The Hidden Meaning Of Billie Eilish’s “goodbye” | Genius News

Billie Eilish’s debut album, 'WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?,' is a thoughtfully crafted project which culminates with “goodbye.” As Genius contributor mariokarter13 points out, the song’s lyrics are entirely comprised of lines from the previous songs on the album—but in reverse tracklist order.

CREDITS
Jacques Morel, Senior Correspondent
Tia Hill, Producer
Jer Paulin, Shooter/Editor
Hillary Crosley Coker, Senior Producer

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Billie Eilish's debut studio album,
'WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?'

is headed for a big opening week, projected
to sit atop the Billboard 200.

Across 14 tracks, Billie crafts a project
spurred on by her bouts with sleep paralysis

and recurring nightmares.

And not like that the whole album
is literally me saying I dreamed dadada,

it's not like that, it's the feeling.

And interestingly the final song, "goodbye," incorporates pieces of each cut on the album.

In a Genius annotation, mariokarter13
points out how the songs lyrics are actually

individual lines from the other 12 tracks
on the project - but backwards.

All but two lines come from the opening
bars of a track.

Eilish confirmed this in an interview
saying she doesn't like when albums end

abruptly adding quote:

"goodbye's" only verse opens
with a lyric from her album's 13th song, "i love you."

According to Billie, "i love you"
is a song about relationship struggles and

holds a special place in her heart.

"i love you" is like also one
of my favorite songs I've ever written in

my life.

Some fans have pointed out how the
chorus, with backing vocals by her brother

FINNEAS, may interpolate the Leonard Cohen
classic song "Hallelujah."

The next line on "goodbye" comes
from "listen before i go."

"listen before I go" is a song
about suicide and depression and she created

it to act as a sort of catharsis for her fans.

When this comes out, I don't want
it to break you down, I want it to bring you

to me and I don't know, be like a mental
hug, I guess.

"goodbye" then quickly moves into
a line from "ilomilo."

"ilomilo's" name hails from a
puzzle game where the object is to unite

the main characters, Ilo and Milo.

The track may be using the game as
a metaphor for the fear of separation.

BILLIE: …The whole idea is the game, it's
just like, losing the person you love and

then finding them again. It's so cute!

Keeping with Eilish's love of horror
films, "bury a friend" is very much about

facing your fears.

A monster with the person in the bed
that's interested, their not, yea they're

scared of them it's like they know that
it's bad but sometimes the most dangerous

situations are the most attractive to you.

'My Strange Addiction's' title
may come from a tv show of the same name where

people explained their strange compulsions.

The track also samples a number of scenes
from 'The Office' episode, "Threat Level Midnight."

No, Billie, I haven't done that dance
since my wife died.

The next "goodbye" lyrics come
from "8," a song Billie wrote from the

perspective of some she hurt, saying quote:

Lyrics from "when the party's over" follow.

Along with a line from the controversially titled "wish
you were gay."

"wish you were gay" is about a
time when someone broke Billie's heart and

she wished he were gay to explain why she
wasn't a match for him.

There were some rumblings around this

title and Billie expressed that it was not
meant to be taken seriously.

I feel like it has been a little bit
misinterpreted and I feel like I tried so

hard to make it not in any way offensive.

The next lyric is from the fifth track,
"all the good girls go to hell."

Followed by Billie channelling a super
villian from ‘Sherlock Holmes.'

BILLIE: We wrote this song ‘cause of ‘Sherlock,'
actually, 'cause there's a scene where Jim

Moriarty says, "You should see me in a crown"
and me and my brother were like "hey that's

jiggy as fuck".

In a world of locked rooms the man with the key is king and honey you should see me in a crown.

According to Billie, "xanny" named
after the prescription drug Xanax meant for

anxiety is a message to fans saying quote:

The opening part of "goodbye" can
be heard in the background of "xanny's" bridge.

The final lyric is from Billie's fifth single, "bad guy."

Many fans found "goodbye" to be
one of their favorite tracks even though it's

the last.

But the ending of the album I wanted
it to sound like a sentence.

Listen before I go, I love you, goodbye.

That's such a raw statement I feel like.

And "goodbye" is a perfect ending.

I'm Jacques Morel with Genius News,
bringing you the meaning and the knowledge

behind the music.

Peace!