Billie Eilish’s “Listen Before I Go” Lyrics Meaning

In the lyrics of “Listen Before I Go”, Billie Eilish plays the role of someone apparently on the verge of committing suicide. As such, she is appealing to the addressee of the track to “listen” to her final words ‘before she goes’. For the most part, she seems to be speaking to a specific person, who she basically accuses of deserting her in the past. And while her relationship to this person is never clearly specified in this song, it is generally considered to be her lover.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Billie Eilish's Listen Before I Go at Lyrics.org.

The beginning of the track finds Eilish on a rooftop, apparently about to jump off. Before doing so, she instructs the person trying to talk her down to leave her in the solitude that she has grown accustomed to as a result of that same person not being around.

Owing to this, in the choruses, she is entreating those who need something from her or desire to speak to her to do so promptly, because she is “leaving soon”. And her mind is not open to apologies from anyone as she has already reasoned to take her own life.

Lyrics of Eilish's "Listen Before I Go"

Likewise in the second verse, she doesn’t seem interested in words of encouragement in terms of preserving her life.  Rather she tells the person who is seemingly trying to do so once again to leave her alone, as he or she has already done. Then Eilish climaxes the song by telling this individual to send a final message of her love to her friends.

Ultimately Billie does not intend for this song to be an advocacy of suicide. Rather it is to shine light on the potentially-horrifying effects of depression. This is an issue she has reportedly dealt with in real life, and she wants this track to serve as an expression of what some of her listeners may be going through as well as a medium by which she can become more connected to them.

43 Responses

  1. Shelley says:

    The lyrics say take me to the roof so she can see the sky when she takes her last breath, lips turning blue. Seems to me she must have taken pills to end her life

    • Abigail says:

      I think the “lips turning blue” part is talking about suffocation. I agree with the other people saying that she is going to jump off but I believe that the lyric “lips turning blue” is in there because she feels suffocated by her depressive thoughts.

      • Anonymous says:

        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)

    • Maddy says:

      It never says lips turning blue, just turning blue signifying suffocation.

    • Ur Mom says:

      It doesn’t talk about the lips at all, especially if they turn blue. She just says, “I wanna see the world when I stop breathing, turning blue.” I should know. I’ve listened to this album hundreds of times, so I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about.

  2. Kelley says:

    No, she hasn’t taken any pills, she’s going to jump off of the roof. Duh

    • michelle says:

      “take me to the roof top I wanna see the world when I stop breathing, turning blue.”

      doesn’t sound likes she’s about to jump off, sounds like she’s going to end her life on the roof.. she wants a glimpse of the world, the sky one last time before she’s gone (dead/ or as the songs says “..when I stop breathing, turning blue”)

  3. Marcus says:

    I thought I heard at the end a woman scream and also I heard the police

    • Smojis says:

      Girl you are right that’s when she committed SUI and the woman was like “oh on she chow herself” and the amulance “police” came and was like 😭😢☹️

  4. Eryn R. says:

    I think lips turning blue means suffocation so she might hang herself on the roof to ‘I want to see the world when i stop breathing, turning blue’

  5. Rachel says:

    I think that “turning blue” means that she is referencing back to the line “I wanna see the world when I stop breathing”. So, she wants to see the world as the sun rises, when the sky is turning blue. I don’t think it was referencing suffocation because she is going to jump from the roof, which can be further back by the lines “Sorry there’s no way out” followed by “but down”. It’s chilling yet beautiful.

  6. Barbie says:

    The song is really nice and sad. I cried severally listening to it. Always trying to find meaning to the words said in it. She’s already done what she wanna do so she’s telling US sorry but she cant change the consequences. She loves her friends and will miss them but she ain’t sorry for doing what she did. I pray all the I’ll minded find peace and rest of mind

  7. Neptune Strange says:

    OK OK but the suffocation paired with the roof can mean that she is going to hang herself. Simple

    • Smojis says:

      But like she wants wants to see the world one last time and the chokes herself while she steps off of the roof

    • Kit says:

      Okay but if she goes to hang herself on a roof how would she do it because most roofs don’t have a roof, and its would be hard to hang yourself off the edge of a building.

  8. Amber says:

    The song is about her jumping off the roof, at the end of the song you hear a thud which represents her reaching the ground. You can hear cop cars and people surrounding the roof, when she jumps there is a lady screaming. Turning blue would be suffocating in her thoughts. Duh 🤦‍♀️

    • Smojis says:

      Uhh chaboooiii girl I mean you are right but like when it says turning blue she must be sad about something so she jumps off and yes you do hear a thud and her last words are “sorry”

    • james says:

      right these people be making it more complicated than it is-_-

  9. Poppy says:

    The song is about her jumping off a roof and the part “lips turning blue” symbolises her suffocating in her own thoughts of the depression she was dealing with because when you are depressed most people keep their thoughts and pain to themselves so she isn’t able to get those thoughts out which is why she is suffocating in them. She does jump off the roof and the end which is why you see a women (walking past on the pavement maybe or herself screaming while falling) and the police sirens.

  10. Lexie says:

    honestly this is my fav song because i’ve been there and done that. when she says “I wanna see the world stop breathing, turnin blue”, she means that she is suffocating in her thoughts of depression and suicide, and believes that suicide is the only way out. This is a sad song, but it is also helpful in a way. in the end you do hear a thud and sirens and a woman screaming and that’s because she jumped off the roof in her suicide attempt. I almost died from my suicide attempt, so I can relate to this song pretty well. she is also leaving a message for someone to tell her friends that she loves them and that she will miss them a lot, but she’s not sorry for committing suicide. just know that suicide is not the answer…

    • Lexie says:

      “i wanna see the world when i stop breathing, turnin blue”
      _my bad_

    • Elly says:

      Im so sorry u were so close. I almost committed suicide and now when ever i hear this song i cry but it is my fav cause i can relate so well. Not even my mom knows tho so idk what to do ever when i think about it. I have these thoughts almost every day so i am alway depressed

      • Anonymous says:

        Yeah,
        My loses on is my absence of faith in God, maybe they were never there, for me seeing the sky one last time is seeing my past when I had faith, I suppose I am dead now, yet alive

  11. Saucepan says:

    OK PEOPLE, I’ve read the comments and you’re all being respectful and actually making speculation about the song rather than insulting it, but I know there’s going to be that one person who thinks the music is too depressing. Yes it has deeper meanings linking back to depression and some other very heavy topics, but if you read the article and listen to the song you’ll see that it’s mostly about what depression can do to innocent young lives and you should try and help people that you know are depressed and do what you can, because if you don’t, they may try to end their own lives.Also, if you’re reading this and you are feeling depressed, PLEASE SEEK HELP. There are people who care about you. Your life is worth so much more and there is a lot you can do to contribute to the world. YOU ARE NOT USELESS. YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL AMAZING PERSON. You are worth people’s time. People care for you and you could do a lot. Please don’t take your own life. I hate to see people, especially those so young, who think they’re so lost that they need to end it all. You aren’t a lost cause. YOU ARE WORTH IT. I hope you have a beautiful day/night. I care about you all, even if I don’t know you, you are still people and we need to stop focusing on pettier things when there are issues like depression and young people taking their own lives. <3

  12. Jasmine says:

    For the past three years i’ve been gone through so much losing my loved one to my shattered dreams everything i wanted was destroyed every night crying my heart out. Distancing from everyone else that lone feeling for the past three year atleast once in a week i think of suicide just living this life for my parents they just dont know about the agony and the despair i am going through always hoping that something things will be alright but i m fed up with this life and dont know what to do next

  13. Tween SmartAlec says:

    Meaning : Billie is not sorry for what she is about to do , she is saying you can suck up to me now but when i needed you , where were you ? she is finally saying she is not okay , and whats wrong with her , and saying deja vu can mean well .Déjà vu describes that uncanny sensation you’ve already experienced something, even when you know you never have. Experts generally agree this phenomenon probably relates to memory in some way. So, if you have déjà vu, you might have experienced a similar event before. You just can’t remember it . as we all know she has lots of depressing songs and brings situations up and very hard topics to talk about . I am 11 years old and I know all of this , you guys need to find the meaning in it for yourself . a sorry cannot help her now . I love billie eiliish so much and have found out more meanings , and what they mean for me , I love you so so so so sso much BILLIIIIEEEEE

  14. Anonymous says:

    This is what a year long head ache does to you.

  15. BillieEilishFan13 says:

    Hi guys! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE BILLIE EILISH SO SO MUCH!! I hope I can meet her one day and I’ll there by her side if she needs comfort or a hug. 🙂

  16. Nini. says:

    I want this song played when I end it tbh.

  17. urmom says:

    honestly wanna have this playing at my funeral 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like...