Linkin Park Good Things Go Meaning and Review

Emotional Introspection in "Good Things Go"

"Good Things Go," the closing track of Linkin Park's latest album From Zero, presents a poignant end to a body of work that mixes emotional weight with intense musical delivery. The song starts in a slow, meditative fashion, building a soundscape of chorus-laden guitars that gently carry Mike Shinoda’s reflective voice. As Emily Armstrong echoes Shinoda’s lines, their interplay sets an introspective tone that lingers throughout the track. The song transitions from this pensive atmosphere into a grunge-tinged instrumental backdrop, where both artists trade off their vocal parts in a delicate balance between vulnerability and strength.

Themes of Loss and Regret

Lyrically, "Good Things Go" wrestles with themes of regret and the inescapable reality of losing the best parts of life. The opening verse, with its imagery of enduring internal rainstorms and seeking new perspectives in a mirror, sets a tone of weariness and emotional exhaustion. Mike Shinoda's rap, delivered over a grunge-flavored instrumental, dives deeper into self-reflection, touching on issues of pride, forgiveness, and unresolved emotional conflict. These themes resonate strongly throughout the song, illustrating the pain of pushing people away even when they’re most needed.

Emily Armstrong’s Powerful Chorus

Emily Armstrong’s voice takes the lead in the chorus, delivering lines filled with raw emotion. Her vocal performance, particularly when she sings “Only you could save me from my lack of self-control,” captures the essence of the struggle to hold on to the good things in life. The chorus is an anthemic release, bringing the emotional tension built up in the verses to a cathartic peak. However, the track maintains a level of restraint, never reaching the aggressive heights of earlier songs on From Zero, which only amplifies the poignancy of the song's message.

Musical Composition and Balance

Musically, "Good Things Go" blends subtle hints of nu-metal guitar into a more subdued, grunge-influenced arrangement. The song’s restrained aggression allows the lyrics to take center stage, while the instrumental serves as a somber backdrop for the emotional weight. The interplay between the soaring chorus and softer verses provides a perfect contrast, highlighting the delicate dance between vulnerability and defiance that Linkin Park has mastered over the years. The absence of a climactic, heavy moment in the song leaves a lingering impact, much like the melancholy it portrays.

A Reflective Conclusion to From Zero

As the final track on From Zero, "Good Things Go" serves as a reflective conclusion, wrapping up the album’s emotional journey with a sense of quiet acceptance. The track doesn’t resolve the pain or regret explored throughout the album but instead acknowledges it, recognizing that sometimes, "bad things take the place where good things go." It's a deeply introspective closer, reminding listeners of the impermanence of life’s highs, while offering a glimpse of hope through self-awareness and shared human experience.

Listen To Linkin Park Good Things Go 

Linkin Park Good Things Go Lyrics Meaning Explained

The meaning of "Good Things Go" by Linkin Park is rooted in themes of loss, regret, and emotional struggle, capturing the band’s ongoing reflections on personal turmoil and transformation. The song explores the inevitable displacement of positive moments by darker experiences, symbolizing the grief that has followed Chester Bennington's passing and the band’s journey to move forward. Through introspective lyrics and a powerful blend of melancholic melodies and grunge influences, the track conveys the pain of self-sabotage, the difficulty of seeking forgiveness, and the realization that sometimes "bad things take the place where good things go." Ultimately, it serves as both a tribute to the past and a testament to resilience.

Verse 1: "Feels like it's rained in my head for a hundred days"

The opening line of the song evokes a sense of prolonged emotional turmoil. The rain symbolizes a downpour of negative emotions, thoughts, or depression that has weighed heavily on the speaker's mind for an extended period. The repetitive nature of “a hundred days” suggests that this inner struggle feels endless. This could be a reflection of the band’s grief following Chester Bennington’s passing, with rain symbolizing sorrow and mental exhaustion. It's also a metaphor for being trapped in a cycle of sadness and disconnection from oneself.

"Stare in the mirror and I look for another face"

This lyric speaks to the speaker’s internal crisis of identity. Looking into the mirror and searching for “another face” suggests a longing to escape or change who they are, perhaps due to guilt, regret, or shame. It may also symbolize feeling lost or dissociated from one's former self, a theme that resonates deeply with Linkin Park’s exploration of identity in previous works.

"And I get so tired of puttin' out fires and makin' up lies / Checkin' my eyes for some kinda light, but nothing's inside"

The phrase “putting out fires” implies constant damage control, as if the speaker is always trying to fix problems or manage crises, possibly within relationships or personal struggles. “Making up lies” reflects the emotional strain of hiding the truth, likely to protect others or avoid conflict. The second line reveals a profound emptiness, suggesting that despite their efforts, the speaker feels hollow and disconnected. This could mirror feelings of hopelessness that Linkin Park has often addressed in songs like "Crawling," where themes of self-control and inner turmoil are central.

Chorus: "And I say I hate you when I don't / Push you when you get too close"

These lines reflect the internal conflict and self-sabotage that comes with emotional vulnerability. The speaker acknowledges pushing others away even when they don’t truly mean to, perhaps out of fear of being hurt. This dynamic often appears in the band's music, with earlier songs like “Numb” and “Somewhere I Belong” tackling themes of distance and misunderstanding in relationships. Here, it’s a portrayal of frustration with oneself for being emotionally defensive.

"But I can't do this on my— / Only you could save me from my lack of self-control"

This lyric references the need for external help in managing inner struggles, akin to how Chester Bennington sang about the inability to maintain self-control in songs like "Crawling." The speaker admits their helplessness in controlling their emotions, suggesting a dependency on someone else to provide the stability they cannot find within themselves. This theme connects to the ongoing tension between independence and seeking help, a recurring motif in Linkin Park's music.

"Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go"

This line is deeply poignant, possibly reflecting the band's grief over the loss of Chester Bennington. The “bad things” could symbolize the overwhelming sorrow and hardship that filled the void left by his passing, while the “good things” represent the memories and positive moments of the past. It also speaks to the universal experience of loss and how pain can replace joy, making it a powerful metaphor for how life changes in the face of tragedy. This could also be seen as an acknowledgment of how the band has had to move forward, reshaping their sound and identity without Chester.

Verse 2: "I've asked for forgiveness a hundred times / Believed it myself when I halfway apologized"

This lyric explores feelings of guilt and insincerity. The speaker admits to repeatedly seeking forgiveness but only offering partial apologies, perhaps indicating a deeper issue of unresolved remorse. The repetition of “a hundred times” conveys an endless cycle of guilt and half-hearted attempts to make amends. This could be a reference to Linkin Park’s song “Sorry for Now” from One More Light, which also dealt with the difficulty of balancing personal flaws with the need for forgiveness.

"And it's not unfair, I'm asking for prayers, but nobody cares"

Here, the speaker acknowledges feeling isolated, as if their calls for help or support are ignored. This line expresses frustration with the lack of empathy from others, further deepening their sense of alienation. It evokes a familiar theme in Linkin Park’s work where the speaker feels disconnected from others, like in the song “Waiting for the End,” which also delves into themes of hopelessness and the desire for external support.

"Goin' nowhere like fallin' downstairs while everyone stares"

This powerful metaphor represents the speaker's feeling of helplessness and lack of progress. The image of falling downstairs with onlookers suggests a humiliating or visible downfall while others watch but do not intervene. This line also reflects the theme of public scrutiny and the pressure of having one’s struggles on display, something the band members have likely experienced in their careers.

Bridge: "Maybe the problem is ego / Maybe the, maybe the problem is mine"

In the bridge, Mike Shinoda’s introspection highlights the speaker’s self-awareness. Here, the speaker questions whether their issues stem from their own ego or personal flaws, admitting that the problem might lie within themselves. This internal struggle between blaming others and accepting personal responsibility is a hallmark of Linkin Park's lyrics, often seen in songs like "Breaking the Habit."

"Stare at the ceiling, feeling delirious / Fuck all your empathy, I want your fury"

These lines portray a sense of emotional overload and frustration. The speaker rejects empathy, which may feel insufficient or insincere, and instead craves an intense response—perhaps anger or passion—from others. This could symbolize the desire for validation or connection through a more aggressive, raw interaction rather than passive concern, a theme common in Linkin Park’s more aggressive nu-metal roots.

Final Chorus: "And I won't make excuses for the pain I caused us both"

The final chorus brings a sense of resolution, as the speaker acknowledges their role in causing pain. This is a moment of accountability, where the speaker no longer tries to justify their actions or emotional shortcomings. It reflects personal growth and maturity, mirroring the band’s evolution over time as they confront their past mistakes and seek to move forward.

"So thank you for always standing by me even though / Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go"

In the closing lines, the speaker expresses gratitude toward someone who has remained supportive despite the chaos and pain they’ve caused. The repetition of the line about bad things replacing good things reinforces the song’s central theme: that life’s difficulties often overshadow its joys, but there’s an underlying appreciation for those who help us through it. It’s a bittersweet acknowledgment of the complexity of life and relationships, and the way Linkin Park has had to navigate both loss and growth in their journey.

Linkin Park Good Things Go Lyrics

[Verse 1: Mike Shinoda, Emily Armstrong, Mike Shinoda & Emily Armstrong]

Feels like it's rained in my head for a hundred days

Feels like it's rained in my head for a hundred days

Stare in the mirror and I look for another face

Stare in the mirror and I look for another face

And I get so tired of puttin' out fires and makin' up lies

Checkin' my eyes for some kinda light, but nothing's inside

And it feels like it's rained in my head for a hundred days

[Chorus: Emily Armstrong]

And I say I hate you when I don't

Push you when you get too close

It's hard to laugh when I'm the joke

But I can't do this on my—

Only you could save me from my lack of self-control

Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go

[Verse 2: Mike Shinoda, Emily Armstrong, Mike Shinoda & Emily Armstrong]

I've asked for forgiveness a hundred times

I've asked for forgiveness a hundred times

Believed it myself when I halfway apologized

Believed it myself when I halfway apologized

And it's not unfair, I'm asking for prayers, but nobody cares

Goin' nowhere like fallin' downstairs while everyone stares

No one's there when I've asked for forgiveness a hundred times

[Chorus: Emily Armstrong & Mike Shinoda, Emily Armstrong]

And I say I hate you when I don't

Push you when you get too close

It's hard to laugh when I'm the joke

But I can't do this on my—

Only you could save me from my lack of self-control

Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go

[Bridge: Mike Shinoda]

No, I'm just takin' a shot, ah

Maybe I'm just too eager, oh

Maybe I lost the plot, ha

I used to pity some people

I said they were missing a spine

Yeah, maybe the problem is ego

Maybe the, maybe the problem is mine

Really, I'm fine

Don't get too intimate, don't get too curious

This is just feelin' like it's not that serious

Stare at the ceiling, feeling delirious

Fuck all your empathy, I want your fury

'Cause I will just

Tell you I'm better, then, better, then

Spit out my medicine, medicine, ayy

Drunk on adrenaline, 'drenaline, ayy

And I don't know why I

[Chorus: Emily Armstrong & Mike Shinoda, Emily Armstrong]

Say I hate you when I don't

Push you when you get too close

It's hard to laugh when I'm the joke

But I can't do this on my—

Only you could save me from my lack of self-control

And I won't make excuses for the pain I caused us both

So thank you for always standing by me even though

Sometimes bad things take the place where good things go