Billie Eilish’s “bury a friend” Lyrics Meaning
“bury a friend” is the title of one of the many singles recorded by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. The song’s lyrics find Eilish asking someone or something a series of profound questions. It’s not made exactly clear who this person or entity is.
While it isn’t clear who or what some of these questions are posed to, it is 100% clear these are important questions to Eilish.
“What do you want from me?
Why don’t you run from me?”
But is Billie Eilish singing about death?
Some have answered the above question in the affirmative. They feel when Eilish asks the question of where we go to when we fall asleep, she’s basically asking where go when we die. But what do we really think? Is Eilish really referencing the death and the afterlife in these lyrics? Well, it’s really not clear. However, there are two possible answers.
Firstly, she could just be using the lyrics in their literal sense. If this is the case, she’s just asking where we go when we lay on our beds to sleep. Secondly, she could be using “sleep” in its figurative sense. This would mean “sleep” refers to death. And many feel Eilish might not be using “sleep” literally.
And do we agree with those that say Eilish is asking where we go when we die? The lyrics and theme of the song are dark and eerie enough to make us suspect death is what she’s referring to with the word “sleep”.
“When we all fall asleep, where do we go?”
What Billie Eilish herself said about “bury a friend”
In 2019 interview with UMusic, Eilish said the song was written from the standpoint of the “monster under” her bed. Here is Eilish’s explanation of the meaning of “bury a friend”:
Another Explanation of the Lyrics of “bury a friend”
“Bury a Friend” is a track in which the subject of the song revolves back to Billie Eilish herself. In other words, the lyrics are sung from the perspective of another entity, specifically “the monster under” Billie’s bed. However, she goes on to state that this fearsome beast is indeed herself. In other words, she is singing to herself using the character of this monster as an external yet most-intimate voice.
The monster questions the nature of its relationship with Billie. For instance, it wonders why Billie isn’t afraid of it. In fact it goes on to state that Eilish actually cares for it. However, most of its thoughts seem to be based around negativity. It appears that this creature has put itself in an undesirable position that it cannot escape from. Indeed, its thoughts have become so disturbing that at times it considers self-harm.
The inclination for this monster to harm itself is found in the post-chorus, where the singer repeatedly utters, “I wanna end me.” Since Eilish has stated that this fictional creature and she are actually one in the same, these lyrics apparently express a desire for Billie to terminate her own life.
As such, the “friend” Eilish refers to in the title of the track, the close companion of the monster that it is addressing, is herself. In other words, Eilish sometimes has the desire to bury herself, as in commit suicide, with such a mindframe resulting in her being her “own worst enemy”.
Facts about “bury a friend”
Just like virtually all Eilish’s songs, Eilish co-wrote this single with songwriter and producer Finneas O’Connell. Eilish is related to O’Connell. Actually she’s his younger sister.
O’Connell, who is also a noted music producer, produced this song.
Eilish and her management released this single on January 30, 2019.
It is the third single from her album of the same name (When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?). The song “You Should See Me in a Crown” was the first single to be released from the aforementioned album. “When the Party’s Over” came out few weeks later as the album’s second single.
This was Eilish’s second song to be released in 2019. Her first for 2019 was a song titled “When I Was Older“.
The super creepy music video of “bury a friend” was directed by American film director and writer Michael Chaves.
Did Billie Eilish tease this song before its release?
Yes. On January 28, 2019, she uploaded a few seconds of a video clip of the track on her official Instagram page. A day after that, she announced the release date of the song as well as the title of her debut album.
Who sings the additional vocals on “bury a friend”?
Those creepy vocals you hear alongside Eilish’s are from a British rapper/singer named Crooks. Having said that, it’s noteworthy to point out that Crooks isn’t officially featured on the track.
Actually ur sngs ar bit different when looking at others sngs. Somehow keep up the work. I like to sing with u
She actually means she wants to erase all the parts of herself that she feels is causing other people or herself pain i have the same thoughts about myself when i do something to cause someone physical or emotional stress by just being myself without even intending to cause others harm and it eats at my soul like a demon would thus the demonic self she represents in the music video and she feels the only way to fix this is to end her own life i too have the same thoughts sometimes but i fix this by venting my feelings to a good friend of mine so billie eilish if your reading this talk to someone about it don’t end your life because not going to fix anything its just going to cause more pain
She was actually suicidal making this, so to be honest i Think that the “friend” is actually her because she wanted to end herself and wanted her friend to bury her. Try to Read the lyrics now that you know she was suicidal, it totally changes the meaning.
True…lot of people kept thinkin it was about sleep paralysis…and not only that, she didn’t want to explain her lyrics which makes completely sense hence to why she felt suicidal
She is at a point of no return and she is regretting making an unreversible deal with the devil the song is just to send warnings to her fans don’t you get it !! she will drag a lot of souls to hell unwillingly though. You have to see the truth.
Actually, I think it is about sleep paralysis. Because as far as I know, your eyes won’t open and your limbs freeze. But that doesn’t explain why she says “I wanna end me”
What explains it is that she was wanting to commit suicide and the monster under her bed knows.
But, what Billie doesn’t know is that the monster is really herself. And the reason the monster is herself is because she wants to hurt herself. And by doing this, she has pretty much created a monster of negative feelings and emotions.
If we put together all the words that the man says, we can have: Billie, come here, listen
True!
You forgot careful. It goes: billie, come here, listen, careful.
So the man is saying to Billie, “Billie, come here and listen, but be careful!” (In a sentence form)
So I’m questioning myself, “Where is the man taking Billie, what is Billie needn’t to listen to, what does she have to be careful of, and WHO THE HECK IS THE MAN!?”
Maybe the man is the friend that has to bury her because she was actually suicidal When she made this. There’s a regent interview Where she Stated that When she sang “i wanna end me” she actually means it. Try to Read the lyrics again now that you know she was suicidal, it totally changes the meaning of the song.
Crooks is NOT an American singer, but a British rapper.
Thanks for drawing our attention to this, Dave. We have made the necessary correction.
This song has illuminati written all over it, i believe she is a witch and the song is about a friend that heard or seen something they werent supposed to and now she feels bad because they are gonna have to die.
According to Billie herself, it’s about the monster under her bed and that SHE is that monster.
I’m not into the Illuminati stuff but I know a little. Exactly what makes you think it has “Illuminati written all over it”? And a witch? Really? I’m not even sure how to respond to that. The imagery to me seems more like she is a ghost or something (I’m so glad she clarified that for us lol).
“You’re payin’?
Is the amount cleanin’ you out
Am I satisfactory?”
“ But we knew right from the start
That you’d fall apart ’cause I’m too expensive
Your talk’ll be somethin’ that shouldn’t be said out loud”
“ For the debt I owe, gotta sell my soul ‘Cause I can’t say no, no, I can’t say no”
Illuminati? Not sure. Selling her soul.
These are the lyrics that point to the suspicion i believe they were talking about.
No… it’s not. Don’t be ridiculous *eyeroll
No, it’s not. Please stop with these toxic conspiracies. It was people like you who started the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem witch Trials in which countless young women were put to death for not conforming to society’s expectations of who they should be
When Billie says ,”When we all fall asleep, where do we go?” she is talking about dreaming. Another part of the song goes like ,”When my limbs are frozen and my eyes wont close,” she means sleep paralasis, which is something that Billie also struggles with. During her life she has dealt with a lot of nightmares and has had sleep paralasis five times. She also had a lot of reoccurring dreams. She is singing from the perspective of a monster under her bed. In times, she is her own monster.
very true
CAN Y’ALL SHUT THE F UP WITH ALL THE BIBLE SH-T?!?!?!?! IT MAKES ME SICK
Heroin.
I don’t think Billie is quite singing from the perspective of the “monster under her bed” as she put it. I’m pretty sure the song is written partially from the perspective of people who have tried to take advantage of her, or harboring some resentment for her, and also partially a confession from her perspective of withholding her own feelings from those people, and how the situation makes her want to end her life. “What do you want from me? Why don’t you run from me? What are you wondering? What do you know?” is a reference to the “monster” having something to hide, and they are paranoid that she might know already. “Why aren’t you scared of me? Why do you care for me?” is a reference to the “monster” further questioning Billie’s interest in them, because they know they don’t deserve the way she cares for them. “When we all fall asleep, where do we go?” refers to the “monster’s” inability to reflect, particularly during dreaming, while Billie suffers nightmares because of the ways she may have hurt people. The “monster” is referring to someone that Billie thought was her friend, but who turned out to be trying to take advantage of her success. There are a number of lines alluding to Billie having been aware that they likely have not been authentic with her, such as: “I’ll keep you in the dark, what had you expected? for me to make you my art and make you my 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.” She is basically saying that they really should have known that they wouldn’t be able to keep up with her. Another example of this is the line, “Say it, spit it out. What is it exactly? Are you paying? Is the amount just cleaning you out, am I satisfactory?” She is saying that the “monster” is trying to appear as though they are worth Billie’s time, but have been misrepresenting themselves, and they are failing to prove it to her. She is sort of bragging that she is able to keep it 100%, and she can tell the “monster” is starting to fold under the pressure of maintaining the false impression they gave Billie about who they are and what their intentions are. And of course, the line, “Your talk will 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.” This line speaks to Billies expectation that the “monster” will likely crack under the pressure, and may either end up lashing out verbally, or trying to hurt her in some way. She is saying that she has been aware that she was in some unspoken competition with the “monster” and then gives them an ultimatum that they can either put the conflict behind them, or put the friendship behind them, but knows that she will be hurt by the loss of a friend. Essentially, I think the message behind the song is that she wishes that people could be authentic, and end the conflict instead of getting angry and walking away. I think the song is relative to her sudden rise to fame, the friends that she has lost along the way, as well as the people she feels she has had to hurt to protect herself. The last line I want to talk about is, “for the debt I owe, gotta sell my soul, cause I can’t say no, no I can’t say no. Now my limbs all froze and my eyes won’t close, and I can’t say no, no I can’t say no.” Which is Billie saying that she has had to lose parts of herself and act in ways she didn’t think she was capable of, because while she is busy paying back the people who have helped her to succeed, she has no time for people who can’t pay her back for the things she does for them, and she feels an element of guilt about not having time for some people. Her limbs freezing and eyes not closing probably refers to sleep disturbance over that guilt. Billie, no offense, but get over yourself.
Your last line ruined it. Writing songs is how Billie “gets over herself.” Stop criticizing her life, and find your own.
i was totally following you until your last line. get over yourself? seriously?
All of these responses are speculation, including yours. It was very well thought out, but I’m with them, you killed it on that last line. Don’t assume you know something about an individual enough to tell them to “get over it”. I hope that your feelings are never dismissed like that from people who will never know your pain. That line says allot about you as a person. Not trying to be mean, just something for you to think about before you say it to someone you care for.
Open your eyes,
The messege is utterly satanic,
You guys just would rather be kept in the dark than believe the truth.
The song, and all is filled with dreferebces to the devil using her, cause she let him.
Somehow I see her warning her fans as to what they still want from her as if it’s not obvious she’s not good for them.
Honestly, and it also sounds like a conversation between her and lucifer,
Just open your eyes to the truth.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU.IF SHE WANTED TO EXPRESS HERSELF WHY USE SENSITIVE WORDS? GUYS LET US OPEN OUR EYES TO THE TRUTH.THE MESSAGE IN THE SONG IS CLEAR AND STRAIGHT FORWARD.THIS IS ILLUMINATI .
I think everyone is way off… Let’s get real here and use her recent vanity Fair interview as a reference. I think the song is mostly about what the music industry is doing to her. In the second verse that’s clearly the higher ups talking to her. Even in the video after that part the male voice says “careful” as in watch it now you’re saying too much. The whole step on glass, staple you’re tounge part is an analogy for her being told to do ridiculous things that really are hurting the person or artist she wants to be. Bury a friend to the youth these days means to bury them in ur mind or forget about them like she’s being told forget about ur friends. I think the bridge is the icing on the cake and proves my interpretation. How she’s in debt to her god cuz she sold her soul. And concludes it with her not having control of her arms or not being able to shut her eyes when she wants to. Since she’s signed her contract she “can’t say no” as she says herself. If you go back to her vanity Fair interview you clearly see the industry is doing a number on her and it’s not what she thought it would be like. In the question where she is asked is it all worth it, when she says yes you can tell it was sarcastic as hell and said only because she was forced to say it. I don’t know maybe it’s a conspiracy theory but it seems pretty clear here… She is being controlled by the industry (Illuminati if you will) and she wants to end it. She’s signed over her soul and can’t tell them no and it’s really effecting her.
I love your answer best …. it’s what I was thinkin as well . I also considered bury a friend meaning sacrifice someone u love cause they talk about that being part of the illuminati .
I honestly think she’s singing in reference to jaseh or xxxtentacion cause if you watch the music video in the beginning there’s a dude that looks like x in the bed
I think she sings from the viewpoint of her fame. At first she’s asking herself why she isn’t afraid of it and what she wants. The sentence “when we all fall asleep, where do we go?” could be about dreams that people have. Most people dream about being famous, she probably did so to before, but now she doesn’t know anymore if that’s truly still her dream.
“Say it, spit it out. What is it exactly?” > she’s trying to figure it out.
“You’re payin’? Is the amount cleanin’ you out? Am I satisfactory?” > The fame asks her: is the money worth it? is the fame satisfactory?
“The way I’m drinkin’ you down, Like I wanna drown, like I wanna end me” > The fame is overwelming, it’s like it wants to kill her.
‘Step on the glass, staple your tongue (ah)” > could be about the sacrefices she has to make, and not being able to speak freely.
“Bury a friend, try to wake up (ah-ah)” > Bury a friend could be about the things that where lost in the process of becoming famous. (like a real friend or what I think: herself as a person she recognised and liked) She can’t seem to wake up from it (this dream of hers) because she can’t take a break from being famous.
“Cannibal class, killing the son (ah)” > Cannibal class sounds like it’s a tough world where people are very ambitious.
Yh i think u guyz r rite….mayb billie ad suffer many nightmares and mayb she did sumting bad 2 people dats y in the line(….why aren’t u scared of me,why do u care 4 me) i think what she tryin’ 2 say here is dat why r people nt scared of her when she has hurt so many people nd y did they still care 4 her when she didn’t care 4 others. Billie i’ll ask u nt 2 end urself becuz of what u’ve done and aw u r regreting 4 doin’ it.Killing wnt make any difference nd commiting sucidie isn’t d best solution,ok! Just go directly 2 God wit all ur problems nd u’ll c aw relieved u wud b.U r 2 young 2 end ur self nd u r just 17 if m right,so please dnt end urself i luv ur sngs alot nd i dnt want u 2 stop singing
Sounds like satanism to me. Do some research on adrenochrome and then reread the lyrics.
Just don’t.
Who is the monster because i will hang him
I’m not sure if it’s been mentioned in comments but she has actualy said that it’s about the sleep paralysis she suffers from. So it does actualy literaly mean where do we go when we’re actualy asleep….not when we die…
In a revner interview, Billie actually revealed that she was suicidal When she was making this. She also Said that When she sang “I wanna end me” she actually means it back then, so if you Read the lyrics again, you Will see a darker side of the song, now konsignation she was actually suicidal then.
Thanks avacodos
ARE YOU REALLY BILLE???!!!! THIS IS SO COOL!!!!
A lot of people say that it’s about sleep paralysis but I don’t think so…I reckon the monster under her bed is her depression and her feelings…it’s like she’s pretending that she’s okay when she’s not…like her feelings are hiding away and she doesn’t want to let anybody know what she’s feeling…and not only that it says that she wants to feel better but she doesn’t know how and gets to the point where she wants to end it all by suicide…in an interview she doesn’t want to explain the lyrics which made me think that it’s about depression…most of her songs are always based on what she’s feeling inside…soooo that’s my guess!
Agree
When I listen to this song, I feel like it’s about a person who’s been transported to an alternate demension with her friend. For whatever reason the friend dies, and the person is left alone, but something else is there, and it’s asking the person the questions. The person is also considering sucide, because she is alone with nothing except the other spirit
Idk, I’m clueless- this is just what I think of when I listen to this.
What’s with all the needles
It’s weird how people would rather believe anything but the truth,
The message is clear, it’s satanic, all that selling her soul stuff!!
Okay, you may love her and maybe you want to justify her intentions!
But you must want to see the truth for what it is! The lyrics themselves are pretty dark.
Maybe she’s speaking to her fans, she’s the monster under the bed asking you why you still like her, why you still listen to her when clearly, she’s wants to bury you.
Thats what I saw when I read the lyrics.
She’s sending warning signs continuously so that no one gives an excuse of I didn’t know.
Think about it guys, open your eyes,
Don’t be kept in the dark
this is exactly what I thought….like if you’re singing about depression or sleep paralysis why include lyrics like ‘…for the debt I owe, I gotta sell my soul…’
most people are just not ready to believe the truth.
Omg…I can’t believe some of these comments. Get an education people. Learn about metaphors and poetry and maybe try creatively writing a song about your life and struggles yourself. Geezuz.
For me the song is about the human condition (consciousness/ ego vs soul/ goodness, are we good or bad, do we still exist after death. where does our consciousness go when we are asleep ) and the turmoil this causes. The monster we face is ourselves- but are we monsters? It’s about confronting it and facing it even if it means having more questions than answers . Very brave song .