Is "Neon Gravestones" about Suicide? | Twenty One Pilots Lyrics Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
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The content of this educational video is covered by fair use. My explanations are transformative and add interpretation and analysis to the original work much as happens when I teach poetry in a university classroom. When I explain songs, I use only the lyrics or short clips of the original song or music video and do not hurt the song’s salability or provided a market substitute. All copyright claims will be disputed and appealed. Please see me as your ally in my attempt to use a literary perspective to enable fans to better understand and enjoy your wonderful and interesting piece of music.
*talks about dark suicide song*
*plays happy whistling music*
😂
feel u
Guess the stigma no longer scares us
😂😂😂😂
J'sWay WE ALL ARE STRANGER CREATURES THAN WHENN WE ALL STARTED OUT AS KIDS
That's what I was thinking!!
Neon grave stones is a song that this generation needed.
It's all we need
This song hit me so hard when I first listened to it. Especially the lines about “this’ll teach them.” Whenever I have suicidal thoughts, I always think that people would actually care more about me, or at least acknowledge everything I was going through, if I did it. I’ve learned how toxic and illogical that mindset is. This song is so important.
I'm glad that someone's talking about this, but I feel like it's not that necessary to explain. This song is honestly the most straight forward they've ever done. There's a few lines that can be vauge but most if it is really easily understood.
This song means so much to me. It's the best of trench in my opinion.
I really want to present this song as a spoken word. Something about it just seems like it would fit very well in that format.
for the second bridge i've always taken it as a line to Jenna (his wife). Imo it just makes like that
Wow, I will never see this song and even Twenty One the same again.
I think what he means in verse two is that we glorify those who commit suicide, but then we ignore a lot of the things people do that can contribute to the reason why a person is suicidal in the first place, I mean also adding the "don't get it twisted" he's acknowledging that what he is saying could be taken as meaning something different, that he is blaming those who have killed themselves, while throughout the song I think he very clearly tries to point out the problem on how culture is glorifying suicide, while at the same time still making sure to not be disrespectful to those who have.
Awesome video
When he cut off, “we glorify those even more when they-“ I thought of how society always finds a way to “nicely” say someone killed themselves. Like, “the took their own life,” just say it how it is. They committed suicide. Finding a way to say it to “soften the blow” doesn’t do anything. It’s not the words used that hurts, it’s the meaning. And “took their own life,” and “killed themselves” has the same meaning. When Tyler cuts himself off I saw it as, society doesn’t want him to say “kill them self,” and he doesn’t want to contribute to the toxic mindset of “change the wording and it’ll hurt less” so he says nothing. Kinda reminds me of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
this song is by far the most lyrically interesting and beautiful song on the entire album
TRUTH
Sammysings no.
Definitely yes.
Sammysings honestly, I think it’s one of the most important songs ever written. It’s absolutely beautiful, and says something every single person needs to hear. 💛💛
neon gravestones and truce
it's such a beautiful and important song. i love that he wrote it the way he did, he's never talked about mental illness in that way before and i'm really proud of him. one of the best songs he's ever written.
jishwasoreos I completely agree. It’s wonderful for people to tell others that they understand their anxiety and depression but it’s even more dangerous to let “understanding” become celebration, or attributing greater strength to being willing to die versus being willing to stay alive. It’s a very brave song and I loved it
jishwasoreos I 100% agree.
I truly believe that it’s one of the best songs ever written. It’s incredibly beautiful and every single word has a meaning that everyone on this earth needs to hear. 💛💛💛
I have to agree, lyrically it’s one of the best things he’s written and I really hope he doesn’t get hate for it
Cally Rose 💛💛💛
If anyone says that Tøp glorifies suicide, show them Neon Gravestones and this video
Agreed
Do people say that?
@@amanuelgetachew634that's literally crazy. If they actually pay attention to the lyrics it's always about fighting against the suicidal ideology. "Sometimes to stay alive you gotta kill your mind."
"Stay alive. Stay alive for me. "
"To life they were dedicated. Now that should be celebrated."
"Tie a noose around your mind and loosen it to breathe fine."
What's the point of escaping DEMA?? If it was glorifying suicide they would be accepting Vialism.
There would be no reason to try and escape the city. They would be singing
" I wanna end me." Like Billie Eilish.
And worshipping the gravestones and bishops and accepting death.
@@amanuelgetachew634yes I argued w someone on Reddit about it bc ppl refuse to actually listen to the music. The entire story is about how he’s fighting against society glorifying suicide.
I’m not crying, I just have a bit of neon gravestones in my eye
Me too
Same
Clique City cough cough northern downpour part 2 cough cough
@@amandabutterfly151 that hurted fren
It could a about social media. Neon gravestones is symbolism for cell phones and their connection to suicide
I thought of neon like neon signs. They attract attention and try to show off something good. So he’s saying that the gravestones are attracting attention.
J'sWay or they are putting something bright and wonderful on a gravestone to make it seem better then it actually is.
@@ewstap9040 that's exactly what i thought
thegirlwarriør oh yah that’s true that would work too
I kind of pictured it as the billboards or those big screen TV'S that play the news
Neon lights makes it seem that death is attractive and is a viable and the only option
In my opinion it is really brave from Tyler to be this straight forward about a topic this heavy
I love the lyrics, the message is very important and the whole Album was SO worth the wait 💛
yee is løve 💛💛💛
yee is løve jishwasoreos I 100% agree.
I truly believe that it’s one of the best songs ever written. It’s incredibly beautiful and every single word has a meaning that everyone on this earth needs to hear. 💛💛💛
yee is løve is there a “yee is life”?
Boy u be faster than a pet cheetah
yee
We should call him jason statham from now on
Professor Statham
Smooth
His pet cheetah is quicker in the studio than on his feet
I think it's Tyler basically saying that he doesn't(and we shouldn't) glorify it
ana 101 💛💛💛
yeah.... kinda got tired of people saying robin williams was 'brave' etc for what he chose....
Wow a genius
@@Kiryu_Maji they're not disrespecting what was left behind, just pleading that IT does not get glorified
I have this nagging feeling that the suicide of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington was the main inspiration for this song, seeing as Chester was a MASSIVE fan of Twenty One Pilots. He attended one of their concerts and tweeted about it afterwards, and even posted a video of him doing the Heavydirtysoul fast rap section.
And the judge version as well. Im with you dude. This was hard to hear from Tyler but I respect his opinion.
Neon gravestones REALLLLLY REMINDS ME OF HANDS HELD 👋👋
I find it baffling that in an album where he so obviously depicts Christianity as a flawed "blind belief" that his conservative Christian fan base would still show up and explain all his songs in psalms and bullshit bible interpretations, when he paints a picture much bigger than that, encouraging you to think for yourself and find your own meaning of life. Truly irritating.
Where is the Christian influence in this song ???? He was talking about suicide and the media, not Christianity lmao
Or maybe, if you looked at the next couple lines of lyrics, he's saying don't blindly believe something. Maybe consider and question your faith as well. Because he still picks above ;) Just because you think the Bible is BS doesn't mean his faith isn't deeply woven into his music. Listen to Clear by Twenty One Pilots.
I saw this comment somewhere and felt like sharing it:
"Suicide doesn't solve the problem, it transfers it to someone else"
Cmon
Makes a lot of sense.. because maybe that person stops suffering, but it causes suffering for everyone else who is left to deal with the person's death, in turn, making _them_ depressed.
Sadly true, if this wasn't true I wouldnt have been here today
Ridiculously true
Joyner Lucas says that in "im sorry" pls watch
I think it's Tyler explaining that he doesn't glorify it.
And that mental illness shouldn't be fetishized or romanticized
Tobz NO NO, I WILL NOT GLORIFY THAT NONE OF US WILL.
True, and he’s saying that we should glorify getting old and living life. 💕
@@blurryned4702 *slap* NO! You will NOT glorify that and NONE of us will!
Well probably but what ifhe is trying to convince his self that he shouldn't glorify it...? Does it make sense?
Neon Gravestones was a deep ride for both my friend and I since we listened to it together and gave live reactions in our Instagram dms. Also Cliff I love your cautious approach to this song and topic. You're doing great hon 💞
i agree, its very appreciated :)
Tyjo Johnson I agree!! Great job!!
I met the mother of my (dead) stepdad today..she is a very old woman in a wheelchair and when I talked to her I thought of the last lines of this song..I celebrate her and the fact that she lives so long and keeps going 💛
Isabel xy 💛💛💛
It’s important to acknowledge that depression, anxiety, and suicide are terrible things that we need to help stop. But it seems like media is going to far and almost portraying it as a good thing that people can do for revenge, or for attention. Like Tyler says in the song, they’re treating it like it’s an option when it shouldn’t be. We should be talking about it yes, mental health awareness is so important! But, we need to word things carefully so people don’t get the wrong idea. If you don’t take care when talking about something like suicide, it can have the opposite effect and cause more suicides. I hope people actually listen to this video the whole way through and take what Tyler is saying seriously. Sorry if I said anything offensive, I tried to word my thoughts as best I could. Love you, stay alive. ||-// 💛
Shannyn i haven’t seen anywhere in the media where they are portraying suicide in the manner your speaking of. i only see people blaming the victim. which is cruel and inhuman. we should help those who we see need it, and not expect them to always ask for help. because it’s really difficult to ask sometimes.
💛🌻💛
jishwasoreos I 100% agree.
I truly believe that it’s one of the best songs ever written. It’s incredibly beautiful and every single word has a meaning that everyone on this earth needs to hear. I truly appreciate Tyler being very straightforward and saying what needs to be said. 💛💛💛 I think you did a really good job explaining this song! We should continue to strive for more mental health awareness, but not celebration. We shouldn’t glorify the idea of suicide. We should glorify those who grow old and live life! 💛
@@nightcoreedits266 stuff like 13rw
Ty I needed this 👏 I have anxiety and ocd
This video represents tøp *happy background music on deep talk"
In my opinion, he's saying that glorifying suicide is wrong and that you shouldn't celebrate death but life. And honestly this song really reminded me of that Chester Bennington's situation where everyone started to love him "again" after he took his life... And if you see linkin park did got more attention after chester's suicide... No one was talking about linkin park, no one was really caring about, there were even heavy criticism on the new album (One more light) but when Bennington unfortunately took his life, everyone was paying attention to him again. That's sad but that's the truth.
Shirooh Amy Good point. Reminded me of Mac Miller. Although it’s really unknown if his death premeditated in his own mind or not, regardless, he was the reason that he died after an overdose. Nobody cared to try to help. He stopped making music for some time then finally came out with “swimming”. Honestly on the top 3 albums I have every heard in my 20 years. It immediately helped me identify the lack of care for myself and my tendencies to have a “what happens happens” attitude. A lot of his lyrics (now after his passing) seem to be small cry’s for help that everybody disregarded. It’s very sad that a lot of people, even myself included, try sooo hard to relate to the lyrics of a song that they forget those words are coming straight from somebody’s heart. The day he died everyone scurried to social media to talk about how mad they are that he passed and how good of a guy he was but such a small percentile attempted to help him. A lot of his stuff still doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Such talent lost.
@@Enduro300rr Yes, unfortunately life is a surprise and the mind is a mystery...
Shirooh Amy well said. Stay safe friend
@@Enduro300rr Stay safe you too friend
Yes I saw some other people talking ab the Linkin Park suicide and how it was possibly the inspiration for the song
I'm always inspired by people who have gone through things and still have survived. But not really those who have have gone through things and ended it. Please don't take that the wrong way, it's just I can't have a conversation with the already dead. Those who have scars have control of their self power. (To me at least.) Those who have ended it, they didn't find what they needed and ill mourn, but that's all I can do. Ill mourn for the dead, but ill have a conversation with the still living. That's all I can do. (Again please dont take this the wrong way, it's just my thoughts)
Broken SweetHeart 💛💛💛 I totally understand what you mean! We should continue to strive for more mental health awareness, but not celebration. We shouldn’t glorify the idea of suicide. We should glorify those who grow old and live life! 💛
totally agree
i wish ppl could see this point of view
RXNR 14 yes! I think it’s incredibly important! 💛💛
I cannot agree more.
The background music is annoying as hell, specially for a topic like this
carly :3 i was really curious to get someone’s opinion on this song but I can’t deal with the music it’s just throwing off the whole vibe
I respectfully disagree I think it fits the TØP style. They have said before in their songs that their music doesn't match the lyrics so to give off a hopeful undertone
A
@@kalqul8er Yeah, but it just kills the mood
@@sofijeffrey9797 yeah I agree. Its supposed to.
I think that Tyler wants to use the line of "use this mistake as a form of aggression" as a way of someone saying "if you do ____ I'll kill myself" kind of thing
or as a way of saying 'If I kill myself, they'll be sorry that they did that/said ___ to me' but yeah I agree
I think the term “Neon Gravestones” is like how neon signs advertise establishments. These graves of celebrities are almost advertising to us but he’s not going to give in to it and he hopes others don’t either.
This song is my favourite from Trench because it really says something and deals with the topic respectfully and never actually says the S-word. Its amazingly powerful, it makes me cry and it’s honestly very interesting to hear a new point of view and some lyrics that really resonate with me.
Also, stay alive frens ||-//
Chester of Linkin Park is a big twenty one pilots fan. You can still read it on his twitter account. He went to to their concerts. I have mixed emotions over this because i love chester so much but also that tyler speaks the reality about celebrity suicide. Remember the lyrics that mention Celebration? The hollywood bowl was called chester bennington, a celebration of life. Also, about mourning for the kid but not for the king, coz Chester has like 6 youngs kids. But also, I know that he reached out to the band last, and for the fans, that's enough.
I feel the same about it but I think Tyler didn't really mean that
@@pati9230 dont worry, whatevwr is tyler's pov, i would always love him
Chester is dead.
Crazy to blame Chester like that
@@onewingedangel327 Who's blaming him? Am I misunderstanding something? 🤔
I think that the lyric 'neon gravestones' is a metaphor for these glorified suicides.
Tyler's musical genius on full display here:
The vibe of the song is dark with the piano notes almost building a cemetery vibe, the whirling sound effects at the beginning paint a ambiguous phantasm picture and to top it off, the snares are playing what drummers call "ghost notes" Bravo Tyler. Bravo.
I love this song, it is completely amazing. I was so happy with Trench. It was worth the wait.
Hi dad
Hey son/daughter
XD he actually replied to u
@@ThePopSongProfessor you explained it exactly how I thought about it when I heard it for the first time. Thank you for explaining this is a polite and respectful way.
Yeast is up
West is down
The part about 'if i lose to myself.....' has me so worried for tyler:(
💛💛💛
@Katherinne Montrose thnx 💛
Katherinne Montrose “stay alive friend, *|-/“*
•its sort of is•
•it sounds like tyler is saying that suicide isnt an option•but we as a society almost glorify it in a way that it seem like its an option•knowing that it will accepted as a form of death•and tyler doesnt agree with that•he wants us to stay alive•later on he says if he decides to take his life•that we have to promise not to glorify his death•but to appreciate what he did while he was living•and later on he goes to say that we have appreciate our older family our parents and to show respect for them• that they gave us this life to live and we should live up to the promises that they have made•
•thats my interpretation•
•sorry for the length•
||-//
•this•format•is•really•extra•
Tom-Phool •thank•you•!•!•!•
I really like that you mentionned 13 reasons why. I didnt watch the show, but read the book and felt very uncomfortable, hated it. It felt exactly like you said. Like killing oneself to make people feel bad and seek a kind of revenge was a thing. No.
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I’ve struggled with it, for as long as I can remember, I’m still struggling with it, and I will struggle with it for the rest of my life. I’ve had bad thoughts, I still do sometimes even though I don’t like admitting it. It makes me scared to talk about my struggles sometimes because I don’t want people to hate me, make things worse for me, and worst of all, waste their time pitying me. But I also love talking about these things, having real conversations about uncomfortable topics like this, because it makes it easier for me to admit that I’m not okay. And being able to admit I’m not okay, ironically, makes me feel a bit better. From my perspective, you didn’t say anything offensive or uncalled for. You handed the topic with care, and therefore handled it well. Thank you. Sending love to anyone out there struggling, stay alive. ||-// 💛
Hysteria! At the Roller Skating Rink Thank you. I do try my best to keep a similar mind set, and I will continue to do so. I was under the impression that GAD is some that stays with you for life... I should have researched that before I said something like I did. Thank you for your comment. It means a lot. And keep up the determination, you’re doing great too. 😊
Shannyn same I’m 12 and I have GAD. I feel you. We got this. 💛
Shannyn 💛💛💛
❤️
“This culture is a vulture that feeds on pain.”
Paradox Shadow this culture is a poacher of overexposure not today don’t feed me to the vultures I am a vulture who feeds on pain
I've got a question. Do you think the song is in this case related to celebrities? Because I got another kind of meaning from the vibes of this song: in general when someone dies people start to talk about their loss and love the dead person even more when he was alive, so anyway this kind of glorification happens a lot in our society even though the person is not famous. Besides in the verse "I'll mourn for a kid, but won't cry for a king" it could be referred to the fact that people strongly believe that you have got everything and you should be happy so that you shouldn't have any kind of reasons to be depressed because your life so perfect from their kind point of view. I don't know I love your explanation because it makes so much sense but I might think this message is like universal and is relate to everybody. What do you think about ? And also I have thought about this sentence for hours :Don't get it twisted
It's with the people we praise who may have assisted: I think it's referred to the people who committed suicide, who have before assisted to this kind of actions of glorification so they think to use this method to get the glory and boost up their reputation. Maybe this could be seen as incorrect but I don't want to offend anybody so I am so sorry if I used any incorrect words.
i think u approached this topic n explained it in a v respectful way. neon gravestones is such a powerful n deep song damn, went right through my feels💔
I feel this could be the response to Chesters death that everyone wanted. Some were pretty upset that he "said nothing" when that happened and now he's like want my opinion? Here it is.....
Ikr
Agree
I do think it could be about that because I remember after he died, they had a HUGE celebration in honor of him that they posted online "they would host and post a celebration"
@@scooby25611 yes....it may be about celebrity suicide in general but I definitely think Chesters death triggered these thoughts. And the clique wanted Tyler to post about it giving Chester a neon gravestone.....just my thoughts
Is it okay that i bought it on cd. Please tell me it is. 😢
Emo_Band_Official its awesome
Emo_Band_Official it is in the past
@@badwolfwhovian63 thanks!
@@colinrichdale16 what does that mean!!
Yes
I was literally watching Jake for Stolen Potential reacting to this
This is the 3rd time this has happened
Cliff are you psychic
Yep.
@@ThePopSongProfessor called it
I think the line where he says “and could it be true....” I think he means that people could be commuting suicide to hurt other people it’s kinda like they’re saying yeah I committed suicide because of you like they’re trying to put blame on other people for what they did but idk just a theory
Neon gravestones is a very deep and darkly beautiful song. It makes me wonder if Tyler is doing alright. I hope he is okay since tour starts in 10 days and I don’t want him to force himself to pretend that he’s okay and go out and perform when he doesn’t want to. I could be wrong though.
The song made me think about kurt cobain, probably the most glorified suicide ever, especially because of the line "it's better to burn out than to fade away" which, by the way, IS SO NOT TRUE
please stay alive kids
The most offensive part of this video is all the desynced loop transitions in the background.
Here’s my take from a Christian perspective. And knowing that Tyler is a Christian, this makes sense to me at least. I’m going to be referencing multiple songs here as a whole big picture/album not just one song.
1. Dema: “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, 2 Timothy 4:10 KJV (so even though in the Bible Demas is actually a person I think the meaning still fits.) Dema is “the world.” Christians will know what this means because “we are Not of this World.” (Dema don’t control us)
2. Vialism: my guess is that with the “tubes of light” you see in the Nico video, this is referencing cell phones. People today, especially young people are so entranced and controlled by their by their cell phones. People in the world today (Dema) are impressionable, entranced and mind controlled even addicted to their cell phones. (think about the vials of light the bishops are making.) You can also think about how Tyler and Josh poke fun at peoples addiction to their cell phones with the “extreme phone pinching” videos they made.
3. Jumpsuit: Jumpsuit is Tyler’s faith. God, Jesus, the Bible etc. all of it is his Faith. Jumpsuit = his Faith, his beliefs. Matthew 16:24-26 E
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
***”I'm heavy, my jumpsuit is on steady.” Taking up your cross is Heavy.
James 4:10 ESV / 36
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
***”I'm lighter when I'm lower, I'm higher when I'm heavy,” when we humble (lower) our selves we will be exalted (higher)
Psalm 118:5 ESV
“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.”
***”I'm so high, my Jumpsuit takes me so high”
4. Trench: Luke 19:43 “For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,”
Link :Stories in the Bible about people who struggled with depression www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/7-bible-figures-who-struggled-with-depression.html?amp=1
5. Leave the city: leave the city=leave Dema, Dema is the world. Leave the city= leave the world =The Rapture.
6. Morph: For "above" is blind belief (Faith) and "under" is sword to sleeve And "around" is scientific miracle, let's pick "above" (Christian Faith) and see. From car radio: “Peace will win and fear will lose It is faith and there's sleep We need to pick one please because, Faith is to be awake.”
7. Neon gravestones: sounds like an anger towards the glorification of suicide (think horrible TV shows like 13 reasons why, celebrity suicide etc.) but there is also an undertones reference to the negative influence of cell phones again, literally a neon gravestone. 8.”We’ve been here the whole time, you were asleep. Time to wake up. : “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:14-16 NIV. And there is so much more, I could go in and on! There are tons of Faith related messages in this album.
Okay thank youuu soooo much. This fantastic I 100% agreee ahhh! You should make TH-cam videos explaining the Christian aspects of the songs in more depth because I try and figure it out in my own and sometimes struggle.
Dang, you did your research! This is amazingly 💛💛
Bless you
I've been looking for this
thank you
I'm in awe
This is my favorite song
Same
Completely agree... I've lost 3 people I love in 4 years to suicide so I cry every time I listen to it but I can't stop listening!
sorry to hear that best of wishes to you and your family
50 seconds
New record
I think the "I'll teach them" is meant as somebody committing suicide thinking they'll show people who weren't nice to them how important they were. Or by really just letting it all out in their suicide note and "teach" their bullies not to be bullies but yes I would say he's talkingabout 13 reasons why even though I've only seen videos about how bad it is
And if you wanna dive deeper into what Tyler said at the end of the third verse check out Old Bones by Trash Boat and the behind the lyrics to that song . It's a whole song about their singer talking to his grandpa who has experienced war and putting his whole life and his now seemingly meaningless struggles into a new perspective.
6:15 maybe he’s talking to jenna, to find another husband instead of mourning his death for her whole life
No, I am pretty sure he is talking to the fans, saying, "if I lose to myself," find someone else to look up to.Don't glorify me if I end my life that way. Find someone dedicated to life to celebrate.
I really liked your explanation, although after multiple listens I have a different interpretation of the line "I'll mourn for a kid, but won't cry for a king", namely that it's still said by the 'they' mentioned in the previous line (They say, "How could he go if he's got everything?"). This is because this lyric matches incredibly well (when interpreted like this) with the previous line since a king kind of has everything and therefore they won't mourn him ( with the rationale of how could somebody like that feel sad??), but they will mourn a kid for various reasons
Romy Zandstra I thought those two lines were part of the same quote as well. When I looked in the booklet inside of the album at the lyrics though, there are only quotations around “how can he go if he’s got everything?” Then the I’ll mourn for a kid but won’t cry for a King line is not in quotations, and seems to be part of Tyler’s own thoughts. Which just made it more confusing for myself haha.
My Christian perspective, and iwe know Tyler is a Christian, The King in Christiandom is Jesus. Who by the way Gave up his life for all of us, that we may have everlasting life!! Hope that gives you some perspective...💛
Romy Zandstra yes finally! that’s exactly how I interpret and understand that part!!
My absolute favorite song of the album
Same
Great explanation. This song miiiiight be my favourite on Trench. Also I recalled their older song's "Glowing eyes" lyrics. In that song they say "We have romantic fantasies what dying truly is."
This was my favorite song from the first listen. It has like no nonsense, NF-ish, vibe, and it is so hard hitting. It relates to me so much, as I have found it much more difficult to be lenient on those who don't understand suicidal struggles. And are more milking the "hype"
around it rather than actually understanding it.
Also, I think the Neon Gravestones mean graves that are bright and shiny. Meaning that people are making it look admirable to commit suicide, and that is why they are "Neon"
BlazerBoy I love nf
Tyler and Josh actually did an interview about this song (I can’t remember who conducted it) where Tyler basically says that he wrote words that he himself would need to hear to help him conquer suicidal thoughts and that he doesn’t mean to demean people who feel them but is simply rejecting the glorification of death. I am absolutely in love with Tyler’s song writing and this just cements how involved and meticulous he is about the messages he present, and it also fits perfectly in the album.
Just found the link! twitter.com/altpress/status/1048642742665039874?s=21
I Iove this song so much. I cried first time I heard it
Wow, I was just looking up the lyrics and the meaning of this song, after I realised that you haven't made a video of this yet and then I got this notification!! Thank you :D
This is my favorite song on Trench
Please explain cut my lip next. I can't understand anything from it
Same 😂
To me, the meaning of CML is that no matter how much something or someone hurts you, you have the tendencies of coming back at it bcz you love it/them. A bit like being on drugs, but not exactly that. Or continuously putting yourself in danger because the result in the end is a positive one. Idk if I was clear 😅
This is by far my favorite song of the album because I agree with everything he says.
Glorifying suicide and loving people when they are already gone is bs, we should do it while they live.
I think he tries to make a stand against suicide, like saying that it's a mistake to do it, we have to be strong and keep going.
You handled this super impactful song perfectly, I don’t think you said anything out of place and I agree on your explanation.
Also; I think the title stands for how death was glorified and made some people think they had been better than they were.
I just can't believe that Tyler tackled such a difficult topic with such tact, and never once used the words suicide or even death.
Am I the only one that thought this had to do with school shootings?
"It's with the people we praise who may have assisted
I could use the streams and extra conversations
I could give up, and boost up my reputation
I could go out with a bang
They would know my name"
When someone shoots up a school they are often posted all over the news. Some news stations are bad about posting the shooters face everywhere. The shooter gets more attention then he would have ever otherwise like he is being praised. Kids shoot up schools when they are completely defeated. The message of loving them while they are alive rather than talking of them when they dead would fit. These kids want that attention, but they go to irrational means to get it. Getting this fame in death could be what Tyler is talking about.
Here's some more lyrics that reinforce this theory.
"And could it be true that some could be tempted
To use this mistake as a form of aggression?
A form of succession?
A form of a weapon?
Thinking "I'll teach them""
From what I understood, the attention the shooters receive only encourage more shooters. The mentality of "I'll teach them"
has become almost acceptable. This is when Tyler rejects that idea and basically says it's deplorable.
"Well, I'm refusing the lesson
It won't resonate in our minds
I'm not disrespecting what was left behind
Just pleading that it does not get glorified"
That's all I have to say. I think it fits really well. I'd love more voices and constructive criticism.
I'd love more comments !
interesting way to see
I would suggest coming at these song explanations from a more opinion based forum. Don’t say “this is what Tyler is saying” because that’s the great thing about art, everyone will perceive it differently, Tyler purposely doesn’t explain what his songs mean for that reason. So don’t state what you think as fact, state it as the beginning of an idea, a conversation starter, something fully
Up for debate. That’ll be a lot better.
I love and appreciate your content SO much! But please please take off this background music..
The last verse makes me think of the lyric from Hamilton: “dying is easy, living is harder.”
Like how Xxxtentacion topped charts AFTER his death.... The world is weird
i love x but what does this have to do about the video 😂
oh nvm i’m dumb. he was saying how everyone starts caring after you die. sorry !😂
@@sissnapped6328 you realise that and that's good👍
Jagyanseni Pruthal they listened to him because they felt bad for him i bet. his music was kinda sh'tty
🚨Songwriters, don't forget the How to Write Lyrics Like Twenty One Pilots Course!
how-to-write-lyrics-like-twenty-one-pilots.teachery.co/sign-up-now
➡️ Learn to be true to your ideas
➡️ Write raps like Tyler Joseph
➡️ Learn how to come up with non-cheesy ideas
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➡️ Beat writer's block and actually get your lyrics out there!
Robin Williams and Chester Bennington’s deaths have NOT been glorified. Chester dying especially has sparked a movement in mental health awareness, and things are changing because of that. People are grieving a wonderful man, but his death hasn’t been glorified - it’s the exact opposite. We are helping people to stay alive because of him, not copy him.
And please stop saying “commit” suicide. We say “die/died by suicide”, (or just “kill self” is better).
The progress we have made, that Tyler talks about, includes changing the language we use to describe mental health. That means modifying our descriptives in order to not pass blame or stigma. Chester’s death has made this change happen, especially.
Look at any website related to mental health and you will see what I’m talking about. “Commit” is an archaic term in 2018.
I think this was (somewhat) inspired by Chris Cornell/Chester Bennington and people "glorifying" them after the fact😏
I agree although Chester was my cousin.
Why Is It So SADDDDDDD 😭😭😭😭😭😭
So my idea for Neon Gravestones is about XxxTentacion's death. In the song Tyler says "I could give up, and boost up my reputation, I could go out with a bang, they would know my name, they would host and post a celebration" When Triple X died he gained so much popularity ( "I could give up, and boost up my reputation") and he died from a gun ("I could go out with a bang, they would know my name") and they had a funeral for Triple X ("they would host and post a celebration") I'm not saying this song is about Triple X, but I'm saying these lyrics could be about him
It's not just about him, it's about every celebrity who dies. It's the same for all of them
Isaiah Hiserman but X didn‘t give up, he got shot.
I have a personal story after I say this, but I have to get this off my chest. So I used to follow a ton of twenty one pilots fan accounts on Instagram. Well I can’t remember how long ago but it was recent, two people killed themselves. It was really sad like trust me I understand, but most of the accounts were mourning them But then they were saying “I hope you’re resting in heaven” and that’s nice but saying “you’ve fought ur battle” i feel like you shouldn’t say it like that? Idk it just glorifies suicide, it could make people think “I’ve fought my battle I need to end it I’m tired’ ‘ I used to think like that so it’s just from personal experience. I just know sometimes it can be hard and seeing as ppl saying they’ve fought their battle its ok you can go it’s like ahhh you shouldn’t give up, you have so much to live for I know it may not seem like that but trust me it is.
*I'm not crying, you are!* 😢
I genuinely love that he mentioned Chester Bennington.
#RipChester
The explanation and the music:super dark
The background music:😙😙😙😙😙😙
'Is Neon Gravestones about suicide?'
'Was Adolf Hitler a Nazi?'
'Is The Simpsons a cartoon?'
Ever since I first heard it, I've always thought it was about the glorification of suicide in general and not just celebrity suicides. As someone who has struggled with suicidal thoughts in the past, I think the line "I'll teach them" is more about the idea that someone who's suicidal will often think that it'll teach those who drove them to suicide just how much pain they caused them.
And the lines "How could he go when he's got everything? / I'll mourn for a kid but won't cry for a king" are very powerful and are my favorite lines of the song. I think they refer to society in general, who would rather mourn for someone who has committed suicide than help someone who is struggling (maybe silently) with empathy. The reason he calls this person a king is because of the previous line, that they somewhat assume he's fine and has everything. That's just my take!
P.S. I'm in a much better place now.
P.P.S. I didn't know Saturday was a weekday! 😂😂😂
'The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage' by Panic! At The Disco
7:25
*13 REASONS WHY SPOILERS*
*TRIGGER WARNING*
I think with this lyric about aggression, he is definitely referencing the show 13 Reasons Why. After the show was produced, it helped beat a stigma of rape, depression, an suicide that made it difficult for many teenagers struggling with those experiences to get help, which prevented many from deciding against making the mistake of taking their lives. However, this show made more people understand that bullying and depression really are problems in today's society amongst teenagers, and that something needs to change, but it also inspired many people that were struggling with suicidal thoughts and who felt antagonized by others to commit suicide "as a form of aggression", to get back at the people that hurt them and made them feel so depressed. In the show, after Hannah's death, these tapes got released in which she addressed each person that hurt her and explained why what they did to her made her want to kill herself. She even made one for the boy that was in love with her and cared about her the most, saying that maybe if he had made a move and actually asked her out, she would've felt love and she would've had a greater reason to live. The entire show is about the distress of the characters after hearing that they were the reason that someone took their life. It caused so many problems for their lives, many of them becoming depressed themselves, one also attempting suicide Though the book and show were meant to bring about suicide awareness, and to a certain extent it did, it also gave this idea to viewers that are struggling with the same feelings Hannah did: that if they killed themselves, it would end the pain that they were feeling, and get revenge on the people that caused them to feel this way, causing them to hurt and feel extreme guilt for what they have done.
In a way, this is also wanting to be known after death. If someone were to recreate the suicide that Hannah committed, they would "go out with a bang" as Tyler mentioned, because a death like that is unforgettable, especially when it is aimed at getting back at others.
In Neon Gravestones, Tyler tries to explain that he understands suicidal thoughts, he's had them, too. And he creates his music so that those who have similar thoughts can relate and not feel so alone in what they're feeling. However, though he still struggles with these thoughts, he's not going to let them overcome him, and he encourages his fanbase and listeners to do the same. While he stands with the fact that no one should feel suicide is an option, because it is ending a life with a plan and a potential, he especially believes that suicide built on revenge or making a name for yourself is extremely wrong, and is saying that this is much worse of a mistake. He wants people to appreciate life, not take throw it away.
Thanks!
“We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives.” A quote from Fight Club
I got introduced to TØP, by my kids, actually, only recently. Got an immediate appreciation for the band. Found out about the Bandito tour, way after sales started. Got tickets. Bought Blurryface and Trench on CD for my girl.
Neon Gravestones.. Yeah.. I read the lyrics, and immedeatly interpreted it, just as you are explaining it.. It's a deep and very well written song.. It touched me so deeply, seeing this video of yours, that I actually cried the tears I felt hearing this song.. I'm battling depression daily.. But my kids keep me going. U fortunately no elderly or grandparents in my life left to celebrate.
Anyway, thanks for this..
Young kids battling difficult times should all hear this and understand.. 🙏🏻❣️
I have had someone threaten me with suicide. ("As a form of a weapon")
You can look at it in two ways:
1. I am responsible if this person commits suicide (And I will most certainly hate myself if they do)
2. The person committing suicide is responsible.
It was used as a form of blackmail (btw this person never went through with it, as far as I know, so don't panic!)
I can't be the only person who had this happen to them, either. It is a very hard situation to deal with.
Life can hurt and EVERYONE struggles.
I have gone through a suicidal phase myself where I considered it. I didn't want attention is what I told myself, so I never did anything to really stress that I was suicidal and no one took me seriously when I broke down, but I still question whether it was for attention. I never did anything serious - and since I didn't some people might believe I was never suicidal. I just didn't want anyone to know in case they tried to stop me once I made up my mind, and something also held me back. I remember the reason being, "I didn't want to hurt anyone anymore / I don't want to be surrounded by people who are hurting" and it was sparked by being 'surrounded by'/'the cause of'/'part of' arguments almost every single day. I blamed myself for being a problem child. The very walls of the house leaked tension, and I was easily frustrated to the point where even the sound of someone's voice placed me on edge. And I blamed myself. What stopped me was the very reason why I wanted to do it: I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I broke out of my suicidal thoughts with "I deserve to live and face the problems I CREATED." (i.e. I deserve the pain I inflict upon myself) / "I will only hurt people more by doing it, instead, I'll just distance myself so I can't be the cause of hurt". I moved out of the house and I started living by myself - my parents don't know the real reason behind why I wanted to move out because I made up a story about improving myself and learning to live on my own, which ended up becoming the truth (You know when you forge a lie so well that it becomes reality? i.e. You start to believe it yourself. It happens.). Eventually, I realised this thought (the distancing one) was not the right way to think, and eventually came to realise I did, in fact, want to live and live well and started to put in the EFFORT to make my life happier and be less of a burden to those around me. I also realised I can hurt people by doing absolutely nothing - this frustrates me. I still struggle.
In the next paragraph,
NOTE: I don't speak for everyone. Everyone's reasons vary. This is based on my personal experience and opinion which can be 'questioned'. And I agree that you should listen to the lyrics of the song yourself and form your own opinions. (I feel I need to change all these "we"s to "I"s to stress the fact, I'm not saying everyone feels exactly like this - because I am myself, and I don't know what it is like to be someone else.)
The line "I'll teach them" to me, are the people who blame the world for being too unfair. We are hurt, and we want to lash out. We want the world to know that we did it because they never cared. We are teaching the world (or even a specific person) a lesson, sending out a message which strangers will skim over, and which will scar the people who felt close to us. Most importantly, it sends the message that it is either okay to do 'it' or that it is a valid form of rebellion. I am mostly focusing my opinion on it being used as a weapon when it shouldn't be. It is not okay! We don't do it on purpose - or that's what we think. We think we don't have control, but what if we do? The truth hurts. No one wants to hear the truth. I don't want to hear the truth, and I've seen some people shut out the truth. I, to this day, still hate a part of myself because I can't come to terms with the fact that I have in a way caused the hurt of those around me by being this way. I partly believe that people don't truly care for each other, and that hurts - a lot. The fact we pretend to care until caring becomes too much of a burden and starts to pull us down with them. And I am guilty of this. I think I care until I realise I've dug myself a hole when people take advantage of it - and I still think I care while distancing myself. Then there is the fact, that I may be a hypocrite. I hate feeling like people don't care about me, but I am so absorbed in feeling sorry for myself, that I'm paying no attention to how other people feel! How can I cry about people not showing that they care, when I, myself, don't show that I care? And I still struggle to put my own feelings aside for others. This is MY truth. And the TRUTH hurts. And my decision is to live, regardless.
(This is no longer about the song it seems, I got carried away)
There are people worse off than me, with struggles far worse than mine, but believe me when I say I felt like I was barely coping. Sorry about the rant / personal life story. Feel free to challenge my opinion, I can take criticism (since I constantly throw shit at myself anyway, in order to control my emotions - unhealthy or not, and challenge my actions) and I really hope I didn't offend anyone.
I feel like 'Neon Gravestones' message of how we should not glorify/romanticize suicide(that's how I see it) is very similar to how romanticizing school shootings only makes them happen more. I really appreciated the song, more so because of it's message than the sound itself. Plus 'Neon Gravestones' is the perfect title, so +++ respect for Tyler.
This song is very relevant to XXXTentacion, now he didnt suicide, but after his death is that I found out about him. And now people are crazy about him. But I feel that his death fueled his popularity more.
I LOVE Neon Gravestones! It’s the song on the album that I just want to say “AMEN!” after. It seems that Tyler is fed up and gets on his soapbox and speaks his mind. Either that or it’s a darned good sermon!
Even though I don't completely agree with everything in this song, there are some points that I completely agree with: like how we should celebrate the lives of people who have done incredible things, or who have been through terrible experiences! I find it incredible the TØP can put this into a song!
I don't know where else to share this, so I'll share it here. The first time I heard this song I broke down, but I didn't know why. It took me hearing it live to realize, Tyler and Josh are my "someone else". I'm still grieving the loss of Chester Bennington, he was a hero and I've looked up and loved Linkin Park for so long. I remember Chester posting an Instagram story, talking about how much he loved TOP while attending the ERS tour. There's a lot more I want to say but I am not good with words, so hopefully someone understands?
Only OGs remember when Clifford was on the upload grind the day Trench came out.
Neon Gravestones is the most emotional, and in my opinion, underrated song on Trench.
And as a teenager dealing with depression, anxiety, self harm and suicidal thoughts, this song really hits my heart on much more than a spiritual level.
2 years ago my I promised to T.Ø.P. to stay alive, and my sister and i promised eachother too. We have matching "Stay Alive |-/" tattoos on our left wrists, and we promised that each time we want to leave, we'll look at the tattoos because they remind us of that promise to eachother and to Tyler and Josh. Twenty Øne Piløts helps us keep trying, they've saved both of our lives and helped us through horrible things with the music. They are truly the greatest band and deserve all of the fans that understand and enjoy them.
lol i’m just reading through the comments looking for people talking shit about 13rw (an amazing show)
why do i do this to myself haha
This was great but the happy background music was about off putting
I’m going to say this before the video, but I think it’s about people get attention for dying, or killing themselves but it’s an act of selfishness. The wrong kind of attention.
I fell on a neon gravestone, and cut my lip. My blood poured down, staining my jumpsuit.
So in my opinion in the part where it says “hang a banner from the sealing” it’s talking about a nuce. Something that you commit suicide with and it’s seem as a banner because people give praise for suicide...