Sort Of

I think this is about someone incapable of feeling or expressing emotion, and their inability to connect to someone else. The chorus especially makes it clear that they're just full of apathy for everything, who knows why.

i friggin love this song

This song is about being incapable of speaking your true feelings. Repression. He desperately needs to spit everything out! --I swear any moment you will hear my spirit explode-- Even though he doesnt know exactly what's wrong with him. --What's keeping my tongue tied?-- Sometimes pain turns into anger or hate. Even the sound of the song shows anger, powerlessness.

For me this could be the II part of "Draining". All that waiting turned into apathy. His definition of being strong was to bottle up his feelings. Everything went downhill and now they cant help each other --When your hand stretches out is it way beyond (...) my reach?--

I get that from the song but I'm having trouble with these metaphores. Specially the third line:
--When there's fire on the ground Should it turn my whole world around? When the wheel's in the lake :( Should I think it's a big mistake? When there's smoke in the sky Please wake me, I don't know why--

Can someone help me please? I would appreciate it very much

Sounds like it's about being in love with someone who is troubled.

"What's keeping my tongue tied? I see when you roll your eyes. I swear any moment you will hear my spirit explode"

To me that line speaks of the troubled person completely resenting the singer's love / presence / advice / help... or whatever. The singer recognises this resentment and wants to speak out because it's hurting them.

Also, the whole fire on the ground / wheel in the lake / smoke in the sky thing. They sound like metaphors for these troubles the other person might be going through. And the singer is saying like... why should i care? "Should it turn my whole world around?"

The singer is unsure about whether they can help this person who doesn't want to be helped "When your hand stretches out... is is way beyond my reach?"

Also, the troubled person is taking advantage of the singer's interest (sexually, probably) "do you think it's sort of a crutch, when you try to move me to touch" which is ruining the love the singer has for them, but not their lust... "so i shake, well sort of, but not much" "does it make you nervous when you hear my bones, animate my body, without my soul?"

I don't know if i've explained that very well, but it makes sense to me.

Singer is in love with troubled individual. Troubled individual does not / cannot return these feelings. The singer is gradually becoming emotionally numb. But they stick around anyways for the sex...

"Do you think i'm sort of alive? Should i set these motives aside?"

I think that the chorus of this song is about carrying on the face of adversity:

"When there's fire on the ground Should it turn my whole world around?"

Ie, 'When the world around me is burning, should I let that stand in my way?'

"When the wheel's in the lake Should I think it's a big mistake?"

Brings to mind a car accident; certainly something tragic. The singer asks himself, 'Should I blame fate somehow and decide that there has been some cosmic error, or should I accept tragedy for what it is, and move through it?'

"When there's smoke in the sky Please wake me, I don't know why"

Here the singer shows that in spite of his resilience, he is not indifferent to the suffering in the world. He doesn't know why he cares, but he does.

"When your hand stretches out Is it way beyond, way beyond my reach?"

Finally though, the singer admits his isolation. When someone reaches out to him - whether to save him or be saved - he questions whether he is capable of being rescued or of making a difference.

im not too sure what this ones about buts its one of my favorites on the album. this songs awesome

I think it's "Do I feel well sort of benign" and "When you try to move me to touch"

i think its about someone who has experienced something traumatic and now seems indifferent to everything. or something along those lines.

Reach Keep reaching For me Does it make you nervous When you hear my bones Animate my body Without my soul?

I think the question ends in bones. Another thing about this, is that in Silversun Pickups website, they publish their lyrics and this one's wrong. it's clear he say MY soul, not A soul. Here is ok.

What's keeping my tongue tied? I see when you roll your eyes I swear any moment you will hear My spirit explode

He wants to, lets say connect with her, ( What's keeping my tongue tied? ) but for some reason he remains with apathy, and so does she.

from my understanding, this song is clearly about death in many ways, the fear of death, our own demise, and the temptation to do ourselves in at times.

when theres fire on the gound...fear of death, when the wheel's in the lake...suicide, when theres smoke in the sky...armageddon or war. when your hand stretches out...a call for help