A Car, a Torch, a Death

21P are not always straight-forward with the meaning in their songs, which I think is purposefully done so the audience can form their own understanding of it based on personal experience. What I took from it is that this is a song about a man that is romantically involved with a woman whom lives very far away, and she feels dangerously unhappy when he is not around (when he's driving away from her house, he want to go back because he knows she will fall apart in the absence of his presence, hence the "I begin to envy the headlights driving South. I want to crack the door so I can just fall out.") When he "understands why God died" and "takes the grave, sending her demons his way," he is saying he will attempt to mend her, but knows that this will cause conflict and pain upon himself, which is a great sacrifice. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son that all who believed on Him should not perish but have everlasting life." This is along the same lines of. I think the lines "And when my car was far out of sight, he (the demons) crept in her room and stayed there for the night" mean that every time he leaves her she is hit with a depression and severe sadness, and when he says "He layed it out, what he had planned," he is saying that they both know that she will go into a deep sadness when he leaves. The beginning and end, from "The air begins to feel a little thin" to "I began to understand why God died" are saying that she gave him her all, but in doing so, it pains her to be without him. He is reassured by her love but is saddened by her sorrow.

When I really listen to this song as I have many a time, and knowing top I really don't think its about a girlfriend at all. Tyler said in one of his recent interviews that Tear In My Heart was the first song he wrote about a girl because they were married and he knew that it was forever. Of course this is my own opinion but I believe this song to be about a mother or a sister, not necessarily his but a mother or sister. Artists a lot of the time draw from their own experiences but sometimes they will write about something that actually has never happened to them. When I imagine it I think of a mother so I'm going to use that. I think the mother is sick and she tells him its okay to leave her so he goes home reluctantly, wishing he could be back there to take care of her. She gave him her heart to take with him. When he says "the demon stood there waiting on her porch" the demon is the grim reaper symbolizing death. The song is called a car, a torch, a death. When he drives away for the night death swoops in, starting to take her. He feels chills in his bones. When he sees her and her life is nearing its end (because Tyler is actually religious) he sees God with a torch to guide the way for his mother and Tyler sees what he has planned then he tells God he'll "take the grave" as in take her place and die for her as Christians believe Jesus died for us. "Please just send them all my way" refers to her demons. He would rather take them then her hsvig to face them all. "I began to understand why God died" means he knows what its like to love unconditionally and so deeply for someone you would take all their pain and burdens and put it on yourself even if it means your life. His mother is very very near death and it's almost morning. Before she dies she gives him her heart to keep.

Anyways that is my own personal interpretation and the beautiful thing about music is there are endless possibilities to how to interpret music and its unique to every one of us. I just wanted to share why this song is special for me.

I haven't completely figured out the meaning to this song yet, but I have a strong feeling it has absolutely nothing to do with a girl or a romantic relationship. Knowing that these guys are Christians changes my original interpretation.

"The air begins to feel a little thin As I start the car and then I begin To add the miles piled up behind me I barely feel a smile deep inside me"

Starting the car is starting his new life as a Christian who is now accountable for his actions. He's realizing that he is now an adult and is accountable for his actions to God and is adding up all the sins he's accumulated in his past, "the miles piled behind me" and when he thinks about all he's done against God he's not feeling too good about it which is why he "barely feels s smile deep inside."

"And I begin to envy the headlights driving south I want to crack the door so I can just fall out But then I remember when you packed my car You reached in the back and buckled up your heart"

The headlights driving south are the majority of people heading "south" , south being a metaphor for Hell. Living a Christian life is difficult, especially if your a rock star, he's finding himself being envious of those around him enjoying the pleasures of sin. He's almost ready to succumb to sinful desire when he says "I want to crack the door so I can just fall out." But then he remembers who he is in Christ and that when he made his commitment Jesus came into his heart when he says "But then I remembered when you packed my car." His transformation to Christianity was true and Jesus has taken over his heart, and thus the line "You reached in the back and buckled up your heart. For me to drive away with." He now understands why Jesus died for his sins when he says "I began to understand why God died."

"The demon sat there waiting on her porch It was a little dark so he held a makeshift torch And when my car was far out of sight He crept in her room and stayed there for the night"

This is where it gets a little trickier to interpret but I believe when he says "The demon sat there waiting on her porch" he is referring to Satan constantly waiting just outside to creep into our lives at any moment. Even when deep down what we want to do we know is sinful or "dark" Satan has a way of convincing us that it's actually a good thing but convincing us with a false sense of "goodness" which is the makeshift torch. Remember the car, his life, has been packed with the heart of Jesus buckled in back. He let his guard down when he says "when my car was far out of sight" which allowed Satan creep in a stay a while.

"And then I felt chills in my bones The breath I saw was not my own"

He succumbs to sin and realizes that he's been deceived and that what he's doing is not really who he is in Christ, his own breath is not his own but Satan's influence over him.

"I knew my skin that wrapped my frame Wasn't made to play this game And then I saw Him, torch in hand"

He realizes he can't play this sinful game and still be a Christian, he's not made to live in this sin, he sees that Satan deceived him with the makeshift torch of false goodness.

"He laid it out, what he had planned And then I said, I'll take the grave Please, just send them all my way"

Satan reveals what he has planned with the pleasures that he can have in this world continuing to live a life of sin, but he finds his strength in Christ and says he will take death before he chooses a life that denies Christ and basically tells Satan to "bring it on" because he's found his faith again.

"The air begins to feel a little thin As we're waiting for the morning to begin But for now you told me to hold this jar And when I looked inside, I saw It held your heart, for me to walk away with"

Even though the car previously drove away when he let his guard down, Christ continually renews the Christian reminding him that the heart of Christ is still with him and cannot ever be taken away from the truly saved.

"I began to understand Why God died"

He's understanding more and more the necessity of why Christ had to die on the cross.

Of course the song was written in a way that will allow the masses to have multiple interpretations but only someone familiar with true Christian theology will get the meaning that the author had in mind for himself when he wrote the song.

This is clearly religious in a sense, I also think it was one of the very few romantically related songs by Twenty One Pilots.

I think it's about a girlfriend/wife cheating on her boyfriend/husband and the pain it caused for the boyfriend/husband. (I'll try to keep my religious views out of this) Biblical text references that God died because he loved the world. In this situation, the boyfriend/husband understands that because he loves his girlfriend/wife and that's why he wishes for death.

Personal interpretation, just my opinion. That is all.

21P are not always straight-forward with the meaning in their songs, which I think is purposefully done so the audience can form their own understanding of it based on personal experience. What I took from it is that this is a song about a man that is romantically involved with a woman whom lives very far away, and she feels dangerously unhappy when he is not around (when he's driving away from her house, he want to go back because he knows she will fall apart in the absence of his presence, hence the "I begin to envy the headlights driving South. I want to crack the door so I can just fall out.") When he "understands why God died" and "takes the grave, sending her demons his way," he is saying he will attempt to mend her, but knows that this will cause conflict and pain upon himself, which is a great sacrifice. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son that all who believed on Him should not perish but have everlasting life." This is along the same lines of. I think the lines "And when my car was far out of sight, he (the demons) crept in her room and stayed there for the night" mean that every time he leaves her she is hit with a depression and severe sadness, and when he says "He layed it out, what he had planned," he is saying that they both know that she will go into a deep sadness when he leaves. The beginning and end, from "The air begins to feel a little thin" to "I began to understand why God died" are saying that she gave him her all, but in doing so, it pains her to be without him. He is reassured by her love but is saddened by her sorrow.

I see this as him leaving a loved one for the last time as they are in the final stages of dying or just passed. Once on the road he is overcome with grief and considers killing himself, but then sees god. God explains that he has a plan for everyone and the death was part of it. The narrator asks god to take him instead, which is why "he understands why God died."

Twenty one pilots songs in theory have no meaning, They do not want them to have on meaning. They want every person to take what they take and what they need from their music. So 1,000,000,000+ people could comment on what this is supposed to mean and technically they would all be correct.

as tyler says himself "because a kitchen sink to you is not a kitchen sink to me, ok friend?"

This song is really great. I think you are awesome singer. rickydiabetesdestroyed.com/my-bikini-belly

i completely love how Tyler writes his songs which can create different meanings it's just the perspective.People who listen to twenty one pilots for their music would be finding this as a sweet story of a relationship of a mother,sister or a girlfriend.People who might be depressed would interpret this song differently which is very beautiful if you think about it.different minds and different opinions.Also i have been in the clique for two years and a half and i am lucky enough to discover such of an amazing duo. stay alive frens |-/ ,living is beautiful.

To understand this song it takes a little understanding of Christian theology. Tyler says he understands why God died. In Christian theology Jesus, who is also God, died to save us from sin.

In this song the main character is worried about a woman he cares about. "I begin to envy the headlights driving south I want to crack the door so I can just fall out But then I remember when you packed my car You reached in the back and buckled up your heart"

It hurts her when he's gone and her personal struggles grow worse. "And when my car was far out of sight He crept in her room and stayed there for the night"

He cares for her so much that he would sacrifice himself to heal her hurts. This is why he knows why God died. He understands the pain of watching someone you care about suffer and therefore understands sacrificing for them. "And then I said, I'll take the grave, please, just send them all my way"