I should take more of an advantage of this thread.
Hybrid Theory: Part 1
Papercut
What's the first thing you think when you get a paper cut? You certainly aren't saying, "Ouch!" You're screaming your fucking lungs out because of the burning sensation invading your finger. Paper cuts are the most relateable sense of paranoia, something a child can even understand. When yoy get one, you're pretty certain you're gonna die within the next minute.
"Why does it feel like night today? / Something in here's not right today. / Why am I so uptight today? / Paranoia's all I got left." Shinoda understands it. Paranoia begins with a loss of consciousness in the real world, all you can do is question every little detail that's out of place. You begin to judge each puny event as the pinacle of your life.
"Like a face that I hold inside / A face that awakes when I close my eyes / A face that watches every time I lie / A face that laughs every time I fall" For angsty teenagers, their parents probably immediately came to mind. Who else watches your every move and judges you for it? Your parents? Society?
Yourself?
This figuritive face refers to your soul (no pun intended). Each move you make, you regret. Paranoia is the thought process of being influenced heavily by fear and anxiety. What better way to feel both of those when everyone is watching you? The constant need of acceptance is the strongest culprit in both anxiety and, on a completely unrelated note, depression. We'll talk about that in another interpretation.
" It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back / It's like a whirlwind inside of my head / It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within / It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin" The song almost seems to progress in a ballady way, such that the story of whoever you wish for this to portray is being explained in steps: he begins to question everything, then comes the inner conflicts with your actions and your judging of yourself. After that comes the chorus. At this point, the true paranoia starts to kick in. He's constantly checking for any sign of danger. His thoughts are swarming his mind like a whirlind. He's telling himself things that he can't control (internally, of course).
"The sun goes down / I feel the light betray me" The light is the last thing one can depend on being there (unless it's cloudy outside, but that's what light bublbs are for). When your last resort has been seized, how can you sleep at night? Light, in the context of the song, may refer to the last traces of security this poor man had left in him. He's been consumed by darkness, otherwise known as paranoia. Mike further elaborates on the jumping off the cliff of sanity by rapping, " It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within" The aforementioned whirlwind (taken from the chorus) has become a volatile hurricane.
So remember, kids: paper cuts lead to pure, fucking insanity.
I would of done OSC tobight but I'm tired as shit so I'll do it tomorrow.