Billie Eilish – The 30th | Lyrics Meaning Revealed

Billie Eilish released a two-song project out of nowhere and one of the songs is titled “The 30th.” Yes, the title hints at a date–a particularly tragic one, as Billie tells us the story.

Billie Eilish released her two-track project ‘Guitar Songs’ on July 21, 2022. The other track on the project is titled “TV,” which Billie had performed live before. Billie also mentioned that “The 30th” was the first song she wrote after completing her last album ‘Happier Than Ever.’

With Apple Music, Billie Eilish explained the inspiration behind “The 30th” song;

That’s why it’s called ‘The 30th,’ because something happened on November 30th and it had just been the most indescribable thing to have to witness and experience. I had been writing down all these thoughts that I was having. I was with Finneas, and I was like, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you were planning on doing, but we need to write this song about this right now,” and we did, and that was the first song we wrote since Happier Than Ever.

Listen to “The 30th” by Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish “The 30th” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review

Verse 1

Billie Eilish looks at the person sitting right in front of her. They look normal. They look okay. But she knows there’s a missing piece in them that even they are not aware of.

When you’re starin’ into space
It’s hard to believe you don’t remember it

Now, most of their time is spent just gazing at the far distant. It’s almost as if they are trying to recall something important, but they never seem to quite grasp it.

This person was whole once. But now, it’s hard to say.

Chorus

From the latter part of the first verse to the chorus, Billie Eilish takes us back to the incident.

This person seemed to be okay in the ambulance (so, now we know something tragic did happen to them). They briefly conversed with the nurses on their way to the hospital.

Billie only saw them at the hospital later on. Other than being extremely scared, they seemed okay–at least physically.

Verse 2

The second verse gives some context on what happened on that unfortunate November the 30th. Billie Eilish was driving on Interstate 5 on a seemingly-normal morning. She notices a bit of traffic and thinks nothing much of it. A little panic sets in when she sees ambulances rushing in. But you never think they are for someone you know and love. She only comes to know of the full story later that night and her heart sinks.

Bridge

After anything tragic happens to you or someone you love, we always ponder how it could have been avoided. Of course, in hindsight, there are a hundred things they could have done differently to avoid the disaster. Maybe something so small and insignificant could have saved this person’s entire future. But, so is the nature of hindsight.

Right now, Billie Eilish can only be thankful that they survived this accident. They might not be the same person they were before the accident. But she can only be glad of what is and not of what could have been.

In the final chorus, one line changes, and Billie says that she is scared of the future that beholds them. This is understandable. The person that met with the accident doesn’t seem to recall Billie in their life. This is a scary place to be–especially for Billie.

Forgetting is blissful. Remembering is painful.

Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.