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Holding on to You Lyrics
I'm taking over my body
Back in control, no more shotty
I bet a lot of me was lost
"T"'s uncrossed and "I"'s undotted
I fought it a lot and it seems a lot
Like flesh is all I got
Not any more, flesh out the door
SWAT
I must'a forgot, you can't trust me
I'm open a moment and closed when you show it
Before you know it I'm lost at sea
And now that I write and think about it
And the story unfolds
You should take my life
You should take my soul
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
You are surrounding all my surroundings
Sounding down the mountain range
Of my left-side brain
You are surrounding all my surroundings
Twisting the kaleidoscope
Behind both of my eyes
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Remember the moment
You know exactly where you're goin'
'Cause the next moment before you know it
Time is slowin' and it's frozen still
And the windowsill looks really nice, right?
You think twice about your life
It probably happens at night, right?
Fight it, take the pain, ignite it
Tie a noose around your mind
Loose enough to breath fine and tie it
To a tree tell it, you belong to me, this ain't a noose
This is a leash and I have news for you
You must obey me
You are surrounding all my surroundings
Sounding down the mountain range
Of my left-side brain
You are surrounding all my surroundings
Twisting the kaleidoscope
Behind both of my eyes
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Lean with it, rock with it
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
Is it time to move our feet
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
Lean with it, rock with it
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
Is it time to move our feet
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
Lean with it, rock with it
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
Is it time to move our feet
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
Lean with it, rock with it
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
Is it time to move our feet
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
And I'll be holding on to you
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
And I'll be holding on to you
And I'll be holding on to you
Back in control, no more shotty
I bet a lot of me was lost
"T"'s uncrossed and "I"'s undotted
I fought it a lot and it seems a lot
Like flesh is all I got
Not any more, flesh out the door
SWAT
I'm open a moment and closed when you show it
Before you know it I'm lost at sea
And now that I write and think about it
And the story unfolds
You should take my life
You should take my soul
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Sounding down the mountain range
Of my left-side brain
You are surrounding all my surroundings
Twisting the kaleidoscope
Behind both of my eyes
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
You know exactly where you're goin'
'Cause the next moment before you know it
Time is slowin' and it's frozen still
And the windowsill looks really nice, right?
You think twice about your life
It probably happens at night, right?
Tie a noose around your mind
Loose enough to breath fine and tie it
To a tree tell it, you belong to me, this ain't a noose
This is a leash and I have news for you
You must obey me
Sounding down the mountain range
Of my left-side brain
You are surrounding all my surroundings
Twisting the kaleidoscope
Behind both of my eyes
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
Entertain my faith
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
When we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothing
We were gifted with thought
To an introspective beat
It ain't the speakers that bump hearts
It's our hearts that make the beat
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
And I'll be holding on to you
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
Ah ah ah (and I'll be holding on to you)
And I'll be holding on to you
And I'll be holding on to you
Song Info
Copyright
Lyrics © Sony/atv Music Publishing Llc, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Writer
Bernard Leverette, Charles Hammond, Deangelo Hunt, Gerald H. Tiller, Jamall Willingham, Maurice Gleaton, Robert Lee Hill Jr., Tyler Joseph
Duration
4:24
Sentiment
Positive
Submitted by
bookhouseboy23 On Jul 13, 2011
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I'm sure the guys in Twenty One Pilots would probably want their listeners to interpret the lyrics personally, so I'll just say that WHAT I THINK personally (for me) is that they're talking about holding onto FAITH to overcome personal (flesh-based) problems - in this case, suicidal/depression-type thoughts. He's saying flesh is all he's got, and he can't trust himself, so he's going to try to control his mind (put a leash on it) and just give it over to God - telling God to take his life, take his soul - and let God surround him. And he's also talking to other people who struggle with the same problems ("at night, right?"), telling them to also entertain faith. BUT he's making it clear that people shouldn't just follow these lyrics - he doesn't mean it that way - he's saying people should think for themselves - because God gifted us with the power of thought.
check out dead come alive at http://www.five14church.com/band/music.asp, Tyler does a neat little rap, he came to my church retreat, it was awesome.
check out dead come alive at http://www.five14church.com/band/music.asp, Tyler does a neat little rap, he came to my church retreat, it was awesome.
@Moonbeam86 I think your analysis is spot on. There are clear Christian themes here, the weakness / vulnerability of the flesh, giving one's life and soul to Christ, etc. As others have noted, he clearly deals with depression and suicidal thoughts, but by holding on to Christ he can overcome it. I also agree he wants his listeners to find their own answers by thinking for themselves ("we are gifted with thought"), but he encourages them to consider Christ as a possible answer ("entertain my faith").
@Moonbeam86 I think your analysis is spot on. There are clear Christian themes here, the weakness / vulnerability of the flesh, giving one's life and soul to Christ, etc. As others have noted, he clearly deals with depression and suicidal thoughts, but by holding on to Christ he can overcome it. I also agree he wants his listeners to find their own answers by thinking for themselves ("we are gifted with thought"), but he encourages them to consider Christ as a possible answer ("entertain my faith").
@Moonbeam86 this is the meaning actually. no other way to interpret it imo
@Moonbeam86 this is the meaning actually. no other way to interpret it imo
@Moonbeam86 I agree with your interpretation and it makes perfect sense, considering that Tyler is a believer, so naturally his faith is going to come through his lyrics.
@Moonbeam86 I agree with your interpretation and it makes perfect sense, considering that Tyler is a believer, so naturally his faith is going to come through his lyrics.
I think this song is about being depressed and suicidal. "You are surrounding all my surroundings. Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes." that to be sounds like depression being all around you and effecting how you see things.
"I'm taking over my body. back in control, no more shotty. I bet a lot of me was lost "T"'s uncrossed and "I"'s undotted. I fought it a lot and it seems a lot like flesh is all I got." This to me sounds like he's taking control of himself again, he's fighting back. But when he was under, going through deep depression, a lot of him was lost.
"And now that I write and think about it and the story unfolds. You should take my life, you should take my soul" I think that's depression's opinion coming back, with some suicidal thoughts.
"Time is slowin' and it's rolling still, and the windowsill looks really nice, right? You think twice about your life, It probably happens at night, right?" That's like a panic attack, and the windowsill part is implying jumping out of it and committing suicide. and it happens at night, because that's the typical time that you feel alone and hopeless and there's no one to stop you.
"Fight it, take the pain, ignite it. Tie a noose around your mind, loose enough to breath fine and tie it to a tree tell it, you belong to me, this ain't a noose, this is a leash and I have news for you, you must obey me!" This part is about owning your depression.
@companioncube I agree with your take of it but I took the part about the windowsill to mean that hes always on edge but theres always an escape or something that helps him see what it's really like outside of his thoughts.
@companioncube I agree with your take of it but I took the part about the windowsill to mean that hes always on edge but theres always an escape or something that helps him see what it's really like outside of his thoughts.
@companioncube some people feel better at night because at night you can escape free to imagine another world and think good thoughts when in the day you feel like you are surrounded by people who don't understand what you're going through and you feel more alone. so the 'you think twice about your life it probably happens at night, right?' only applies to some people. and MusicHandle I agree with you about the windowsill part.
@companioncube some people feel better at night because at night you can escape free to imagine another world and think good thoughts when in the day you feel like you are surrounded by people who don't understand what you're going through and you feel more alone. so the 'you think twice about your life it probably happens at night, right?' only applies to some people. and MusicHandle I agree with you about the windowsill part.
@companioncube Your interpretation is spot on, except I think a couple lines mean something else. I think you're definitely right that it's about fighting depression. But the liner notes on the CD thank Jesus Christ, whom Tyler and Josh call their "lord and savior." I think the part of the song about "you should take my life, you should my soul" is directed toward God. And so is, I believe, "I'll be holding on to you." If you watch the video, at the end, Tyler points up when he says "you." Instead of relying on the power of his flesh,...
@companioncube Your interpretation is spot on, except I think a couple lines mean something else. I think you're definitely right that it's about fighting depression. But the liner notes on the CD thank Jesus Christ, whom Tyler and Josh call their "lord and savior." I think the part of the song about "you should take my life, you should my soul" is directed toward God. And so is, I believe, "I'll be holding on to you." If you watch the video, at the end, Tyler points up when he says "you." Instead of relying on the power of his flesh, he's giving his life, his soul to God, because he cannot fight the depression alone. And he's suggesting to other people that they entertain the idea of doing the same thing. We were "gifted" with thought, and using that gift of thought, we can at least entertain Tyler's faith. He's not telling people to believe what he believes, but he's sharing about what he holds onto, sharing about his faith, and he's suggesting we get "introspective" and think for ourself about that message.
@companioncube this only works if one takes \'You are surrounding all my surrounding\' and everything that follows to be completely negative, which I don\'t think it can be. It has too much positive and calm to it. What I believe it means is the singer\'s talking to God - feeling surrounded, in a good way, and having God\'s presence \'sound down the mountain range of my left-side brain\'. In the Bible, there are verses where God is depicted as descending down mountainsides, not as noise and fearful tremors or hail or rain or thunder - but peace. Quiet peace. \r\n\r\nIt\'s...
@companioncube this only works if one takes \'You are surrounding all my surrounding\' and everything that follows to be completely negative, which I don\'t think it can be. It has too much positive and calm to it. What I believe it means is the singer\'s talking to God - feeling surrounded, in a good way, and having God\'s presence \'sound down the mountain range of my left-side brain\'. In the Bible, there are verses where God is depicted as descending down mountainsides, not as noise and fearful tremors or hail or rain or thunder - but peace. Quiet peace. \r\n\r\nIt\'s also important that it\'s the LEFT side of the brain because of previously held connotations of what the different sides are in charge of. Left side is logical, analytical, rational, reality-based, detail-oriented.\r\n\r\nAnd a kaleidoscope is beautiful, even if it might be trippy or scary to some. Most I think would agree that looking through one turns the world into a whole different reality for a while. And it\'s also broken - into more and more slivers to reflect better. The singer has a \'kaleidoscope behind both of his eyes\'.
I agree that it's about coming out of depression, but there is more to it than that. It's about the person/ people or things that you hold on to in order to get out of the depression. I have been depressed for a little more than a year now and I despretly cling to anything that makes me happy. It makes me look kind of obsessive but, I love orange (the color) so almost every thing I own is orange, I'm absolutely in love with Fall Out Boy (the band) so I listen to every song they have everyday, I'm a very very loyal friend, there's alot. That's what this somg says to me.
@FrTHMMRS21 I also agree that he is going into depression and holding on to someone but I also think he is holding on to something else, his saneness. He states, "you should take my life you should take my soul" and probably means that he has seen or done too much in his life that terrible and trying to maintain it all in his mind. In the music video he is being surrounded/grabbed by skeletons or demons. I think these show that these "demons" inside him are ripping him apart on the inside and he is trying to stay together...
@FrTHMMRS21 I also agree that he is going into depression and holding on to someone but I also think he is holding on to something else, his saneness. He states, "you should take my life you should take my soul" and probably means that he has seen or done too much in his life that terrible and trying to maintain it all in his mind. In the music video he is being surrounded/grabbed by skeletons or demons. I think these show that these "demons" inside him are ripping him apart on the inside and he is trying to stay together mentally.
I think it has to do with coming out of depression. "I'm taking over my body Back in control" and "And the windowsill looks really nice, right? You think twice about your life It probably happens at night, right?" shows about how the person has gone through it and wants to get back in control.
So this is when s/he chooses to be with others instead of someone she LIES about wanting to be with???? Yup. Thought so. Again, we should all exprience such depression.
So this is when s/he chooses to be with others instead of someone she LIES about wanting to be with???? Yup. Thought so. Again, we should all exprience such depression.
I know quite a few people who go to church with these guys and most of their songs have Christian subtext; this one is about coming to Christ and dying to one's self ("You should take my life, You should take my soul") and holding onto Him through that transition ("Holding on to you..." and "Entertain my faith").
@LNJ Mate thanks for your interpretation. This makes me appreciate an awesome song even more!
@LNJ Mate thanks for your interpretation. This makes me appreciate an awesome song even more!
To me the song's definitely about depression, and since I suffer from it it connects so well with me.
"Tie a noose around your mind Loose enough to breath fine and tie it To a tree tell it, You belong to me, this ain't a noose This is a leash and I have news for you You must obey me!"
Is it time to move our feet To an introspective beat It ain't the speakers that bump hard It's our hearts that make the beat"
basically saying how in hiphop now all it's about is catchy beats and dance moves, relying more on the speakers than your own mind. We were gifted with thought, so we should use it to its fullest potential, not just to make a catchy song
I feel you!!!! I love what you said, especially the hip hop part.
I feel you!!!! I love what you said, especially the hip hop part.
All the depression themes have been mentioned, why I agree, it is about someone trying to overcome depression, but is so evident that this song is about God. The whole chorus is about the Holy Spirit,
"You are surrounding all my surroundings" God is always with you. "Sounding down the mountain range Of my left-side brain" The left side of the brain is said to be the 'logical' part, meaning that all of his logical thinking is sort of reliant on God. "You are surrounding all my surroundings Twisting the kaleidoscope Behind both of my eyes" God is the one that shifts his views so he can see more than meets the eye. "And I'll be holding onto you." Come on.
There's heaps of other little references in the verses as well As well as sort of worshiping God, it's more than it. It's to inspires others to start thinking about their own, to use our knowledge to our advantage rather then leave it dormant. This song is fantastic in juxtaposition to "Car radio" as they both have similar morals.
I agree with part of what you said. In the end of the music video, when he is singing "And I'll be holding on to you" he point up, as in to the sky, and that is when I thought that this part might be where he is saying he is holding on to God to come out of depression. But the chorus seems more like it is talking about depression. I think this because he is saying the "you are (...) twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes", which to me means that depression is making him see...
I agree with part of what you said. In the end of the music video, when he is singing "And I'll be holding on to you" he point up, as in to the sky, and that is when I thought that this part might be where he is saying he is holding on to God to come out of depression. But the chorus seems more like it is talking about depression. I think this because he is saying the "you are (...) twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes", which to me means that depression is making him see things differently, twisting his thinking, his "left-side brain". Those are my two cents. BUT music is always subjective, which is the beauty of it.
Absolutely. Listeners who aren't aware the chorus is basically a praise to God/the Holy Spirit are truly missing a huge chunk of meaning to this song. The songwriter is desperately trying to cling to God and what he knows to be true about God in the midst of the dark places his mind takes him to.
Absolutely. Listeners who aren't aware the chorus is basically a praise to God/the Holy Spirit are truly missing a huge chunk of meaning to this song. The songwriter is desperately trying to cling to God and what he knows to be true about God in the midst of the dark places his mind takes him to.
@Aetyruzen Wow I never took it this way, but that could very well be it. I think its fine if people who aren't religious take it a different way though, and take it as holding on to their friends and loved ones since everyone copes with their problems in different ways.
@Aetyruzen Wow I never took it this way, but that could very well be it. I think its fine if people who aren't religious take it a different way though, and take it as holding on to their friends and loved ones since everyone copes with their problems in different ways.
@Aetyruzen it could be interpreted like that absolutely, but its somewhat subtle enough as to where non christians (like myself) can still connect to it very strongly. to me, the "You are surrounding all my surroundings" and "This aint a noose this is a leash and I have news for you, you must obey me!" parts relate to depression, because i have severe depression and thats what it feels like to me.But again, it could be interpreted many different ways, and this is a valid one.
@Aetyruzen it could be interpreted like that absolutely, but its somewhat subtle enough as to where non christians (like myself) can still connect to it very strongly. to me, the "You are surrounding all my surroundings" and "This aint a noose this is a leash and I have news for you, you must obey me!" parts relate to depression, because i have severe depression and thats what it feels like to me.But again, it could be interpreted many different ways, and this is a valid one.
@Aetyruzen but im an athiest
@Aetyruzen but im an athiest
I agree with the depression theory that most people have, but I want to add that the part where it says "Tie a noose around your mind Loose enough to breath fine and tie it To a tree tell it, You belong to me, this ain't a noose This is a leash and I have news for you You must obey me!" Is talking about how if your mind is the problem and you are having bad suicidal thoughts, instead of cutting of your mind completely, or killing it, you need to find a way to control your thoughts, or "put a leash on your mind" you need to control your thoughts instead of thinking that the only way to stop them is to kill yourself.
@Jøsh Dun -- See now when I first heard this song I thought it sounded like an anti-religion song. Like religion was the noose around the neck, and religion wanted to own his thoughts, and was twisting the kaleidoscope. I took the part about being gifted with thought as sort of reminder to think for yourself, and not to follow blindly to something (religion) that was difficult to swallow in the first place, and the struggles when trying to ignore your own logical thoughts, while trying to adopt what religion wants you to think, with a healthy dose of fear...
@Jøsh Dun -- See now when I first heard this song I thought it sounded like an anti-religion song. Like religion was the noose around the neck, and religion wanted to own his thoughts, and was twisting the kaleidoscope. I took the part about being gifted with thought as sort of reminder to think for yourself, and not to follow blindly to something (religion) that was difficult to swallow in the first place, and the struggles when trying to ignore your own logical thoughts, while trying to adopt what religion wants you to think, with a healthy dose of fear religion teaches you when you don't (or can't) adopt religions way of thinking. But I can dig the religion point of view, that explanation makes sense as well. This is my favorite 21 Pilots song nonetheless, especially the video, the lead singers performance is amazing, so much believable emotion, and the drummer going absolute ape-shit on the drums! That guy is unbelievable! I usually never notice the drummers performances, but that guy stands out. LOVE the video!!
i think the song is about someone letting go of the fear of suicide and depression.
@cameliaajadee i like what you are saying i believe it is also about suicide and depression
@cameliaajadee i like what you are saying i believe it is also about suicide and depression
Yes, I definitely agree with the song being about depression and also the things that keep your head above water. It seems like he's angry at himself for being depressed but can't seem to shake that it keeps creeping back (as in the first verse). He wants nothing more than to overcome the feelings, but the emotional ups and downs are beyond his control. The "I must'a forgot, you can't trust me. I'm moment-to-moment and close but don't show it. Before you know it I'm lost at sea," shows the struggles he cycles though as one minute he can be fine and the next moment snap back into his old ways/thoughts/patterns. His depression controls him ("Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes.") And the only thing he can do is hold on to whatever his buoy is. I don't necessary believe it has to be religious, though. It could be friends, family, things such as music (as the person below me stated) or painting, or even the faith he has that the future will bring better times ("Entertain my faith"). I'd assume the last bit of the song pertains to his wish that people could express themselves more genuinely through the heart like he is himself. If people worldwide weren't so judgmental or cold, and more open to the idea that we're all human, I'm sure it would be easier for someone who needed help to find it and not feel so small and insignificant. I really enjoy this song because it shows me that twenty|one|pilots are really making an effort to make a song that people across the board can relate to, not a song about big booty hoes or "getting paper" because deep down everyone has hard emotions they have to deal with, no matter how hard they can cover it up externally.