I was very lucky. I was frugal and things just happen to work out. But hold on, don't give up. Life can have some twists and turns you never saw coming.

Update Update! 2/27/23
Still getting a lot of positive comments, more than I'd ever thought my little comment would ever get, more than I thought it deserved. You all still continue to be the most wonderful, inspiring, and supportive people. You've all exemplified the very best we can be when we find those in the lowest of times. Life of course still throws it's curve balls, and they do hit hard. But now I'm no longer alone with my problems, and I know I'm lucky for that privilege. Stay strong, keep moving, and hold on to the ones you love, because those moments are fleeting...

3/3/23
Wow life does like a curve ball. I'm in the metro Detroit area. In the past 5 days I've gone from no power for 3 days to a furnace failure that lead to the discovery that my furnace is putting out toxic levels of carbon monoxide. The new furnace will set me back at the very least 3200. Coupled with rampant low staffing at my current job leading my emotional state being at an all time low. I feel like this song resonates more than ever, and how much positivity I've received here. I'm of course applying to other jobs. But i just once again wish to say thank you. It doesn't matter how small you think your comment may be, or think it means nothing. But it does. One comment may make a difference. I have felt alone for so long, I didn't know what healthy support looked like. Find that one shred of something that keeps you moving and hold on tight to it, It just may save your life.



@xEclipse56x

If you want to watch the video in chronological order, use the cards in this order: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,0. It also might help to mute the volume.
1 - 1:12
2 - 3:51
3 - 1:43
4 - 0:31
5 - 3:18
6 - 2:25
7 - 4:22
0 - 0:00



@leetegg1548

When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son?
One more son
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know, no you don't, you don't
I wanna shine on, in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand
Another head aches, another heart breaks
I'm so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no
Help me out, yeah
You know you gotta help me out, yeah
Oh, don't you put me on the back burner
You know you gotta help me out, yeah
And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son?
These changes ain't changing me
The cold hearted boy I used to be
Yeah, you know you gotta help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You know you gotta help me out, yeah
You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah
You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah
You're gonna bring yourself down
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier
(Time, truth, and hearts)
Yeah, you know you gotta help me out, yeah
Oh, don't you put me on the back burner
You know you gotta help me out, yeah
You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah
You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah
Oh don't you put me on the back burner
You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah
You're gonna bring yourself down
Over and in, last call for sin
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I've done
All these things that I've done
(Time, truth, and hearts)
If you can hold on
If you can hold on



All comments from YouTube:

@Ijustwastedyourtime0

Mr Brightside may be their most popular song, but this is their most emotional and my personal favorite.

@jordany4806

Ijustwastedyourtime0 100% yes

@leoxavier5785

Ijustwastedyourtime0 most emotional to me is Goodnight Travel Well that song is so underrated, and when it comes to favorite killers song it’s too hard to choose one

@Orestes202

I personally love My List, but I agree it's really hard to choose

@danreadick1531

You need to listen to Some Kind of Love if you think this is their most emotional, it will give you all the feels.

@fixinman

Mine is Miss Atomic Bomb.

130 More Replies...

@needhamcomics6370

The song is about television host Matt Pinfield. Before The Killers were famous, Pinfield, who was a vice president of A&R at Columbia Records at the time, tried to sign the band. He was also working with the U.S. Army as part of a program that mentored wounded and/or PTSD-stricken musician soldiers returning from Iraq. After visiting veteran soldiers in Colorado City, he went to Las Vegas, where he quickly bonded with The Killers. Pinfield watched the band rehearse at drummer Ronnie Vannucci's garage and took them out to dinner. He asked if anybody wanted to give him a ride back to his hotel and Brandon Flowers offered to drive Pinfield. They wound up hitting the bar at the Gold Coast Hotel on a Tuesday night, just "talking about life", Pinfield said:

I started to tell him the story about mentoring soldiers, and I was getting ready to go through a divorce. I was going through a bit of a rough time. So, he went home that night, and their old manager, Braden Merrick, calls me on the phone, and goes, 'Hey Matt, Brandon wrote a song about you. He went home last night and wrote this song.' It was 'All These Things That I've Done,' and the line 'I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier' is about the mentoring thing.

In 2016, Pinfield titled his memoir "All These Things That I've Done: My Insane, Improbable Rock Life". On January 19, 2019, the band gave Pinfield a shoutout while introducing the song at the iHeartRadio ALTer Ego 2019 festival at The Forum in Inglewood, California, where Pinfield was in attendance in a wheelchair still recovering from being hit by a car a month before.

@lordcristopherv

damn

@michalfilipowicz9391

Thanks for that, so cool to know.

@TheFulanito1234

Bollocks. The song is obviously about hot girls and boomerangs.

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