In The End – English Lyrics

• By: Linkin Park
• Album: From Zero

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Linkin Park's iconic "In The End," a powerful track that blends rap and rock to explore universal feelings of struggle, effort, and inevitable disappointment. Its raw lyrics and dynamic vocal interplay between Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington offer a rich emotional landscape, making it an excellent song for learners to grasp everyday expressions of frustration and resilience in English. The song's clear narrative and impactful chorus provide memorable phrases and a genuine insight into common human experiences.

[English]

It starts with one

One thing I don't know why

It doesn't even matter how hard you try

Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme

To explain in due time

All I know

Time is a valuable thing

Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings

Watch it count down to the end of the day

The clock ticks life away

It's so unreal

Didn't look out below

Watch the time go right out the window

Tryin' to hold on, did-didn't even know

I wasted it all just to watch you go

I kept everything inside and even though I tried

It all fell apart

What it meant to me will eventually

Be a memory of a time when-

I tried so hard and got so far

But in the end, it doesn't even matter

I had to fall to lose it all

But in the end, it doesn't even matter

One thing, I don't know why

It doesn't even matter how hard you try

Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme

To remind myself how I tried so hard

In spite of the way you were mockin' me

Acting like I was part of your property

Remembering all the times you fought with me

I'm surprised it got so far

Things aren't the way they were before

You wouldn't even recognize me anymore

Not that you knew me back then

But it all comes back to me in the end

You kept everything inside and even though I tried

It all fell apart

What it meant to me will eventually

Be a memory of a time when-

I tried so hard and got so far

But in the end, it doesn't even matter

I had to fall to lose it all

But in the end, it doesn't even matter

I've put my trust in you

Pushed as far as I can go

For all this

There's only one thing you should know

I've put my trust in you

Pushed as far as I can go

For all this

There's only one thing you should know

I tried so hard and got so far

But in the end, it doesn't even matter

I had to fall to lose it all

But in the end, it doesn't even matter

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
matter /ˈmætər/ A2	verb - to be important or significant noun - a subject or situation under consideration
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
try /traɪ/ A1	verb - make an attempt or effort to do something
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought
rhyme /raɪm/ B1	noun - correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry. verb - have or end with a sound that corresponds to another
valuable /ˈvæljuəbl/ B1	adjective - worth a great deal of money or of great importance
pendulum /ˈpendʒələm/ B2	noun - a body suspended from a fixed point so that it can swing back and forth under the action of gravity.
swings /swɪŋz/ B1	verb - move or cause to move back and forth
clock /klɒk/ A2	noun - a mechanical or electrical device for measuring time, indicating hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds.
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
unreal /ʌnˈriːəl/ B2	adjective - not real; like a dream.
window /ˈwɪndoʊ/ A1	noun - an opening in the wall or roof of a building or vehicle that is fitted with glass or other transparent material in a frame to admit light or air and allow people to see out.
hold /hoʊld/ A2	verb - grasp, carry, or support with one's hands
wasted /ˈweɪstɪd/ B1	adjective - used or expended carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose verb - past tense of waste: use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose
apart /əˈpɑːrt/ B1	adverb - separated by a specified distance
memory /ˈmeməri/ A2	noun - the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.
trust /trʌst/ B1	noun - firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. verb - believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of

Key Grammar Structures

• It doesn't even matter how hard you try

  ➔ Adverb of degree ("even") with "how" to express emphasis.

  ➔ The word "even" here emphasizes the extent to which effort is irrelevant. It adds intensity to the statement that it doesn't matter *at all* how hard you try.

• Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction "as" to indicate simultaneous action.

  ➔ The word "as" connects two actions occurring at the same time. The time flies by and the pendulum swings concurrently. "Watch it fly by" is an imperative sentence.

• I wasted it all just to watch you go

  ➔ "Just to" + infinitive to express purpose or consequence

  ➔ Here, "just to watch you go" expresses the consequence of wasting everything. The action of watching the person leave is presented as the sole result or the only reason behind the waste.

• Things aren't the way they were before

  ➔ Use of "aren't" (are not) as a contraction for the negative form of the verb "to be" in the present tense.

  ➔ This sentence emphasizes a change from a previous state. The contraction "aren't" is a common way to express negation in spoken and informal written English.

• Not that you knew me back then

  ➔ Use of "that" as a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause to qualify or contradict a previous statement.

  ➔ This sentence introduces a reason or qualification for why something else is happening or being said. It suggests the person being addressed didn't know the speaker well at a previous time, making the current situation or the speaker's feelings more understandable.

• I've put my trust in you

  ➔ Present Perfect tense ("have put") to indicate an action completed at an unspecified time in the past, with relevance to the present.

  ➔ The speaker placed trust in the person in the past, and the consequences of that trust are still relevant now. The phrase implies a current state or feeling resulting from that past action.

• Pushed as far as I can go

  ➔ The structure "as + adverb + as" to indicate a limit or extent.

  ➔ Here, it implies the speaker has reached their absolute limit of endurance or effort. "Far" is an adverb modifying the verb "pushed".