Linkin Park - What I've Done - Lyrics Meaning

What I've Done was released as a single off Linkin Park's 2007 release Minutes to Midnight. The song was a top ten hit in both the US and the UK as well as several other countries. Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson co-wrote the track. Chester Bennington stated that the song is about facing your own mistakes and demons from the past and accepting them without condemning yourself. It's about trying to move on and become something better than you were the day before.

The song's theme of forgiveness and redemption give it some religious/spiritual underpinnings. The words in the song that speak about mercy coming and washing away guilt have lead several people to believe the singer is having an experience with God. Rick Rubin, the producer of the track, attempted to strip down this track to give it a raw feel. What I've Done was the last song to be complete on the album. It debuted at number one on the modern rock chart. Mike Shinoda said in an interview he thought this song best captured the feel of the album as a whole. The single appeared in the Transformers movie and on the soundtrack.