By Myself Lyrics

[Verse 1: Mike Shinoda]
What do I do to ignore them behind me?
Do I follow my instincts blindly?
Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams
And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening?
Do I sit here and try to stand it?
Or do I try to catch them red-handed?
Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness?
Or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness?
Because I can't hold on when I'm stretched so thin
I make the right moves, but I'm lost within
I put on my daily façade, but then
I just end up gettin' hurt again


[Pre-Chorus: Mike Shinoda & Chester Bennington]
By myself (Myself!), I ask why
But in my mind, I find I can't rely on myself
(Myself!), I ask why
But in my mind, I find I can't rely on myself


[Chorus: Chester Bennington & Mike Shinoda]
I can't hold on to what I want when I'm stretched so thin
It's all too much to take in
I can't hold on to anything, watchin' everything spin
With thoughts of failure sinking in
[Verse 2: Mike Shinoda]
If I turn my back, I'm defenseless
And to go blindly seems senseless
If I hide my pride and let it all go on
Then they'll take from me 'til everything is gone
If I let them go, I'll be outdone
But if I try to catch 'em, I'll be outrun
If I'm killed by the questions like a cancer
Then I'll be buried in the silence of the answer


[Pre-Chorus: Mike Shinoda & Chester Bennington]
By myself (Myself!), I ask why
But in my mind, I find I can't rely on myself
(Myself!), I ask why
But in my mind, I find I can't rely on myself


[Chorus: Chester Bennington & Mike Shinoda]
I can't hold on to what I want when I'm stretched so thin
It's all too much to take in
I can't hold on to anything, watchin' everything spin
With thoughts of failure sinking in

[Interlude: Mike Shinoda]
How do you think I've lost so much?
I'm so afraid I'm out of touch
How do you expect I will know what to do
When all I know is what you tell me to?

[Bridge: Mike Shinoda & Chester Bennington]
Don't you know!?
I can't tell you how to make it go!
No matter what I do, how hard I try!
I can't seem to convince myself why!
I'm stuck on the outside, don't you know?!
I can't tell you how to make it go!
No matter what I do, how hard I try!
I can't seem to convince myself why!
I'm stuck on the outside


[Chorus: Chester Bennington & Mike Shinoda]
I can't hold on to what I want when I'm stretched so thin
It's all too much to take in
I can't hold on to anything, watchin' everything spin
With thoughts of failure sinking in
I can't hold on to what I want when I'm stretched so thin
It's all too much to take in
I can't hold on to anything, watchin' everything spin
With thoughts of failure sinking

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About

Genius Annotation

The song started out under the demo name Sad in 1999 and was also titled SuperXero in the time leading up to the signing of the band and the release of their debut.

This song describes a person with no self confidence as well as a drug problem. Both of these were issues that Chester Bennington faced throughout his lifetime. The unmastered version of the album can be downloaded here.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Translations
Genius Answer
What did Linkin Park say about "By Myself"?
Genius Answer

In an interview with Kerrang! Magazine in celebration of Hybrid Theory’s 20th anniversary, Joe Hahn discusses how the band formed, the song’s beginnings with original vocalist Mark Wakefield, and much more.

Credits
Produced By
Additional Engineering
Executive Producer
Mastering Engineer
Background Vocals
Bass Guitar
Mixing Engineer
Engineer
Recorded At
NRG Recording Studios, North Hollywood, CA
Release Date
October 24, 2000
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