Joy

While zuchinno makes a really good point, I'm not so sure this song is entirely void of hope.

It lists a lot of depressing images of the world (caged lions, disgusting triumph, etc), showing an acknowledgement of how screwed up the world is.

But I think at the same time, they are finding hope for better days amidst all the gloom and dark.

"All is quiet, except for this song. So maybe while I'm not together I can feel like I'm not alone" - I think this is saying that he can still find something peaceful and calming, despite everything that is going wrong.

• With the whole second verse/chorus, he's saying that he's not sure he believes in a god. He certainly doesn't believe in the God that they would like him to, and is instead trying to figure it out for himself.

"...my panic is an only reason There is a joy, a joy in all I can see. a joy in every possibility"

He's not sure about his beliefs (which is a scary thing), but he's doing what he can to figure it out for himself. It's not easy, not knowing what to believe, but there is "a joy" in finding his own answers instead of giving in and accepting a God he doesn't believe in.

So, yeah, to sum up what it says to me - "Things suck now, but there's still some good out there and there's stilll the hope/possibility that we'll figure it out and make things better." Or maybe I'd just really like to believe that this song is truly hopeful and not a mockery.

I think Joy represents the optimistic nature of most human life. It's very crude and confusing in one sense but beautiful and purposeful in another. You just have to choose to be optimistic. Loneliness, cages, and disgusting triumphs all make it possible for there to be community, freedom, and democracy. Sometimes reality is very crude and seemingly chaotic, but, with all the possibilities, there's still an inclination towards life, love, and joy.

You can see this in most of the interpretations laid out here. Most people see the good in the message, while one or two perceive a sort of fake happiness. In my opinion, that's the beauty of this song.

this song (or at least the way i relate to it anyway) isn't just a calming melody, and it's not "fake" happy either. it's somewhere in between. he is more or less hinting at how he copes with his internal feelings of pain. everyone experiences pain and sorrow, and it doesn't always just go away, so you gotta find ways of living in the mean time.

the first lines actually tell you the speaker's motivation for writing the song -- so he doesn't have to feel alone. the impending "onslaught" is the terrifying future.

also, the oxymorons in the song reflect the mixed feelings towards the present state of things. he feels deep down that the world is fucked up, so he tries to find joy in as many places as he can.

the lines about god...well, that's pretty obvious. it relates to the whole idea of coping. some people get through life on their religious beliefs, but that's not what this guy does. in place of faith, he has a sense of optimism. look on the bright side of things now, and get excited about things to come. that's his god.

so yes, there is a disparity between the speaker's "joy" and his "panic," but i wouldn't say he's trying to fool anyone. the world makes him feel lonely and scared, so he creates his own world...which is basically what every single person in the world does, to some extent. i'd say he's just more in touch with himself than most others.

Pain and the acceptance of reality taken on it, is a way of pushing through to find the hope we're always searching for. Sometimes it's the stupid things, sometimes it's whatever. Sometimes it doesn't have to make sense. Oh well.

I think this is saying to push through despite all the bullshit, and to make the biggest sacrifices you can in doing so. That's why there's a sense of false hope... because it's almost like he's given up. Yet this song screams to still fucking push through all the bullshit, just because the hope is in there somewhere. Even if you can't fucking feel it.

Lions in the cages... Hm. I dunno. I could be taking stuff out of context. Could be wrong. But. I just made a curious sacrifice for a wonderful friend of mine. And this song is fitting the mood perfectly.

I am looking for a fate? My panic is the only reason. We get afraid of what we love the most. There's love in this song, my friends. Love. And joy.

Aesthetic. That's all this song is about.

This song is amazing, I can't believe there was only one comment. I could listen to this on repeat for the rest of my life.

i love listening to this song when the sun is shining and im sunbating in the garden. it really relaxes me. but is it just as simple as being about "aesthetic" as brokenrepublic says?

This is one of those bright spots on an otherwise fairly dark album. It's so light and gives you hope. It shows that the band isn't all anger and digust, but tells us that through it all, there is a light to keep walking towards.

taltos is right. this song gives me hope. against me is amazing.

Panic of not wasting life is the only motivation for this song.