This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Na na na na oh oh
Na na na na oh oh
Na na na na oh oh
When the leader of the bad guys sang
Something soft and soaked in pain
I heard the echo from his secret hideaway
He must've forgot to close his door
As he cranked out those dismal chords
And his four walls declared him insane
I found my way
Right time wrong place
As I plead my case
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
I know my soul's freezing
Hell's hot for good reason
So please, take me
Na na na na oh
Na na na na oh
Na na na na oh
Three lights are lit
But the fourth one's out
I can tell cause it's a bit darker
Than the last night's bout
I forgot about the drought
Of light bulbs in this house
So I head out
Down a route I think is heading south
But I'm not good with directions
And I hide behind my mouth
I'm a pro at imperfections
And I'm best friends with my doubt
And now that my mind's out
And now I hear it clear and loud
I'm thinking, 'Wow
I probably should've stayed inside my house'
I found my way
Right time wrong place
As I plead my case
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
I know my soul's freezing
Hell's hot for good reason
So please
I don't know if this song
Is a surrender or a revel
I don't know if this one
Is about me or the devil
I don't know if this song
Is a surrender or a revel
I don't know if this one
Is about me or the devil
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free, oh no
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free, oh no
I know my soul's freezing
Hell's hot for good reason
So please
Na na na na oh, oh
Na na na na oh, oh
Na na na na oh, oh
Na na na na oh, oh
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
Na na na na oh oh
Na na na na oh oh
When the leader of the bad guys sang
Something soft and soaked in pain
I heard the echo from his secret hideaway
He must've forgot to close his door
As he cranked out those dismal chords
And his four walls declared him insane
I found my way
Right time wrong place
As I plead my case
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
I know my soul's freezing
Hell's hot for good reason
So please, take me
Na na na na oh
Na na na na oh
Na na na na oh
Three lights are lit
But the fourth one's out
I can tell cause it's a bit darker
Than the last night's bout
I forgot about the drought
Of light bulbs in this house
So I head out
Down a route I think is heading south
But I'm not good with directions
And I hide behind my mouth
I'm a pro at imperfections
And I'm best friends with my doubt
And now that my mind's out
And now I hear it clear and loud
I'm thinking, 'Wow
I probably should've stayed inside my house'
I found my way
Right time wrong place
As I plead my case
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free
I know my soul's freezing
Hell's hot for good reason
So please
I don't know if this song
Is a surrender or a revel
I don't know if this one
Is about me or the devil
I don't know if this song
Is a surrender or a revel
I don't know if this one
Is about me or the devil
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free, oh no
You're the judge, oh no
Set me free, oh no
I know my soul's freezing
Hell's hot for good reason
So please
Na na na na oh, oh
Na na na na oh, oh
Na na na na oh, oh
Na na na na oh, oh
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
You're the judge, oh no (na na na na oh, oh)
Set me free (na na na na oh, oh)
Lyrics submitted by olivia1578, edited by kickasskatara, vturner19, evanpeters, InDreams, bmxdude124, DerpySelfie, geso
The Judge Lyrics as written by Tyler Joseph
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is my first comment, so it may be confusing at times, but I will try my best to explain what this song means to ME. Anyway, Tyler says he wants us to interpret songs the way we see it, not what the way he originally wrote. It probably isn't what most people would think, but things in the past have made me interpret a different message than most people.
This is set in a school setting. So, anyway, here it is.
The first "Na na na na oh oh, Na na na na oh oh, Na na na na oh oh" This is when everything was all good and he was happy where he was at in his life.
"When the leader of the bad guys sang Something soft and soaked in pain I heard the echo from his secret hideaway He must've forgot to close his door As he cranked out those dismal chords And his four walls declared him insane" This is where he hears the teen/kid who is considered a "popular" and "mean" kid that pretends to be struggling for attention and at first, he believes that the kid is really having a hard time.
"I found my way Right time wrong place As I plead my case" This is him in the future looking at his past self, realizing that if he hadn't of been there when the person was looking for attention, he would still be happy and living his happy life he had beforehand. He was standing up for this person, that didn't deserve it. He "plead his case", almost like a lawyer, staying on this kid's side when someone said something negative about this kid.
"You're the judge, oh no Set me free You're the judge, oh no Set me free I know my soul's freezing Hell's hot for good reason So please, take me" He continued to be on this kid's side and following what he told him, and now that he is doing that, he is getting worse. This person is the "judge", he tells him what is going to happen and he just does it without a second thought. Then, he feels like he is becoming a bad person after being this kid's puppet for so long and he wants it to stop in any way.
The second "Na na na na oh Na na na na oh Na na na na oh" He is remembering all of his past friends and happiness he had before all of this happened.
"Three lights are lit But the fourth one's out I can tell cause it's a bit darker Than the last night's bout" His 4 lights are his happiness level. He starts to realize that the longer he has been following this guy, his popularity starts to wear off and he's noticing it more and more.
"I forgot about the drought Of light bulbs in this house So I head out Down a route I think is heading south" He tries to shake off any regret and even though he knows it is not what he should be doing, he goes "south", which means he is going to continue being friends with this person.
"But I'm not good with directions And I hide behind my mouth I'm a pro at imperfections And I'm best friends with my doubt" He realizes it that being friends with this guy isn't helping any insecurities he had before like he thought it would at first.
"And now that my mind's out And now I hear it clear and loud I'm thinking, 'Wow I probably should've stayed inside my house'" He realizes completely now that he should've stayed in his "house", or his group of friends that he had before and that he was happy with.
"I don't know if this song Is a surrender or a revel I don't know if this one Is about me or the devil" He doesn't know what he can do to go back to how everything was before. He doesn't know if he still has that good person inside of him like before, or if it is too late for him and he has completely turned into a puppet.
"Na na na na oh, oh Na na na na oh, oh Na na na na oh, oh Na na na na oh, oh You're the judge, oh no Set me free You're the judge, oh no Set me free You're the judge, oh no Set me free You're the judge, oh no Set me free" He is trying to go back to the happier person he was before, but his past friends have probably "accepted" the new person he has become and has lost trust in him, and no matter how hard he tries, he has to keep coming back to the bad kid because he is now all he has left.
I hope this made any sense at all. Sorry if it didn't :P
@DerpySelfie good first point, hopefully the first of many. Thanks for sharing!!
@sokorny Thank you!