Trapdoor

I'm pretty sure this song is about how loneliness and depression can eat away at someone's sanity.

"He wakes up early today Throws on a mask that will alter his face" i.e. hiding behind a smile or cheery disposition.

"Nobody knows his real name But now he just uses one he saw on a grave" Nobody knows his real personality, all they get is one he made up. I know that personally I name characters after the names I see on gravestones; but this is also a possible reference to how dead he feels inside.

"He pretends that he's okay But you should see Him in bed late at night, he's petrified Take me out, and finish this waste of a life" He's afraid of dying but wants to kill himself. "me" here is a gun or a method of suicide, I believe. The singer is taking the position of the suicidal thoughts or depression observing the sufferer. "Everyone gather around for a show Watch as this man disappears as we know Do me a favor and try to ignore As you watch him fall through a bleeding trapdoor" People who are depressed often melt away from their friends, leaving them wondering where the person they used to know has gone. The singer is telling the sufferer's friends that they should ignore his problems, which is probably a reference to the oft-repeated mantra "I'm fine." Still, the friends can see he's in trouble but they don't want to put unwanted pressure to get help on him.

"He thinks that faith might be dead Nothing kills a man faster than his own head" He can't find the spirituality or faith he used to have, which meant a lot to him. It's making him even more upset, and he loses hope.

"He used to see dreams at night But now he's just watching the backs of his eyes" He's not remembering his dreams, if he's sleeping at all. Insomnia can make depression worse.

"'Cause nobody knows he's alive" He feels abandoned and nobody would care if he died, because he's already dead to the world.

I this song touches on depression very easily, but I think the other theme in this song is drug addiction. I am a recovering drug addict, so for me it jumped out right away and made sense.

The songs starts with the line "He wakes up early today, throws on a mask that will alter his face." I've taken this to mean that this man is getting high, this "mask" is the euphoria that is experienced by the user. It changes their behavior and perception of the world. They change.

"Nobody knows his real name" because he is lying to everyone. In a lot of fantasy magic lore, someone's "real name" or "true name" is the name that defines the entirety of the individual, all their traits are explained within their true name, so because he hides his addiction from loved ones, nobody truly knows his true name. The name from the grave could be an artistic way of saying that he has killed his identity by letting this addiction control him.

"He thinks that faith might be dead." When your life is being controlled by addiction, your life really sucks, it's hard to keep the faith when you feel that you're helpless, and not even God seems to care about your predicament.

"He used to seem dreams at night now he's just watching the backs of his eyes." I used to be unable to dream because I was getting high everyday, it actually affected my brain. Certain drugs can cause this to happen, and I think this is what Tyler may be referring to.

Pretending to be okay is pretty obvious, people usually aren't willing ti admit when they have a problem, that's why it's the first step in recovery, and if this person is "petrified" while in bed at night, it's safe to guess that this guy is self-medicating.to cope with some type of problem like anxiety or depression.

When he says "finish this waste of life", it's a cry to God to get rid of him. Obviously he's disgusted with himself, and would rather die than continue to live this life.

And finally, trap doors usually are designed to kill the victim that is unfortunate to go through them, while using drugs to help cope may seem like a harmless thing because you are aiming to help yourself, it's a trap because of how they can consume your life by how dependent you can become from them. So falling through this one is referencing the mystery man killing himself one day at a time through drug use.

Sorry if this seems jumbled and all over the place; I have had this idea in my head for like a year or more, and I just kinda barfed it up to try to share it with you, the reader. I hope this made sense, and if you're struggling with some type of addiction, please, get the help you need. You're strong enough to do it, you just need to try. Stay Alive guys |-/

I believe that this song is about a man who tries so hard to act like he's all okay, nothing's wrong, he's all great, but in reality, he's dying inside. I also think it shows how many people hear and see suicide happening, but no one does anything about it. I believe it tells the listener how he wants to end his life because the depression is eating him away and he is tired of lying to himself.. The man suffering from this is lonely and needs someone. He tries a little bit to reach out to someone in a nonverbal way, showing the pain he is in. "He wakes up early today, throws out a match that will alter his face. Nobody knows his real name, Now he just uses what he saw one a grave. He pretends he's okay, but you should see." ~This section of the songs tells that when the man wakes up early, he hates what he sees in the mirror, meaning he hates himself, and I guess he changes himself so he doesn't have to deal with it.. like a disguise? No one knows his real name, so he uses one that he saw on a grave. He pretends he's okay, but he most definitely is not okay. "?? in bed, late at night, he's petrified. Take me out, finish his waste of a life. Everyone gather around for a show, watch as this man disappears as you know. Do me a favor and try to ignore, as you watch him fall through a bleeding trapdoor." ~At night he's more paranoid than petrified, because what comes with depressed is paranoia. After that line, it tells that the man is going out to kill himself, because he and others believe he's a waste of a life. It describes how aware the people are that he's going to do it, but they ignore it, as always. The bleeding trapdoor refers to the pain the man is falling through, and the death that awaits him. "He thinks that faith might be dead, but nothing kills man faster than his own head. He used to see dreams at night, but now he just watches the backs of his eyes. --already explained--" ~He thinks that there is nothing left for him, that he is useless, stupid, and he screwed up his life. But, you always have to remember, Nothing Kills Man Faster Than His Own Head. That means you need to let go of the crap that bugs you most. If you don't, you will be brought down by yourself, and in the end, the only person to blame is yourself. Depression is usually just how negative people are in their minds, which can easily be fixed. We just over think it, and then our conscience kicks in saying "Oh, you're depressed.. Let's stay that way." It's easy to get out, and it's easy to get in. Bacj to the song, where he says the man used to see dreams at night, the man got so depressed and so full of his mind that he cant sleep well. When you dream, you sleep deep.

I truly hope this helped you with the meaning and gave you some tips. I, myself, can relate to this. Tyler Joseph, the author of this band, did an interview once. He said he doesn't like when people put himself into his own songs, like this one. He writes songs with deep meanings like this so you can relate and use it to help you, like Holding Onto You. That song gives you tips on how to get out of suicide and depression. This is why I love 21P so much.

This is one of the most touching songs in the album but the meaning is pretty much clear. It is about a depressed man. The depression is described so deeply that I can't help but wonder if Tyler is just talking about himself in 3rd person. The nameless masked man could even be the depression itself. (It makes the meaning a lot optimistic though, because we are basically watching this man die)

Emphasis on death and maybe suicidal thoughts are also striking. "Take me out, and finish this waste of a life." He and this masked man (IT'S BLURRY FACE GUYS) are two separate people. But they are still together. He wants to be saved. He want's us to destroy the other masked one. (it's a call for help, i'm gonna cry)

"Cause no body knows he's alive" Ok, he wants to get rid of the other part of him. He wants help too. But no one's even aware. It's like a secret.

One more thing, "everyone gather around for a show" and "Do me a favor and try to ignore, when you watch him fall through a blatant trapdoor" implies how no one really cares what's happening to him. The darkness is consuming and whether he hides it or he's blatantly falling - no one's seeing.

I personally think this song is about a closeted transgender person, who's trying to hide their real identity from people who wouldn't accept them.

The line, "He wakes up early today ,Throws on a mask that will alter his face" would mean covering up who they really are and then the line, "Nobody knows his real name, But now he just uses one he saw on a grave" Meaning no one really knows what their real name is, only their birth name which is otherwise known as a dead name.

Then there are the lines, "And he pretends he's okay, but you should see, oh Him in bed late at night, he's petrified" Meaning the person is not okay with faking anymore but they're too scared to come out, and then there's the line, "Take me out, and finish this waste of a life" would mean that he's sick of living the way he is, and would rather die.

And then there's the chorus, "Everyone gather around for a show Watch as this man disappears as we know Do me a favor and try to ignore As you watch him fall through a bleeding trapdoor", this interprets that though he may seem real, he's not, he's acting, or putting on a show, he's fading and disappearing bit by bit and everyone else is ignoring it or not noticing it.

After the chorus, there are the lines, "He thinks that faith might be dead Nothing kills a man faster than his own head" which would mean putting himself down and feeling like no one would accept him, so he keeps these thoughts to himself, slowly letting the thoughts in his head kill him.

and then the lines, "He used to see dreams at night But now he's just watching the backs of his eyes" as in he used to be able to sleep okay, but now the thoughts of being disowned or bullied haunt him at night, rendering him unable to sleep, or see dreams

After they repeat the pre-chorus and chorus, there comes the line, "'Cause nobody knows he's alive" Meaning no one knows who he really is, the person he truly is, doesn't exist to them, meaning they don't know that he's alive