Hey there! I did something like this for Half Alive a while back, and since they’re currently touring with Twenty One Pilots, I figured now was the perfect time for a new addition to the T∅P rhythm I’ve been on. (Especially since I’m seeing them in concert soon!!) Going to keep this one simple and straight to the point. I don’t feel good, so it will be fairly short. Here’s my favorite lyrics and why! Hope you enjoy!
“Take this weapon, forged in darkness
Ode to Sleep
Some see a pen, I see a harpoon”
As an HSP, I totally get this. On one hand, things are more vivid and solid at night. The distant floaty daydreams are coming to be less fuzzy when you’re alone. But… sometimes those dreams turn into nightmares. And then the vividity and solidity is not so good.
“I begin to assemble what weapons I can find
migraine
Cause sometimes to stay alive you gotta kill your mind”
Again, sometimes when you’re alone with your thoughts it can turn into a vicious cycle of self-loathing. because, when you’re your only company, eventually a screw will come loose. And for people like me, being alone with that can be really dangerous and scary.
“A kitchen sink to you… is not a kitchen sink to me.”
Kitchen Sink
Honestly, this holds so much weight that I don’t know if I can really explain it. The basis of this lyric, to me, is a statement about everyone. How you see things is not how I see things. Everyone has different opinions, beliefs, dislikes and passions. So it doesn’t matter how well you know me; you are not me. And that’s something that needs to be respected and appreciated. Something mildly hurtful to you could have traumatized me. So never assume you know what someone’s going through just because you went through something similar, or just because you know how you would have reacted. A kitchen sink to you… is not a kitchen sink to me.
“I’m forced to deal with what I feel; there is no distraction to mask what is real.
Car Radio
I could pull the steering wheel.
As someone who struggles frequently with intrusive thoughts, this one simply hits home. There isn’t anything that distracts me from “What if you just stayed underwater and never went up for air? What if you stuck your hand on the stove until your hand turned white? What if you kicked something as hard as possible to see if you could do it? What if, what if, what if? What if…”
“I’m so afraid
Fake You Out
Of what you have to say
Cause I am quiet now
And silence gives you space”
ABANDONMENT ANXIETY, BABY! Yea this one punches me in the feels.
“What kids are doing?They’re killin themselves!
Fake You Out
They feel they have no control of their prisoner’s cell
And if you’re one of them, then you’re one of me
And you would do almost anything just to feel free
…
OUR BRAINS ARE SICK BUT THAT’S OKAY”
This one speaks to me so much sometimes. In this day and age, everything is fixable. You can go to therapy, talk to doctors, take medicine, eat better, drink more, exercise more, etc. But what happens when none of that works? Ive done dozens of diets with my family. I’ve tried drinking more. I’ve seen doctors who gave me medicines to try. I to to the gym. I have therapy twice a week. But what happens when it just doesn’t FIX it? You want to end it. Because if these steps work for everybody else, but not you, surely you’re broken and worthless. So what’s the point? At least that’s how it feels. Of course, my faith has helped me. Along with therapy and support pets/ boyfriend. But in the end… sometimes it just takes screaming “OUR BRAINS ARE SICK BUT THAT’S OKAY.” Accepting that something is the way it is can be so relieving, instead of expending all your energy on fixing it. Sometimes just sitting with it for a while is the only way to make it better. So this lyric calls to me.
“Tie a noose around your mind, loose enough to breathe fine
Holding On to You
and tie it to a tree, tell it ‘YOU BELONG TO ME;
THIS AIN’T A NOOSE, THIS IS A LEASH,
AND I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU, YOU MUST OBEY ME!”
Sometimes all it takes to give yourself a break is simply looking at things from a different angle. Turning a noose into a leash. Turning homework into a game. Turning pain into a mere obstacle course. Sometimes if you take a step back, and try a different point of view, you’ll find that things aren’t as bad as they seemed. There’s always a way out.
“When we gonna stop with the lyrics that mean nothing;
Holding On To You
We were gifted with thought!”
AAAHHH I love this so much. I hate songs that just ramble on about girls and drinks and money, etc. There’s no point to it. That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with T∅P songs in the first place; their lyrics are inventive and actually meaningful. They talk about real things, and are authentic almost to the point of pain. Plus, the lore is incredible! They find a way to reach hurting people because they’ve been hurting too. And pain demands to be felt; so it’s best to feel it together. You can’t do that if your words are meaningless.
“Let’s take this one second at a time
Guns For Hands
Let’s take this one song, this one rhyme
Together, let’s breathe
Together, to the beat”
This is like meditation for me. It’s actually turned into something I listen to when I’m having a panic attack. Just knowing that someone designed it specifically for those people who, like myself, are suffering – so they wouldn’t be alone. It gives me chills.
“The sun will rise, and we will try again”
Truce
Even if you fail; the quiz, your friends, your parents, your driver’s test, or worst, yourself. Failing isn’t the end. it’s just another step. You get to try again. There is still hope.
“Stay alive, stay alive for me
Truce
…
Take pride in what is sure to die.”
I don’t know why this one soothes me, honestly. It’s just so calming. I am frequently focused on staying alive because I feel like I have to. But this song feels like a hand reaching out. “If you can’t try for yourself, try for me. I want you to be okay.” And then it’s so calming for me when I think of death; it is not as a scary punishment to me, but an old friend giving a big warm hug. Saying, “You made it. You did it. You stumbled sometimes, but you kept your head up. And you made it.” I’m waiting for that “well done”. It keeps me going. Just knowing that this is not forever is such a relief; as happy as I am, I am looking forward to when I will not have to fight my own mind just getting out of bed. I will see my loved ones again and they will all be with me. Because this life is not forever. But the next one is.
“I’m not evil to the core, what I shouldn’t do I’ll fight
Fairly Local
I know I’m emotional, what I want to save I will try
I know who I truly am, I truly do have a chance
Tomorrow I’ll switch the beat, to avoid yesterday’s dance”
Such a hopeful streak in the face of challenges can be really hard. If Satan cannot make you doubt God, he will make you doubt yourself. So bold declarations of knowing what you stand for is so strong and encouraging. I love it so much.
“don’t let me be gone”
Goner
The way he whispers this just chills my bones. A desperate plea for someone to stay. it’s heartbreaking because i feel it always. An ache for the people I need, but a savage worthless feeling that rips apart my relationships because “they deserve better”. I just really feel this lyric.
“JUMPSUIT JUMPSUIT COVER ME”
Jumpsuit
Feeling alone is really hard. Sometimes all I want to do is curl up in a hole and die. I just need something to cover me for a while to get me until the next daybreak.
“You can learn to levitate with just a little help”
Levitate
This is so lovely. Just the idea that others will help you re-center and find who you are again. You have to climb out of the dark, but they will be your ladder. There is support around you, even if it’s hard to find at first. And soon you will make it out of the woods.
“I’ll go with you… I’ll go with you
my blood
i’ll go with you”
This is my anthem. If one of my friends is doing something hard, I want to be with them. Even if it makes me uncomfortable. That’s how I ended up in a haunted house escape room. That’s why I’ve confronted people before. I almost had to throw down with someone embarrassing Drummer Boy. I stick up for what’s mine; there’s no reason for them to have to go it alone. (That’s why I shipped Bellarke in the 100; Bellamy was the only one who consistently stood by Clarke and didn’t let her be alone with her mistakes. Ex. “Together?” “Together.” and “If I’m on that list, you’re on that list.”)
♡, Shortie
