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"Papercut" is a song by American band Linkin Park, included as the first track from their debut album Hybrid Theory. It was released as the third single from the album on 18 June 2001.

Background[]

The song is a thesis of someone always looking out for him/herself, and warning others that they are also paranoid.

Even though there are no acoustic instruments in the song, lead guitarist Brad Delson is shown playing an acoustic guitar in the video, and Phoenix is shown playing an acoustic bass guitar. And although there is drumming, Rob Bourdon doesn't play drums at all in the video. Chester Bennington has stated that Papercut is his favourite song from Hybrid Theory. In live performances, the lines "why does it feel like night today" and "something in here's not right today" is changed to "why does it look like night today" and "something inside's not right today".

On Linkin Park's remix album Reanimation, there is a remix of this song, titled "Ppr:Kut", which was remixed by DJ Cheapsho|. Elements from the song were used in the song Sold My Soul To Yo Mama, which appears on the band's 4th annual fan club CD. Furthermore, Collision Course contains a mix of this song and Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'".

Lyrics[]

 Chester   Mike 

Why does it feel like night today?
Something in here's not right today
Why am I so uptight today?
Paranoia's all I got left

I don't know what stressed me first
Or how the pressure was fed / but
I know just what it feels like
To have a voice in the back of my head

It's like a face that I hold inside
A face that awakes when I close my eyes
A face watches every time I lie
A face that laughs every time I fall

[And watches everything]

So I know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is hearing me right underneath my skin

It's like I'm... paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a... whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I.. can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin

I know I've got a face in me
Points out all my mistakes to me
You've got a face on the inside too and
Your paranoia's probably worse
I don't know what set me off first but I know what I can't stand
Everybody acts like the fact of the matter is
I can't add up to what you can
But everybody has a face that they hold inside
A face that awakes when they close their eyes
A face watches every time they lie
A face that laughs every time they fall

[And watches everything]

So you know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is watching you too, right inside your skin

It's like I'm... paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a... whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I... can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin

It's like I'm... paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a... whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I... can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin

The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin

The sun goes down...
I feel the light betray me

The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me

(The sun...)

It's like I'm... paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a... whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I... can't stop what I'm hearing within

(I feel the light betray me...)

It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
It's like I'm... paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a... whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I... can't stop what I'm hearing within

(I feel the light betray me...)

It's like I... can't stop what I'm hearing within

(The sun...)

It's like I... can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin

Trivia[]

  • The artwork in the room that the band is playing resembles the Xero cover. The artwork was done by Mike Shinoda before the band got started on the video.
  • If you look carefully, right after you see the statues head moving in one part, you will see a small blue man dash past Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington.

Music video[]

Linkin_Park_-_Papercut-0

Linkin Park - Papercut-0

'Hybrid Theory', the debut studio album by American nu-metal band, Linkin Park, and all its releases
Hybrid Theory

Bonus tracks:
"My December"
"High Voltage"

GalleryDemosRelease historyCertificationsAwardsCredits
Hybrid Theory - 20th Anniversary Edition

"In The End (Demo)"
"Slip"
"So Far Away"
"SuperXero"
"Buy Myself
(Marilyn Manson Remix)"

"Coal"
"Slip"
"Sad"
"Hurry"
"Blue"
"Chair"

Release history
Hybrid Theory EP

"High Voltage"
"Part of Me" / "Hidden Track 7"

Demos
Linkin Park
Rob BourdonBrad DelsonDave "Phoenix" FarrellJoe HahnMike Shinoda
Chester Bennington
Albums Hybrid TheoryReanimationMeteoraMinutes to MidnightA Thousand SunsLiving ThingsThe Hunting PartyOne More Light
Other Hybrid Theory EPCollision CourseHybrid Theory: 20th Anniversary EditionMeteora 20th Anniversary EditionLost DemosPapercuts
Singles "One Step Closer""Crawling""Papercut""In the End""Somewhere I Belong""Faint""Numb""From the Inside""Lying From You""Breaking the Habit""Numb/Encore""What I've Done""Bleed It Out""Shadow of the Day""New Divide""The Catalyst""Iridescent""Burn It Down""Lost in the Echo""Castle of Glass""Powerless""A Light That Never Comes""Guilty All the Same""Until It's Gone""Wastelands""Final Masquerade""Heavy""Talking to Myself""One More Light""She Couldn't""Lost""Fighting Myself""Friendly Fire"
Side projects XeroDead By SunriseFort MinorGrey DazeStone Temple PilotsJulien-KProjekt RevolutionRelative DegreeStyles of Beyond
CertificationsGalleryAwardsDiscographyLinkin Park Underground
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