The Diary Of Jane

Album: Phobia (2006)
Charted: 50
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is about a guy who loved a girl, but he finds out that she never loved him back, hence: "I'll still try and find my place in the diary of Jane." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Aaron - Pittsburgh, PA
  • The band did three versions of this song. The first version is pretty much the song as you probably know it. The second version is exactly the same, only the ending note is lower than the first version. And the third version is much softer, acoustic rendition of the song featuring Sebastian Davin on backing vocals. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Airk - Skagway, AK
  • The single moved rapidly up the charts in its first week of official release, debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 at #55, making it the fastest added single ever in the history of Hollywood Records.
  • Season 4 American Idol contestant Sarah Mather plays Jane in the song's music video. The clip ends with Ben Burnley closing a diary on Jane's tombstone. The name was revealed to be Jane Bryan during the second episode of the band's podcast. Jane Bryan was an American actress whose screen career lasted only four years, but she appeared in prominent roles in a number of memorable films before she married a drugstore magnate in 1940 and retired. Whether or not the band meant for her name to be of significance is unknown, and unconfirmed, however it may be relevant that one of her movies, We Are Not Alone, shares its title with that of Breaking Benjamin's sophomore album.

Comments: 26

  • Noodles from WiThanks to Cbethg! Having watched the video, it was always my perspective that the diary was being read in after thought. This corresponds with the statement from Benjamin.
    Basically the song is about the personal struggle the guy is going through. He was head over heels in love with a woman and had convinced himself she felt the same. "The Diary of Jane" then becomes going through the diary only to realize he never truly knew the woman he was in love with. With the reading of each page of the diary, the guy is desperately looking for some reference to himself to validate his feeling for the woman. With each page read, it becomes clearer that he didn't know her and the fact that he is not mentioned at all indicates he meant nothing to her. Thus you get the depression and a feeling of almost betrayal leading the guy to a position of mental break down. Thus, "Something is just about to break." Just my opinion, but "Something getting in the way", indicates his inability to understand why she didn't love him, which comes from the fact that he was in love with a fantasy of the woman and didn't know the actual woman. As such, she might as well have been a Jane Doe.
  • Cbethg from Memphis Diary of Jane” closes your set each night, and that song has taken on such a life of it’s own. It’s such a powerful closing moment – from the intro guitar notes to what happens when you’re playing it. What does it feel like for you playing that song each night given the reaction it gets?

    Well, I’ll tell you not necessarily what it’s about, but what inspired it because I think that helps explain how it feels for me. It all started because I was watching a lot of Forensic Files stuff where there were a bunch of unsolved mysteries. There was a Jane Doe that washed up on shore and she just got buried with no story. It was like a meaningless person. Nobody knew who she was to the point where whatever she did was all gone. So, Jane references Jane Doe but then making a story up for her because she had nothing. That’s what started it and then once I started writing, it turned into more than that. Our lives are important. Your life is important to you, my life is important to me. We know that somebody is going to remember what we’re all about. This person Jane was just gone because they were unidentified for so long and lived this entire life for nothing.
    This IS FROM Benjamin Burnley himself. You're all wrong.
  • Rayna from Derby, United KingdomSo if anyone's talking about affairs and stuff, how does that explain the fact that SHE IS DEAD? Just wondering :)
  • Rayna from Derby, United KingdomTo be honest, one bit of this song is blatantly obvious about this 'Jane.' Don't get me wrong, I love the song. It's great, well-written and everything. But do any of you know what happened to Jane? Has anyone watched the music video? It starts with her waking up in the bathtub. Then she can't find the mirror. She runs around the house, with similar situations where there should be a mirror. Then she finds the room with them in and she can't see herself in any of them. And at the end, with the tombstone and the diary and the rose being placed in it, it becomes clear that the woman went to sleep in the bath and drowned. The guy is obviously a love or something.
  • Adam from Waseca, MnI agree with a lot of you on this song but I totally agree with robert from los angeles. Everyone is gonna have a different opinion on what the song is about the only way we would ever know for sure is if the writer of the song was to come out and say what he or she wrote the song about. The way I hear it, its about a guy and his girlfriend or wife and their relationship is going down hill. He sees this happening but doesn't know how to deal with it or how to confront the situation, because he has spent most his life helping others he doesn't know how to help himself. I have always loved this song but one day in the car I actually listened to the words and it made me kind of jump back in my seat because I can relate to the song in so many ways it is crazy.
  • Kieran from Shipston-on-stour, United KingdomThe song is about someone who is in love with a woman, but she is having an affair, which he is trying to ignore and pretend she still loves him, hence the line "As I burn another page, as I look the other way".

    He is so in love with her that he will do anything for her to love "tell me how it should be"

    When he realises she doesn't love him anymore he gets depressed and wants to die "Die for anyone, What have I become?"
  • Austin Slone from South Point Ohio, OhI still think the song is about weed!!
  • Stefanie from New York, NyThis is an amazing song. This band has sooo much talent it is crazzy!! most deff one of my favorite songs by them an they will always be my favorite band!!!
  • Charlie from Las Vegas, Nvi don't know if im the only Neil Gaiman fan on this whole website, but if the book 'American Gods' was to be made into a movie, they'd definitely have to use this song on the soundtrack. i mean, the lyrics match the premise of the story almost perfectly. for those of you who have read that book, you would know that the whole story only takes place because Shadow's wife cheated on him with his best friend and died in a car accident while trying to give Shadow's best friend a BLOW JOB while they're out driving on some major roadway. that's why i think that if they made a movie based from that book, this song would go great on the soundtrack.
  • Teorohia from Auckland, New ZealandJust as everyone else is saying your husband did not write this song for you your Nutts i dont think it i know it

    anyways The lead Singer Benjamin His girlfriend had Passed away either in a car accident or fell asleep in the bath tub noones not too sure on that. anyway she passed away a few days after that he had found her diary and went through it she had her high school love and her first love but there was nothing about him and her love for him. ( if i had too i`d put myself right beside you ) in other words does he have too die as well too prove how much he loves her. ( desperate i will crawl waiting for some line theres no love ) he reads line after line until he gets too the end nothing about him what so ever. therefore None of you can relate too what hes going through. noone feels other peoples pain.
  • Nick from Lalaland, BotswanaCan someonne explain this music video to me? I really dont tie the meaning in with the images.
  • Jess from Sydney, AustraliaThis song was one of my friends favourite songs.
    It is about a guy who loves a girl, and gets the impression that she loves him back, until one day (when she has died) he goes through her diary and discovers that she didnt write anything about him, up until the day she died.
    My friend commit suicide. He thought that the girl he loved, loved him back. But she cheated on him several times, showed him up and other nasty things. She broke him.

    This song is heartbreaking for me, he was only 16.
  • Minh from Strongsville, OhI can totally relate to this song. The girl that i like is moving away, and I don't feel that she will really remember me when she looks back. One of my friends is already going out with her, and all i have is like a month until shes gone. This plot behind this song is almost just like this. I hope to leave something in her heart.
  • Laura from Weymouth, MaWhile the video doesn't really support this, halfway thru the song he whispers, 'Jane! Jane! Jane!' Three times, just like in my all-time fav book, Jane Eyre. I was hoping for a parallel, but the video is closer to the movie 'Skeleton Key' because of the mirrors that are missing.
  • Emily from Jackson, MoLove this song.
  • Robert from Los Angeles, Cagreat song however you interpret it. it could mean a lot of things and no one is right or wrong, just different.
  • Jade from Cancun, Mexicoit doesnt matter if "jane" died or not, the point is his love was denied.....just me i knoe the feeling
  • Amber from Duquoin, IlAnyone who reads this is going to think i am nuts, but this is the complete truth.
    The song was truly written about me and was originally titled "The Diary of Amber". My husband wrote it a long time ago and submitted it to a place where after so many yrs a band could take it and not have to give him credit. I am going to love to see the reactions to the post!
  • Ryan from Johnson City, TnI heard from a friend that this song was written from a personal relationship that the lead singer had. He was in love with this girl who dies and later he was going through her things and he finds a diary that he never knew she had. Since she had died he figured she wouldn't mind if he read her diary, the diary dated up until she died and while he read it, remember this was the love of his life, he never found one word about him, thus the reason he is searching for his place in the diary of Jane! Makes this song 100x better when you look at it that way.
  • Ms. C from N.y.b, IsraelOne of my favorits songs (and band :] )

    Some think that it's a personal experience of the singer, Benjamin, how loved a woman name Jane, but at some point she started to hate him and she enjoyed his pain.

    Well.. I'm not sure it's that simple...

    In the video-clip of the song, there is a woman (Jane) that dies and becomes a ghost.
    In the end of the clip, the singer, Benjamin, puts a rose and a diary on a tombstone.
    In the official video you can see the name "Jane" written on the tombstone, but you can barely see the last name. But in the podcast you can see the last name: Bryan.
    Jane Bryan was a famous actress between the years 1930-1940, and one of her big movies is "We Are Not Alone", which happens to be the name of the second album of Breaking Benjamin.
  • Koz from Chelsea, Mithis song is sort of like From December by Project 86, same sort of story, guy loves girl, girl dies. same sort of sound too.
  • Blake from Chico, CaI love this song. You know how sometimes you hear a song and it seems like it was written about your life? When I heard this, I had a little moment like that. It made me happy, to know that other people have to deal with these things too.
  • Lucas from Indianapolis, InThis song is very simple..It is about a man who is in love with this so called Jane but doesnt know how too tell her.When he finally does,She has died.

    Too figure that out just look at the facts.

    *The song says"I'll still try and find my place in the diary of Jane"Meaning yes he loved her but hadnt told her.

    *but too truly know he loves her is that he puts a red rose in the diary that is laid on her grave.(( I know whats the signifigance of a red rose right? Well red roses stand for love,if it was for mourning he would have put yellow or black.))

    *But the way we know that she is in love but not sure if its with him is that she looks for the mirrors,and when finally found she cant see her self....Selflessness she loves someone...but as for him Im not sure.
  • Adrian from Toronto, CanadaThis song's main focus is: A guy who wants to be loved, but is too weak to get the attention of any girl he loves.
  • Myra from Chicago, IlI asked my friend at school one day and she told me this song was about a guy stalking a girl he really liked, but she never liked him back.
  • Justin from Ft. Luaderdale, FlWelcome to my life....lol
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