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Memes

‘A Thousand Years’ later, the ‘I Have Died Every Day Waiting for You’ meme is still going strong

How a silly silhouette and Christina Perri lyrics birthed the iconic I Have Died Every Day Waiting for You meme.

Angela Andaloro

The I Have Died Every Day Waiting For You meme and catchphrase pokes fun at the emotional lyric from Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” with images that indicate a long wait. The humorous memes have gone viral several times. Some are laughing at the romantic, sappy aspect of the song while others have given the meme a whole new meaning.

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Meme basics:

  • Meme Creator: Unknown/Imgur
  • Meme Type: Catchphrase, Macro
  • First Appearance: July 2013
  • Origin Source: Imgur
  • Peak Popularity: May 2015
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‘I Have Died Every Day Waiting For You’ and Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years’

The line ‘I Have Died Every Day Waiting For You’ is a lyric from Christina Perri’s 2011 track, “A Thousand Years.” The single was made popular by its inclusion on the soundtrack for Twilight: Breaking Dawn. The song wasn’t originally used in a scene that epitomized Bella and Edward’s relationship. However, fans adopted it as the couple’s unofficial anthem.

‘A Thousand Years’ lyrics

I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more

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@ChristinaPerri/Tenor

Meme spread

The lyrics first appeared in Tumblr posts and memes celebrating Edward and Bella. Over time it has been applied to other pairings also. Other visuals present dressed-up versions of the lyrics.

@ChristinaPerri/Tenor
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Silhouette Meme

In January 2013, an image combining an abstract silhouette and the lyric was shared on LiveJournal by @alwayswithjonas, who showed a few different edits she did of the image.

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@alwaysjonas/LiveJournal

A close look shows that the silhouette appears to be a woman looking away from the camera with her arm up, reaching her hand into her hair. That didn’t stop an unknown online artist from drawing what they thought was behind the silhouette. The meme first appeared on Imgur in July 2013.

@alwaysjonas/LiveJournal

It also gave way to this interpretation of the drawing, shared on Imgur in November 2015.

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@fredgiovannitti/Imgur

Recent popularity

In 2019, Givenchy shared a silhouette photo that was clearly of Ariana Grande in her ponytail era. The photo was meant to tease the singer as the face of their Fall 2019 campaign.

@fredgiovannitti/Imgur
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In November 2019, the tweet appeared recreated on Imgur, this time showing the silhouette from I Have Died Every Day Waiting For You.

Imgur

The meme resurfaced in early 2025, when @buffys on X asked, “define ‘silhouette.’” @jetskitosway2 replied with the meme, reigniting its popularity.

Imgur
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Meme examples

@anonymous/MakeAMeme
@anonymous/MakeAMeme
@anonymous/MakeAMeme
u/amazingabhishek via Reddit
u/amazingabhishek via Reddit
u/amazingabhishek via Reddit
Christina Perri/Facebook
Christina Perri/Facebook

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