Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
I know where You stand, silent in the trees
And that's where I am, silent in the trees
Why won't You speak where I happen to be?
Silent in the trees, standing cowardly
I can feel Your breath
I can feel my death
I want to know You, I want to see
I want to say
Hello, hello
Hello, oh, hello
Da da, da da da, da-da
Da da, da da da, da-da
Da da, da da da, da-da
Da da, da da da, da-da
I know where You stand, silent in the trees
And that's where I am, silent in the trees
Why won't You speak where I happen to be?
Silent in the trees, standing cowardly
I can feel Your breath
I can feel my death
I want to know You, I want to see
I want to say
Hello (da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Hello (da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Hello, hello, hello, hello
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Yeah (da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Hello, hello (oh, oh)
Hello, hello (oh, oh)
And that's where I am, silent in the trees
Why won't You speak where I happen to be?
Silent in the trees, standing cowardly
I can feel Your breath
I can feel my death
I want to know You, I want to see
I want to say
Hello, hello
Hello, oh, hello
Da da, da da da, da-da
Da da, da da da, da-da
Da da, da da da, da-da
Da da, da da da, da-da
I know where You stand, silent in the trees
And that's where I am, silent in the trees
Why won't You speak where I happen to be?
Silent in the trees, standing cowardly
I can feel Your breath
I can feel my death
I want to know You, I want to see
I want to say
Hello (da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Hello (da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Hello, hello, hello, hello
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Yeah (da da, da da da, da-da)
(Da da, da da da, da-da)
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Hello, hello (oh, oh)
Hello, hello (oh, oh)
Lyrics submitted by bookhouseboy23
Trees Lyrics as written by Tyler Joseph
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The religion thing throws a lot of people off, but I felt it was easy to relate the song to the story of Zacchaeus in the bible. The song to me signifies a dialogue between Jesus and Zacchaeus where Jesus notices him in the tree standing cowardly. Zacchaeus knows that Jesus see's him and says how he feels his breath and death.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector who wanted to see Jesus. But he was a very short man. Maybe the point that he is a tax collector in that time and age meant that he wanted to stay in the tree cowardly. Yet, he still wanted to see Jesus the great Nazarene! Ultimately, the song ends off by him giving this utterance of how he wants to say "know", "see" and "say hello" to Jesus.
reference Luke 19 : 1-10
Wow. You know your stuff. I just figured he was talking about wanting more of God, and not being able to find him. Your relation to the story of zacchaeus has me enjoying the song even more. I never would have thought of comparing the two, but you did and I give you props. I wonder if Tyler had that story in mind when he wrote it? Great minds think alike.
@davidbamford props for referencing Zacchaeus, but for this song I'm not seeing it. Especially since he starts off saying he knows that he is standing in the trees silently. With Zacchaeus, Jesus was never in the tree and Jesus spoke to him and called him down. This song seems more like a struggle with faith and in your darkest hours, when you're sick of falling into the same sinful patterns, all you want is to hear and know God and find peace, but you're struggle to find it.
@davidbamford I used to listen to this song and thought it was about him feel in alone , but I got saved , all praise to God. . But I re listened to this song and thought zaccheaus as well , and how he is like zaccheaus and his audience is like him as well because they want to know God so badly that they are in a tree try it to see Him and know Him but like zaccheaus they think that they must attain to moral standard or be good enough to know God therefore they stay cowardly in their tree . Until God comes to them . Which I think in the song is represented by the last Long HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . total zaccheaus reference