What The Words Meant

"What The Words Meant" is the second bonus track off of Mike Shinoda's debut studio album, Post Traumatic. It was released as part of a double single with "Prove You Wrong". The song was co-produced by Mike Shinoda, Aaron Harmon and Jordan Reyes from Basecamp. The duo also contributed to "About You".

Background

LPLive reviewed both tracks from the 10" vinyl on December 5th, 2018.

In response to LPLive incorrect guessing the meaning of the tracks, Mike Shinoda posted on Twitter on December 6, 2018, "Hey guys, thanks for the preview! FYI, “what the words meant is actually about a conversation with another artist (not LP) whose songs I’ve loved for a while. I didn’t know what their lyrics were about. She told me their album was about the loss of her sister. So WTWM is about understanding that kind of grief as a person and artist. It’s about having a new (and unfortunate) understanding, due to tragedy."

In June 2020 when asked about the meaning of the song, Mike said, "Sometimes it's hard to remember. We've made a lot of songs. That song is about... I don't know if I've said who this artist is so I won't. There was an album I liked a lot, I loved almost every song on it and then I talked to the singer. Ah I did say, It was Phantogram. So, Three, the album Three. We talked, and it was after Chester had passed. And I found out she had lost her sister. She had died by suicide and she said something about that record, how it dealt with and expressed that. I was like, 'Oh shit. no way, I love that record.' So I went back and I listened back and I was like, 'Holy crap! I had no idea this record was about that.' I didn't tell her that because we had already talked. But anyway, that was crazy. There's so many records that we listen to that we haven't been through the things they were going through when they were recording the album. We're just listening to it as good music or we're listening to it because we connect to it in a different way. So yeah, that was fucking crazy. Wow."

Release

On November 20th, 2018, Warner Records announced that Post Traumatic would be re-released as a 2 LP color vinyl, featuring two new songs - "Prove You Wrong" and "What The Words Meant" for $44.98. The two tracks would come on a 10" bonus vinyl.

On February 20th, 2019, Mike announced that the songs would be available on streaming services for the first time beginning on February 22nd.

Tracklisting

10" Vinyl

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Prove You Wrong	Mike Shinoda	3:35
2	What The Words Meant	Shinoda	3:33

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
What The Words Meant	Post Traumatic (Special Edition) Vinyl Post Traumatic (Deluxe Version) Digital	3:33	2017-2018	December 7, 2018

Personnel

• Produced, Mixed, Vocals, Written by Mike Shinoda
• Co-Produced by Aaron C. Harmon and Jordan Reyes
• Mastered by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner

Lyrics

Album Version

The first time I heard it
Didn't know what it was
I listened to it over and over
I couldn't get enough
I knew every syllable
And the space in between
And I wondered
What my own song would be
 
I thought I understood what the words meant
I thought I knew the meaning behind
I memorized the sounds and the rhythms
And wondered about the stories inside
I thought I understood what the words meant
I thought that they were written for me
A message spelled out in a language
That only those who've been there
Been there can read
 
The first time I heard it
Didn't know what it was
It was foreign and angry and brilliant
I couldn't get enough
But the story behind it
You revealed it to me
And I realized
You had lived through what I had never seen
 
I never understood what the words meant
I never knew the meaning behind
I memorized the sounds and the rhythms
But didn't know the stories inside
I never understood what the words meant
The words were never written for me
A message spelled out in a language
That only those who've been there
Been there can read
 
I wish I didn't know what the words meant
Or understand the meaning behind
I memorized the sounds and the rhythms
And now I know the stories inside
I wish I didn't know the words meant
That they were written for me
A message spelled out in a language
That only those who've been there
Been there can read
 
Been there
Been there can read
Been there
Been there can read

Gallery

• 

  Special Edition cover

• 

  Post Traumatic Special Edition

• 

  Promo