"listen before i go" is the twelfth track by Billie Eilish featured on her debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?. It was first performed at a concert in Melbourne.
Theme[]
This song is inspired by Billie's depression. The lyrics tell a story about what may have happened if Billie ended her life: in which Billie begs her lover to take her to the rooftop so she can see the world as she dies. She then tells him her final wishes as she explains her depression.
Billie then urges him to inform her friends and family about what she is going to do, saying, "Tell them that I love them/And I'll miss them". She at first says she isn't sorry, however, the final line of the song is "Sorry", implying that she does feel regret for what she is about to do and how it will affect her loved ones.
Throughout the song, police sirens can be heard and near the end, muttering is heard. This may be a symbol for what happened after her suicide.
Synesthetic Perception[]
According to the Billie Eilish Experience, listen before i go is perceived to be dim or muted colors in Billie's synesthesia |
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Take me to the rooftop
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 (like you do)
[Pre-Chorus]
If you need me, wanna see me
Better hurry 'cause I'm leaving soon
[Chorus]
Sorry can't save me now
Sorry I don't know how
Sorry there's no way out (sorry)
But down
Mm, down
[Verse 2]
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, déjà vu (hm)
[Pre-Chorus]
If you need me, wanna see me
You better hurry, I'm leavin' soon (hmm, mm)
[Chorus]
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
[Outro]
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
Video[]
Trivia[]
- The song's original title was l i s t e n.
- "listen before i go" was the first song Eilish and Finneas wrote together.
- It was performed several times live preceding its release, including during Eilish's first headlining tour.
- Eilish had previously named "listen before i go" as "one of my favorite songs I've ever written in my life" in an interview with Radio Energy ahead of its inclusion in her debut album.[1]
Gallery[]
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| v • e WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
| Tracks | |
| Japanese Edition | |
| French Re-Release / Deluxe Edition / Target Edition | |
| Tours | |