Missing Persons 1 & 2

7 point 1 took it all down - this made me think of an earthquake - i.e. 7.1 on the richter scale brought about the tragedy that took the lives away - making them all missing persons. Then the faces and memory of those missing haunt the singer at their window, but they are never found so there's no closure and it leaves them to 'wonder where you are' at the end.

A tad depressing! His voice makes me think of Coldplay's Chris Martin in this song.

I'm don't really understand the meaning completely either, but I agree with GrandeGris that he's really talking about himself and that the title Missing Persons 1&2 refers to him switching back and forth between first person and second person narrative.

"A missing person's in the window staring at me. Haven't seen them in years."

He sees his reflection in the window and is surprised, because he doesn't know who he really is anymore.

"Now you're breakin'... Lost in all the wars we fought... First things first. Second in command. Right as I'm trying to change my plan, second's gonna die. Oh! he can't breath... I don't know what to do 'til you say."

He seems to be going through some inner conflict, struggling with himself as he tries to decide what he really wants to do and where he really wants to go.

"I wonder where you are, I wonder where you are..."

I believe he's going through some sort of identity confusion, struggling to find out who he really is. The confusion he feels about this may be part of the reason why the lyrics are so vague and unclear; because he doesn't really understand what he's feeling either, so he can't express it clearly.

I think that I have a clear understanding of what the song means. The song is supposed to mean that he is missing a piece of him and it has just been away from him for a long time (The "missing person" he's talking about). The part when the song changes course seems to be an attempt to locate that missing piece. The line where it mentions "7.1" seems to be a reference to the Richter Scale, the scale used to record earthquakes. This indicates that the event that he experienced that likely took away a piece of him was severe. This could be another song about a breakup, or it could be about major event that reshaped him.

i think it has kind of a third-person feel to it, like he is actually talking about himself... i think we get the name (as in the 1&2) from where the songs changes to something completely different. otherwise,i agree with you guys.

Obviously this song can be taken either literally or metaphorically.

If taken literally, the second stanza explains the setting. Polka.dot made a cool comment on the 7 point 1 thing being about an earthquake. Which makes sense. I see that part of the song basically saying that after some disaster occurred (physically, or mentally) that person disappeared. Maybe to get away from it. Whether they were killed or left of their own will, we don't know. That's what makes them missing.

After than I think the song goes pretty much into metaphor mode, but I can't for the life of me figure out what the heck it's supposed to be. This song has so many possible meanings it's crazy.

But I would like to point out the part "second gonna die, oh, he can't breathe. Everybody's staring straight at me" either means everyone's blaming him for that, or they're trusting that he'll save them.

I love how this song's lyrics are so confusing, almost surreal. I honestly hate songs with an obvious meaning.

I'm not quite sure what this means, but I think it's about a couple getting lost, not even knowing each other or themselves.

I really am not clear on the meaning either. I think it could mean diff. things. I think the main idea of the song is that the singer feels like someone he used to know well has changed.They went away & they've com back & he feels like they're a totally different person now. Also get the vibe that hes haunted by something. He doesnt want to turn out a certain way or make the same mistakes he's seen this person make.

it's weird because it's Missing Persons, like there's more than one person. So that kind of tells me it's not a couple.

I don't know, maybe it's about friends. Like how sometimes you are such good friends with people but as time goes on you go your own separate ways and they essentially become strangers to you.

I think this song is open for many different types of interpretation. I think it could be about a military couple, the one waiting for his/her loved one to return from deployment. They don't know if they want to stick around much longer waiting for them to come home and not leave anymore, or not. A part of them cant let go, they keep holding on. If you read the lyrics from that point of view it makes sense.
When it says "i wonder where you are " and "suddenly you cant be found", for me personally being in a military relationship I really relate to those lines in the song and "missing person's in the window staring at me" because when he's gone you don't know where they could be and the missing person is myself, because a part of me is missing without him, and it seems like they've been gone for years. And the love is all I have, but it brings a lot of pain wondering if/when he will return. Its not a matter for me if I'll stick around because he's the love of my life, but many couples in military relationships always have that thought of will they be here when i return or will they stay true to me. That's my interpretation of this song!

I agree with all of you but I read somewhere else that this song is dedicated to all the american soliders out there serving its country. "Lost in all the wars we fought" But idk.. :)