Skin To Bone

"Skin To Bone"
Song by Linkin Park
from the album Living Things
Working title:	Skin To Bone
Recorded:	2011 - 2012
Length:	02:48
Time signature:	4/4
Tempo:	80
Key:	A Minor
Writer:	Linkin Park
Producer:	Mike Shinoda, Rick Rubin
Label:	Warner Bros.
Living Things tracklist
Lost In The Echo In My Remains Burn It Down Lies Greed Misery I'll Be Gone Castle Of Glass Victimized Roads Untraveled Skin To Bone Until It Breaks Tinfoil Powerless

"Skin To Bone" (stylized as "SKIN TO BONE") is the ninth song off of Linkin Park's fifth studio album, Living Things.

Background

Chester Bennington talked about how many of the songs on Living Things started out as "hippie folk songs", but eventually became these heavier electronic songs, citing "Skin To Bone" as an example of that.

Brad Delson talked about how the contrast of elements in "Skin To Bone" made it more interesting, stating "I should also mention with the folk songs, one of our goals as Linkin Park was, 'What can we do to make it relevant?' Rick really challenged us: 'Well, if it has a folk DNA and you just present it as a folk song, that's not adding anything to the conversation.' So with Skin To Bone, for example, none of those sounds are folk sounds, and what makes it interesting to me is the juxtaposition of the arrangement versus the identity of what that song is. I think that's what makes it unique."

Remix

"Skin To Bone" officially got one remix, done by Nick Catchdubs. The track was released on Linkin Park's second remix album, Recharged, and featured new verses from Cody B. Ware, Ryu, and Mike Shinoda. Interestingly, Ryu's verse in the remix hints at the return of Fort Minor, which did indeed occur in 2015, with the release of "Welcome", which Ryu had recorded a verse for.

Versions

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

Studio

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Skin To Bone	Living Things	2:48	2012	June 20, 2012
Skin To Bone (Instrumental)	Living Things (Acapellas and Instrumentals)	2:48	2012	September 11, 2012	Official instrumental version.
Skin To Bone (Acapella)	Living Things (Acapellas and Instrumentals)	2:37	2012	September 11, 2012	Official acapella version.

Remix

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Skin To Bone (Nick Catchdubs Remix feat. Cody B. Ware and Ryu)	Recharged	3:54	2013	October 24, 2013	Remix by Nick Catchdubs. Features vocals by Cody B. Ware and Ryu.
Skin To Bone - Nick Catchdubs Remix feat. Cody B. Ware and Ryu	Living Things Remixes	3:57	2013		Remix by Nick Catchdubs. Features vocals by Cody B. Ware and Ryu. More audible effects. Different effects. Low volume. No high hat at the end. 4 seconds of silence at the end.

Live

"Skin To Bone" has never been played on its own before, but it plays a core part in Mike's solo, making up a large part of the instrumental for the first half. Mike also frequently rapped his verse from Nick Catchdubs's remix after the chorus of "Remember The Name" from KFMA Day 2014 to Orlando, 2015. However, once the band dropped "Mike Solo" at their performance in Mexico City, the only part of "Skin To Bone" played live was dropped as well.

Mike rapped his verse from the Recharged remix once more on his solo tour in Manila over the live version of "Lift Off"

Lyrics

Album Version

Skin to bone / steel to rust
Ash to ashes / dust to dust
Let tomorrow have its way
With the promises we made
Skin to bone / steel to rust
 
Ash to ashes / dust to dust
Your deception / my disgust
When your name is finally drawn
I'll be happy that you're gone
Ash to ashes / dust to dust
 
Ah
Ash to ashes / dust to dust
Ah
Skin to bone and steel to rust
 
Right to left / left to right
Night to day and day to night
As the starlight fades to grey
I'll be marching far away
Right to left and left to right
 
Ah
Ash to ashes / dust to dust
Ah
Skin to bone and steel to rust
 
Let tomorrow have its way
With the promises betrayed
Skin to bone and steel to rust
Skin to bone and steel to rust
Skin to bone and steel to rust

Nick Catchdubs Remix

This is that post apoc, post Pac
Punks on the block
Supposed to be close
But I swear right now
They close to be not
Put the gold in the pot
Put em on, bring em on
Nigga hope that they drop
But I bomb on them all
On with their the bongs
They be hopin' I pop
You open the knot
You openly admittin' you not
You openly be spittin' shit you don't be givin' a lot
You all be givers givin' these women the rings and the style
I'm Michael Tyson, Bison, relivin' the villainous plot
My vision of rock, my vision is caught
Killer cobra, N'est-ce pas
Feel us a who, feel'a real is enough
I'm callin' your bluff
I'll slaughter all your borders you trust
They won't be carryin' your orders automatically dust
I'm automatically rush, plus grammatically tough
Trust the elephant tusk, trunk, and go for the top
Punk, who want it?
I'm guaranteed to get it and flaunt it
I'm playin' Buckley as my intro and I exit on ballin'

Skin to bone / steel to rust
Ash to ashes / dust to dust
Will tomorrow have it's way
With the promises we made
Skin to bone / steel to rust
Rust

You can't stop it, all you can do it watch it while it's happenin'
Like a tragic accident, rappers go and get your coffin
Skin to bone, the Hiram Abiff of this rap shit
My legacy set in stone, fo' sho' no asterisk
Concept immaculate, start to finish
I'm Lil Wayne's dentist, looking at platinum plaques I'm gettin'
It's not an accident you flew off the roof
You said you was fly, so I just wanna see if it's true
I got the juice like GQ, but I wish it was Grey Goose
Let it mix with my prescriptions and I turn into Keith Moon
A T two, Terminator, Demigod, Jesus
Fort Minor: We Major, let's take it to phase two
The mission isn't finished yet, I been on the internet
Hearin' fans talk and maybe we should consider it

Ah
Skin to bone and steel to rust
Ah
Yeah
Skin to bone and steel to rust

I'm on some taxidermy rap shit, talk about some raw game
You're nothing but a trophy mounted on my door frame
I spit that propane, light you with a slow flame
And watch you burn until there's nothin' but a gold chain
Yeah you'll be some crispy critters
You'll wish you with us
You'll wish what we did, you did it
You can't, you kiddin? I don't have a shoe you'll fit in
You're as soft as a motherfuckin' newborn kitten
I'm an animal, tearing flesh into bone
Randomly rippin' everything gone
Unless they forget what then let it be known
I'll bury every competitor, every predator
Anyone ever forget it, you'll regret it forever
Never been nothing short of a legend, you peasants will learn
I'll stay standin' in the front like I'm forgetting my turn
For these matchstick rappers, this is meeting adjourned
I ain't even gotta match them, I'm just letting them burn!
I'm, I'm, I'm just letting them burn!