"Bury a Friend", stylized as "bury a friend", is a single by Billie Eilish from her debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?. It is the tenth track on the album and was released on January 30th, 2019. It features additional vocals from Mehki Raine.
Background
Billie posted several snippets of the song prior to its release. She first teased it with a lower quality snippet on her Snapchat. On January 28th, 2019, she posted a snippet of the music video on her Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Theme
In the lyrics, Billie appears to be dealing with a type of malevolent entity underneath her bed. In some parts of the song, she wrote from the perspective of said entity. The dreary lyrics and grim, eerie, atmospheric beat of the song describe the confusing conflict going on between Billie and this monster.
The overarching question remains, "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?". This open ended inquiry could be about an afterlife preceding death. It could also be about sleep paralysis and nightmares.
Lyrics
[Intro]
Billie
[Refrain]
What do you want from me?
Why don't you run from me?
What are you wondering?
What do you know?
Why aren't you scared of me?
Why do you care for me?
When we all fall asleep, where do we go?
[Verse 1]
(Come here)
Say it, spit it out, what is it exactly you're payin'?
Is the amount cleanin' you out, am I satisfactory?
Today, I'm thinkin' about the things that are deadly
The way I'm drinkin' you down
Like I wanna drown, like I wanna end me
[Chorus]
Step on the glass, staple your tongue
Bury a friend, try to wake up
Cannibal class, killing the son
Bury a friend, I wanna end me
I wanna end me
(I wanna, I wanna, I wanna end me)
(I wanna, I wanna, I wanna)
[Refrain]
What do you want from me?
Why don't you run from me?
What are you wondering?
What do you know?
Why aren't you scared of me?
Why do you care for me?
When we all fall asleep, where do we go?
[Verse 2]
(Listen)
Keep you in the dark, what had you expected?
Me to make you my art and make you a star
And get you connected? I'll meet you in the park
I'll be calm and collected
But we knew right from the start, that you'd fall apart
'Cause I'm too expensive
Your talk'll be something that shouldn't be said out loud
Honestly, I thought that I would be dead by now
Calling security, keeping my head held down
Bury the hatchet or bury a friend right now
[Bridge]
For the debt I owe, gotta sell my soul
'Cause I can't say no, no, I can't say no
Then my limbs all froze and my eyes won't close
And I can't say no, I can't say no
(Careful)
[Chorus]
Step on the glass, staple your tongue
Bury a friend, try to wake up
Cannibal class, killing the son
Bury a friend, I wanna end me
I wanna end me
(I wanna, I wanna, I wanna end me)
(I wanna, I wanna, I wanna)
[Refrain]
What do you want from me?
Why don't you run from me?
What are you wondering?
What do you know?
Why aren't you scared of me?
Why do you care for me?
When we all fall asleep, where do we go?
Videos
Trivia
- The song is Billie's second-highest charting song on the American Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #14. It has surpassed when the party's over, which peaked at #34, lovely, which peaked at #78, and you should see me in a crown, which only went as high as #93. However, it was surpassed by bad guy, which peaked at #1.
- The ending fades into ilomilo.
- In the song's chorus, sound effects such as glass breaking, a stapler clicking, and a shovel digging up dirt can be heard. These match up with the lyrics, "Step on the glass, staple your tongue/Bury a friend, try to wake up".
- Billie spent nine hours in the studio editing the music video with an editor.[2]
Gallery
