Is Addict with a Pen actually about Jesus!?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2017
- Guys, "Addict with a Pen" is a REALLY good song. But do you know what it's about? Let me explain.
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Disclaimer: 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 thus have not hurt this 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.
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Since the first time of me hearing the song, I realized it was about God.
Random Person saaame
Same. :')
Same, it really spoke to me
I didn't know until he said " i haven't been the best of sons"
I knows it’s been like four years but I was just listening to it and when it came to the part where he says But you specialize in dying, you hear me screaming "father" And I'm lying here just crying, so wash me with your water it just hit me that he was talking it god and I just started crying for no reason...
I do think that the song is a prayer, and that's why I like it so much. I think the part that starts with "of course I'll be here again" means that he will come back to God, whether that be sometime later in his life or when he goes to heaven. He recognizes the fact that he doubts and denies, but deep down he knows that what he believes is true. That is why when he is at his lowest points (depression) at the end of the day (night, the time he often refers to as being really difficult), he calls out to God because it is really his only option. He knows some of the truth (holding on to the water) in a world that doesn't and a physical life that can only receive so much truth (the desert of his mind). I think the waves refer to his faith being unsteady. If you have ever tried to move with a cup of water in your hands, you've seen it shake and move and create waves. I think he means that even if his faith is shaking, he still has it, and that's all that matters. Just a guess though; I could be wrong.
Great thoughts! i agree.
Hope Jackson I really really love the way you put this. It makes so much sense. Thank you! God bless you all :)
I totally agree
I love the way you worded this! Great thoughts! I agree. Thank you and God bless you all!
Nice👍
funny how for literally EACH tøp song explanation you say "yeah it's probably one of my favorite", we get it all tøp songs are our favorites, feel you man
Please do "Fake You Out" such a good song but never understood it
pappyty123 gaming it's about Tyler putting on a facade with people I think
yesssss plzzz
In my own view, I think it is about Tyler trying to 'fake someone out' of hurting/killing themself through a night. I find this mostly through the rap section of the song.
pappyty123 gaming YES!
It's fantastic!
I know this is old, but this is one of my favorite songs that Tyler has written.
A few things that I would like to explain deeper - the waves of the water, I think, refer to the ways that God tries to reach and reveal Himself to us. But Tyler, in his attempts to go at it in His own strength, and his tendencies to dwell on his negative thoughts and emotions, pays these waves no mind. He focuses on what little he has and tries to survive on it as he makes his way through the world (the desert, absence of God/water), ignoring the overflow that only God can pour into him.
The sand is whatever slows or hinders his walk with God.
I think when he says, "I'm just being dramatic, in fact, I'm only at it again as an Addict with a Pen who's addicted to the wind" he's saying that these dark thoughts that he's entertaining are actually not as big as he has made them out to be. A big thing in Christian culture is that there is nothing bigger than our God. So these dark ideas and imagery of who we are and the world we live in actually mean less when put in the context of who God is. And he goes on to say that he's addicted to the wind - the Apostle Paul (whose writings have clearly influenced the songs that Tyler has written) refers to how as Christians mature in their walk with God, they become less subject to the winds of the world that will cause them to stumble and sway, blowing them every which way. Basically, they become more and more rooted in their faith in Christ. So I think Tyler once again is facing the reality that he struggles with doubt and isn't always one who has deep roots in his faith. Sometimes, the wind is able to blow him back and forth.
I remember seeing something that was supposedly lyrics to a few Self Titled songs that Tyler wrote down himself, and in it were the lyrics to this song being "bindless, spineless, and pretend" instead of "mindless". It makes sense, since the binding is what holds a book together, and without a firm foundation in God, Tyler feels like he's falling apart and unstable. Spineless, I think, has a double meaning, like, cowardly, but also, the spine of a book is what tells a reader the title of the book, "who it is" so to speak. We get our identity from Christ, as is said in the Bible, and I think this is a reference to that - if he wanders from God, he has no identity because he is throwing away the identity God has given him. "Of course I'll be here again, see you tomorrow but it's the end of today" he is acknowledging that he needs God's grace everyday. Getting over his fears of today won't necessarily keep him from having fears tomorrow. Also acknowledgement that he will sin tomorrow as he did today, but God's mercies are new every morning.
"End of my ways as a walking denial" He is a new person in Christ - he can't deny God's love or who He is. "My trial was filed as a crazy suicidal headcase" speaks for itself. "You specialize in dying" Jesus died for our sins but rose from the grave to overcome death.
Tyler ends up crying to God asking Him to wash him of his sins and to give him the peace and satisfaction that only He can give. He can't run or deny Him anymore, so he gives in.
This song is basically Tyler's testimony. It's one of the reasons I love it so much, aside from the fact that it's beautiful and so well written.
"Running through the sand" is another representation of trying to make it through life's every day struggles while trying to hold onto your faith. IMO
i love how much you actually love the music
:)
Fall Away!!! :) oh and dog update please!!!
Those are on Instagram! Pics will be coming!
The Pop Song Professor ok i'll check it out🙂🐶
Bekaheartsyou great idea
The "waves of the water" line, to me, means storms or trials that come with fighting fleshy or earthly battles. The "waves" of the water; the tumultuous times in life. When things aren't easy or clear. Jesus calms the storms in the oceans "water" and in our hearts trying to hold on to your faith when dealing with heartbreak, mental illness, suicidal thoughts, or just the every day struggles we all face as foulable human beings. This is my favorite TØP song. This is why I became a banditø. The path that kept me alive long enough to escape "dema" and gives me the strength to go back to bring hope to those still trapped there.
-Pøny
I always thought the "waves of the water" were things that tested his and god's relationship. Like, even though he may do things that god may not like and that makes god mad at him, he only cares that they have that relationship at all.
Yess I 100% agree! As if he knows life can't be perfect, of course, but he's willing to face it as long as God stays with him, as long as he has faith, it's all that he needs. He tries his best to hold the water (faith) in his hands despite the risk of spilling it, but eventually his efforts are in vain and he feels hopeless. Indeed, during his darkest times, doubts cripple his mind to the point of considering suicide as the only option to end his suffering.
It reminds me of when Peter looks at the waves and losing focus on Jesus causes him to begin sinking
Can you explain "before you start your day" by twenty one pilots
pleaseee
The awkward Channel yes! That or trapdoor please!!!
The awkward Channel yes please
The awkward Channel Yes!!
Good one!
Don't forget to help me out with reviews on iTunes, people! I love you all, and thanks so much for the help!
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I would love if you did hometown! I feel like it has a lot of religious references that I don't understand because I'm not religious.
Trash Can They're generally singing about how they're hometown doesn't know Jesus.
LAngel2 their*
LAngel2 ah thank you
It's a really good one!
TB SAGAAAAA PLEEASEEE
omg yess this is such a lyrical masterpiece, but sadly i don't understand the meaning so pleasee do it!! xD
Yeemilie is that young Daniel Howell I see in your picture?
HELL YEE
What I always imagined in the verse when he says “I try desperately to run through the sand as I hold the water in my hand” wasn’t a desert for some reason, but a beach. I imagined him running across the shore while the sand is dragging him down and he’s trying so hard to hold on to the little bit of water, ignoring the crashing waves around him, because all that matters and the only thing he’s focused on is what is in his hand even though there’s water all around him. So when he says “the waves of the water mean nothing to me” that’s what I interpreted. The waves could represent a lot of things: distractions, other easier routes, things he doesn’t need, temptations, etc. idk these are just my personal guesses but I appreciate hearing other people’s interpretations.
If you have any days that don't already have a designated artist, you should do an explaination for "Spaceman" by the killers, it has a lot of complex symbolism that I think would be right up your ally
Jeffrey Clancy good choice!
The waves of the water made me think immediately of the stories of Jesus asleep in the boat on the stormy sea, when he calms the wind and waves, and even more so this lyric made me think of Jesus walking on the water, and Peter walking to Him. Peter only started to fall into the water when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked down at the waves. This was like a test of faith for Peter. Tyler speaks of the water; "it's all that I have and it's all that I need, and the waves of the water mean nothing to me". I took that as him saying he will always have faith and ultimately when it comes down to it he will do whatever he can to cling to that living water no matter the trials and storms that he goes through. Some of the water will drain, because that's just human nature, we're weak and we fall and our faith can sometimes feel drained in a way when we're really struggling, but we can decide and know that we will still always cling to God and our faith in Him, we'll always return. The "addicted to wind" part can also tie in with the wind on the stormy sea. This makes me think of the lyrics from Chlorine, which is all about Tyler feeling like he needs those low and dark times to be creative and to grow, so it's like he's addicted to the wind, to the storms. And thus, an addict with a pen, writing songs born of that pain and struggle, those storms. As someone with a melancholic temperament who has struggled with depression, anxiety, and mania, there are times when you can almost be addicted to it and take a weird pleasure in it because it's what's familiar to you and it's a very creativity inducing state. Sometimes we have to learn how to even be happy. Anyway, this song is ultimately a very honest and beautiful prayer. 🙏🏼❤
I love this song so much. It paints such a clear picture in my mind like no other song ever has. I really relate and connect with this song, and I think it's just beautiful.
Can you please analize Clear? Who's with me?
Cote Maitasuna Yes!
Cote Maitasuna yessss
“I’m just being dramatic” that part I believe he is referring to how he feels people viewed him. Know one takes depression seriously or people with suicidal thoughts.. that was how I seen it and felt and how I understood it.
I always interpret “the waves of the water mean nothing to me” like ocean/salt water. It’s enticing to people who are dying of thirst but actually makes the thirst worse. I think this salt water is other options to feel relief or happiness that are only temporary and even empty, like money, fame, substance abuse, etc. Tyler knows those are “false paths” to happiness so he ignores them and just holds onto what he has in his hand, no matter how little it is.
Very late to the party but that’s my interpretation.
This is prolly stupid but.. 'addicted to the wind'...could it mean he's addicted to the holy spirit? Just hear me out (this is gonna be long and annoying)
There has been a LOT of times in the bible where the holy spirit has been described as a wind. The one which I feel relates most to this song is
John 3:8
"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
-as it blows me-
Mindless- acting or done without justification and with no concern for the consequences.....I'm guessing Tyler feels that the holy spirit is 'blowing' or leading him down a path regardless of the toll it will take on his life cuz we can tell from a lot of Tyler's songs thay he is struggling and it's affecting him in more ways than one.
Spineless-weak and purposeless....we can see from the scripture up there ^ we do not know where the wind is going. Tyler is weak but he keeps on going with the wind even though he's completely oblivious as to where hes going-purposeless.
I could be wrong but I just had to say it.
Woah, that makes a lot of sense.😮
Good video! I like your interpretation of the lyrics of the songs, please continue to make these videos. I think they deserve more visits.
Thanks! I'll keep making them!
Can you do Be Concerned next?
Cata Leya yes!!!
Cata Leya yesyesyes
Cata Leya ⬅ IS AMAZING!!
omg yesss
Cata Leya Yes please!
The thing he's addicted to, the wind, could be his thoughts that are blowing him back and forth through the desert in his search for God. He kind of also writes about his thoughts that way in Car Radio where he normally drowns them with sound but in the silence he doesn't really have control over them.
The Pantaloon!
Awesome video, this has always been one of my favorite tøp songs, especially lyrically. I really enjoy your explanations for these, since not a lot of people catch all the biblical allusions in their music. It's encouraging to me to hear another Christian's perspective on their music. Your work is much appreciated!
Thanks!
you do such a job I hope this channel continues to be as awesome as it is
Aw, thanks!
One thing I love about their music is that the meaning is straightforward and the mood is always there, but there is just enough vagueness to leave the true meaning up to the listener. this song could very well be about god and I love that he is willing to be open about his faith to his fans, however, as someone who isn't particularly religious (I was raised in a christian family but I was never able to really gravitate towards the belief.) it could also come across as a conversation between him and his mind. He's been searching in his mind for any sort of hope or feeling of happiness, but has instead found nothing but a desert of loneliness and confusion and longing for something. so he tries so hard to give life to his mind but life (the sand or water) keeps getting in the way and is making his mind sink further and further down into a depression. I love this song. it almost makes me cry every time I hear it. stay alive |-/.
This year as a high school freshman I took my first Theology class and I wasn't really open to it in the beginning but I have learned a lot and it actually connected me to religion more.
As for our end of the year assignment we had to connect a piece of writing to The Samaritan Women at The Well.
I chose Addict With A Pen and I had to analyze the lyrics but as you said when I hear water I automatically think Jesus , when Tyler sing "I haven't found a drop of water" I see it as him talking about his faith and his dedication to God because if you read the women at the well Jesus refers to himself as living water and his everlasting love. That his love will never leave you to thirst again.
Great job interpreting this song, I wanted to ask if you have a religious background because as you said these songs are so beautiful but now in my new perspective I find them even more fascinating.
You nailed it.
My friend Joshua Sumpter notes that “walking denial” may refer to the way Christians are called to “deny yourself and take up your cross”
“End of today
End of my ways as a walking denial
My trial was filed as a crazy suicidal”
So it may also refer to him being in denial about the depression.
On second thought...I may choose next week's TOP Tuesday video...
Heathens Retraction may be the order of the day!
OMGGG I LOVE THIS MUSIC!!! YOU'RE AMAZING HAHAHA LOVE THIS CHANNEL (please do the pantaloon)
Aw, thanks!
I heard in one interview that it was about tylers dad and Tyler's passion for songwriting
can you please do clear
THE DESIMATORS It's cool because Clear is also the name of Travis Whitaker's album that Tyler was featured on. The songs Tyler's in are about the same general idea as Clear
THE DESIMATORS Yeah!
Very good one!
This song means so much to me. Genuinely the only song ever that’s made me cry
What if he was referring the " wash me with water" part to baptism as well?
I think it fits into that.
"Of course I'll be here again, see you tomorrow, but it's the end of the day, end of my ways." (I think that's right) This definitely refers to the fact that the awful place that he's in now, he knows that unfortunately he'll be back again tomorrow. But he wants to focus on the present ("do not worry about tomorrow, for today brings enough worries"- bible verse) So he says for now it's the end of his evil/sinful ways. These lyrics speak to me so much honestly.
Fall away!
The first time I heard Addict With a Pen, I was just starting to explore Christianity and I immediately connected the lyrics with the idea of faith and doubting that faith.
Also, your comment about the wind- in my youth ministry, there was always a comparison between God's love and the wind. You can feel it and you know it's there, but you can't see it as it is; you can only see its effect (like how you can see that the leaves on the trees around you are moving, but you can't see what's moving them).
I don't know of any reason to believe it's NOT about God. He literally says "You hear me screaming, Father." He name drops the Father. Come on now.
This is probably my favorite song (not musically, but because of its Lyrics) because for me it's also like a prayer as it's expressing how I often feel. I like the deepness of this song and maybe you notice that I don't know what to say and that's because this song is so amazing!!!
And of course your videos are amazing :)
Addict with a Pen was one of the main TwentyOne Pilots songs that has inspired me to write out my own thoughts and emotions. Kitchen Sink has lead me to even consider writing a book or novel about this stuff. Thanks for these explanations!
I just love how beautifully you do these how you don't censor the Christian belief in them it's beautiful thank you sir
this was very very helpful, thankyou!
Good analysis. I always wondered about that "waves of the water" line. Alternatively, Tyler might be hinting that this "desert" is actually just the sands of a beach. Like there's a ton of water RIGHT THERE within his reach, but he's basically ignoring the ocean because he's so focused on the fact that he's only HOLDING a little bit of water.
Just a hypothesis. As a Christian, I sometimes feel that way in my relationship with God…
Hey, do you ever listen to the rapper NF? Just personally, not asking you to make a video.
Little theory about the waves of the water line: I think in this line he is talking about how he is running through the desert w just this tiny fleeting piece of life that he has left, and while that's all he really needs, just the hope of God, life has a way of ebbing and flowing and we as people and as christians are always going to encounter some waves in our life even when we have the life force of God to hold onto and to him it doesn't matter what life throws at him he is still going to hold onto his water as long as possible until he can get replenished by God again and feel like his thirst for God is quenched. This is a nice segue into his next verse talking about being dramatic because he is kind of outwardly processing what he is feeling as he is writing this song. He is saying alright so if I believe that even a drop of God's water/life is enough then it shouldn't matter if the water waves in my hand and some spills out so maybe I'm overthinking this and God is still present and maybe even tho I'm bound to fail in life, that doesn't mean He has forsaken me. Then he goes into the next line about being an addict w a pen meaning his addiction to the (wind) ways in which he bends back and forth between doubts and confidence in his faith lead him to write so that he can truly express those feelings and use his songs as his reconnection to God through the talent of songwriting that God gave him which in turn replenished him. Tyler has always talked about his songwriting as being his purpose (kitchen sink) in life given to him by God so I think this song in general is his way of reconnecting w God and his faith in a moment of doubt and loneliness and emptiness and finding his drop of life through the very purpose God gave him.
Just my thoughts feel free to disagree (:
Also I'm a new subscriber and I'm obsessed with your videos. Thank you!!
This is the reason why I look forward for Tuesday
I loved your rapping there!
I think the "waves in the water" is referring to the water in his hands because he's running through the desert, so that water is surely moving around in his hands and splashing out and whatnot. So, I think he's saying that as he's running through life/through the struggles he's facing, he's trying to hold onto his faith but having to run through all this stuff is weakening his faith (making it splash out of his hands). I think the next few lines show that a part of him doesn't care if he loses some of his faith as long as he can get through this difficult part of his life, but the other part knows he needs to try his best to hold onto the little bit of faith he has left because his faith is the only thing that can get him through the tough times.
For me, this makes me think of all the bad ways we have of coping with difficult times, such as self-harm or skipping meals or isolating and sleeping all day. These are things that we know God wouldn't approve of, but sometimes it's hard to care when you're already questioning God for making you go through all this bad stuff anyway, or because you feel like your way of coping is all you can manage at that moment. Then, after you've done something like that you start to feel worse because you know what you really need is to draw closer to God to help you get through those times, and sometimes it feels like you're running out of faith because why would God want you when you keep doing things that you know will weaken your relationship with him? But then, of course, Tyler closes with "you see me screaming "Father", and I'm lying here just crying, so wash me with your water". Showing that he's run out of his own strength and is finally relying fully on God to help him, which is, of course, what we should do from the beginning.
FINALLY EXPLAINING MY FAVORITE SONG THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
You're welcome!
One of my favorites!! So beautiful
i think 'the waves of the water' is his thoughts pushing him between good and evil...water represents Life and waves bring more and less life as the wind blows
Favorite day of the week because of these videos
Aw, thanks!
he's addicted to trying to reach people without being "religious".
Cami Long it worked
HAHAHAHAHAH no
@@richolas7650 definitely 🙏🔥
Great video!
Thanks!
this is my favorite tøp song because tylers put something ive struggled with myself into words and so beautifully which is one of the reasons i love tøp. And I'm really glad you analyzed it! the only part of the song I never really understood was "the waves of the water mean nothing to me" so I'm kinda glad you didn't get either bc I thought It was something obvious and I was just being stupid. I love you're explanation of it but there's one part that I disagree with. I think that when he says "so wash me with your water" he's referring to something like baptism or to save him from himself, like cleanse me of my sins, which would also make sense bc it would sort of be the same as like saying to give him life, because baptism is sometimes referred to as like being born again.
I like the Baptism explanation, and I may use that! Thanks!
Every time I hear addict with the pen I cry. I have cried since the beginning of the year.
I’ve always saw the waves in their water in this song to mean the highs and lows of life. Like the little things in life, he can’t care about that stuff because he’s just trying to survive.
Nice video!!!
What if: when he says “I’m just being dramatic. I’m only at it again as an addict with a pen that’s addicted to the wind as it blows me back and forth mindless, spineless, and pretend.” He worries that he’s addicted to this feeling of being lost, of sorrow, of this writing. He’s addicted to writing. Maybe he worries that in writing these feelings he is indulging them.(kind of the feeling from Glowing Eyes-“but do I want to say goodbye to all the glowing eyes”). That could be why he sees himself as spineless and pretend, because he is conflicted over what he’s doing, his addiction to the pen. Not to say that what he’s doing is wrong or frantic or indulgent, but maybe that’s a worry or concern he is struggling with
“The waves of the water” maybe some of the difficulty and choppiness that goes with faith mean nothing to he relative to the burden of trying to chase it. If he could just hold the water he wouldn’t mind the problems that go with it
Addict with a pen is one of my favorite lyrically. ❤ also can you do hometown!!!!
I think it has something to do about baptism because when you are baptized you are considered a new creation and it involves being dunked under water so the part that says “wash me with your water” is Tyler saying that he wants to be baptized again because he wants to become a new creation (you can only be baptized once). Thnx for reading, this is just what I think the song is about
Pop Song Professor- are you a Christian? I love how you are in tune with the faith-based lyrics and how you explain them. Just wondered??
can you please explain 20 dollar nose bleed by fall out boy. I have commented this a few times but I am so confused by it.
can you explain "Save" from the album No Phun Intended by Tyler Joseph
The pantaloon!
Laurel Engelhardt thank you bb💗
When you started rapping, I was rapping along and was just like: same. If I hear a section from a TØP song, I'll just rap/sing the whole song.
I will always suggest Migraine. Because we need a video for Migraine!
It's very true. I really want to explain this one!
PANTALOON!!!
Please do Fall Away or The Pantaloon! They are both such amazing beautiful songs. Thumbs up if you agree!
My favourite song too but I interpret it differently (not being religious) because I take the water to be vital for survival in the desert which represents my sanity (I have to survive the deserts of my mind) but in searching for it I can't find a drop of sanity (of life/water) which others seem to have (of you)
4:07 that face you make when you realize what a lyrical god Tyler is...:D
Idk if I'm right but i think that water here is a metaphor of his faith. Like he's struggling and trying his best to keep it because it's the only thing that helps him and keeps him alive maybe? And "the waves of the water" might be his doubts? Or how he's trying to not have doubts? But no matter how hard he tries he is gonna have doubts as he said "the sand will slow me down and the water will drain". And the sand might be his doubtful thoughts as the desert is his mind.
Please do Be Concerned or Message Man next
Ok I’m sorry this is kinda long lol :
‘In fact I’m only at it again as an addict with a pen who’s addicted to the wind as it blows me back and fourth, mindedness, spineless and pretend...’
When I heard this in the song when I listened to it before this video. It painted a picture in my head of just letting the wind blow you like you have no control of your body. So I thought that when he said that he’s an addict with a pen and then the following description of the wind, I thought it was kind of like giving of an example of how much he likes to write and get creative with his imagination and feelings?? Maybe I’m wrong but either way it’s still one of my favourite lyrics from self titled :)
You Should Do "Lovely" From Regional At Best :3
I love how you try to read the rap and make a stop so you can explain but you get so into it that you HAVE to finish the rap lmao.
Yep. #twentyonepilotsexplaininglife
I love this song so much
Could you please do pantaloon by Twenty Øne Piløts
Like If You Agree 👍
I think that the water in his hand represents the thing he needs to keep going. Now what exactly that is, I'm not sure of, but it is most likely the amount of faith he has left in God. So if that is the case, the waves of the water represent what God is offering him. God is there with an overwhelming amount of the exact thing he needs, but yet e says, "The waves of the water mean nothing to me." He know that God has what he needs, and yet he keeps on running, losing the exact thing he is searching for. He is trying to find the meaning in his own mind. So later in the song when he says, "I'm only at it again, as an addict with a pen, who's addicted to the wind, as it blows me back and forth..." I think what he is referring to is a constant ups and downs with his faith. And in a way he is addicted to it. But the way he can always get out of his never ending falling away from his faith is through writing. He can work through his problems through the music he makes. Anyway, that's my thoughts on the songs meaning. Great video. Sorry for how long this got, but I love this song too much not to over explain.
"Addict With a Pen" is one of the most honest songs I've ever heard. More specifically, it's one of the most honest songs about Christianity. What I mean by "honest" is that it's raw. It's not a song about 'standing firm in the faith' when doubts come. It's not an anthem to prop yourself up with when life is beating you up. It's the cry of a tormented heart, and it doesn't preach to the listener by tying up the narrative with a clichéd affirmation of hope/belief/faith. Although even clichéd truths are true, they are seldom helpful to a soul in pain, and can come off as outright lies; wretched, meaningless slogans. The beauty about "Addict" is that it's no less a confirmation of the Truth than any more-conventional Christian song. Why? Because Tyler never makes the mistake of interpreting his not finding God as evidence that God doesn't exist/care. He still seeks Him.
"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6
"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." Ephesians 4:14 He's using biblical terminology to describe his spiritual confusion...
I think the waves of the water is a reference to the current of the water that pulls you in, in his case that God is calling him in deeper but he is addicted to the wind which is sin.. and the world.. which only makes him more thirsty for God but as he walks in the sand he is a walking denial because he keeps denying God and his call to come to him. he instead chooses to hold on to the water in his palm meaning he has knowledge of God, memories and a part of him that he is holding on to but he is dropping as he walks and he knows that this living water can quench his thirst but he is addicted to wind, which does not help... instead it controls him and pushes him around like a spineless person. Like the demons that are driving him, so he is spineless. and again with" it is the end of the day" meaning night, and" it is the end of my way"..like he is spineless again.. not in control. and then i think the end of the song is his other side which really wants God to intervene in his life. and wash away the things he has done. he screams father.. as if he is trying to catch God's attention so he is yelling and crying for him to hear him crying out. He has not been the best of sons.. to me means he has not been following God's path. and the waves represents God trying to call him back but he's been ignoring it. which is interesting because he was just calling out to God.. but when God calls out to him he ignores it. As if he Wants to follow God faithfully but he is addicted to the sand and wind which dries him out... which is the opposite of God the water.. so he is a walking denial and will stay in that loop for a while.
Like Eminem and other artist and rappers they talk about the demons talking to them, I wonder if the demons in Tyler's lives are not really only him dealing with his mind. But real demons trying to influence them.. He is a christian which means he really believes demons exist. I might be misinterpreting most of his songs but I believe that as a guy who grew up in a christian home, he got to know God and experienced him but growing in the music industry and having the influence that he has might have come at a price, were he is surrounded by demons that try to control him or tell him what to do, he writes songs to please people's itching ears.. and is often very clear but everyone always believes he is just talking about anxiety and suicide and then society trying to make you conform... I agree in some places that is what he's talking about but in others there is a double meaning. Like MANY MANY other atrists he has an alter ego.. Blurry face.. like nikki manaj, beyonce, eminem, everyone I can think of. But for all of these artist this alter ego takes over when they are performing, giving the audience what they want, and because we do not think deeper.. we do not understand we just stay in the dark.. maybe that's why he says he want to be listened to, and people to think about what he is saying... That's a theory.
Also many times he tries to say something else is driving him, something is controlling him, he is yelling to the sky and feels that no one is listening to him.. that might be his doubts about God.. but it could also be him saying that He is not sure if he belongs to God so he is not sure if God even listens to him.. clearly there is two sides of him fighting eachother but we all think he is always talking about anxiety.. but I'm not so sure he is.. he even says ' tell our dad I'm sorry' in ruby which made me think he did something wrong and that he doesn't want to think about the consequences around the corner.. but they are eating him alive. he experienced God and knows he is all good.. and he feels like he has let him down.. and that he did not plan for any of that.
I don't know why Every time I hear his songs this is the theme I hear.. not as much the suicide and anxiety angle.
this is just my theory.. sorry if you do not understand it. I still really like their music.. but I'm always afraid that he is warning us with his lyrics that there is some evil theme behind what he's singing but he cannot say it too clearly because he has chosen to do what he is told.. I sound like a conspiracy theorist.. Sorry. lol
I think the "waves of the water" are talking about those aspects of God's plan that we don't quite understand just yet. Why some people are taken from us, why we're sick, why we're in pain, these are all things that will become clear when we meet Him. it's not exactly that they mean nothing, more that they mean something he shouldn't concern himself with because it's not his time to know just yet.
oh my gosh, fatema diab suggeted that you do this one??????? I knew a girl by that name when I lived in Africa!!!! ahhhhh
I put this on your last video but you probably didn't see it and I think you should know it. I'm not saying you're wrong but heres what I think .The twenty one pilots logo and kitchen sink correlate in other ways than you said it. There is a method of suicide in which you tie a noose to a sink, lean forward and you sadly die. I believe that the | in |-/ is a sink, the - is the rope and the / is you leaning forward. When he says "A kitchen sink to you is not a kitchen sink to me." I believe he refers to that particular suicide method. Once again I'm not saying you're wrong but I do think you should maybe look over kitchen sink with that mindset.
Twenty One Pilots' creative director Mark Eshleman talked about the logo in a podcast. He was the one who designed it. He was just throwing shapes together and trying different things and Tyler liked it and later added his own meaning onto it. I don't know if that disproves your theory or not but it is useful to know that the logo came first and then the meaning.
Broken Turbo That's what I said. I agree and some people said "something good happened so it can't have been suicide," but Tyler isn't dead. That seems pretty good to me.
Broken Turbo But one time Tyler said that something good happened to him at a kitchen sink.
I find that theory really, really interesting, and I wish I'd known about that idea before I recorded the video on it. Has Tyler confirmed this? Or is there some other social context?
In Holding On To You he says "I bet a lot of me was lost, t's uncrossed and i's undotted." This opening verse is very much about faith and his relationship with God and how he struggles with it, similar to the message of this song.
A while back I noticed that if you take "faith" and uncross the t's and undot the i's, it says "fallh" which could also look like "fallH" or "fall|-/" I might be wrong, but I just thought it was incredibly interesting.
This song makes me so emotional
Hey professor nice video as always but I think that you should work on your thumbnails and then it will be a PERFECT VIDEO
I'll see what I can do!
I always thought the waves of the water was life, like there's all this life to be lived and everything but it doesn't mean anything to him
Waves of the water could be him running with water in his hand. So the sloshing of the water doesnt matter as long as he keeps running.
Or
If the water is how he should be living then the waves are reminders of what he should be doing but he ignores their "suggestions"
I think the "of cause I'll be here again" is not that he wants to be consistent but the whole verse is a bit more objective than the first and so he says maybe he doesn't wanna have to write again because when he writes it's always that he's hurting but in this objective state he sees that he will be back writing tomorrow. It also makes more sense if you watch a video of Tyler performing the song live.
That would fit with the title of "addict with a pen" if the thing he is addicted to is actually writing. And addicted to the wind would be the same. Words are sometimes referred to as just wind or hot air.
I've always thought of water as the hope that he has left
To me, this song to me means holding onto what he needs to get him through the day
Please do trapdoor! (I have my own explanation but I want to hear yours)🙂
This is such a beautiful song
You can look it on a diffrent ways. I think that water resimbles happiness, pen is passion, and it talks about life. My look on it though
I love Tøp, but could u do some more panic! at the disco explanations any of them
I want to!
I feel like maybe the waves of the water could possibly be the water in his hands and the waves might be splashing some water out causing him to lose more and more, but he's less worried about the water, as long as he can find 'you' or assumingly, God, he will be given water and life.
Can you explain Dirty Laundry by All Time Low?!