If We Were Ghosts

Album: Defy (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • This haunting song was inspired in part by Chester Bennington's death. The Linkin Park singer was a close friend of the band and his suicide hit all of them hard. Vocalist Aaron Pauley told Kerrang:

    "It's all about losing somebody. In a way it's about Chester, and that when these things happen you can't blame yourself. The chorus goes, 'I have to wait 'til I get to the other side just to see you. I have to wait 'til I get to the other side 'cause I never got to say goodbye.'"
  • Though the lyrics came easily, this was the Defy track that took longest to get right, musically. Pauley told HMV.com:

    "I started off like this weird carnival music, but we took pieces of that and turned it into something you could play on an acoustic guitar. It was very cathartic to write and record, and in my opinion it's the best song on the record. It's hands down the most meaningful one, too."

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