This song is from the perspective of a man whose mother is thinking about what will happen to her when her husband dies. It is possible that she contemplates this as her husband is dying.
(If there is any doubt that she is saying "when your father turns to stone", take into consideration that "stone" could be referring to his tombstone.)
When the man promises all of these things to his mother, it is more of a romantic idea of promising someone anything they desire simply to please them, regardless of whether or not they can really fulfill their promises. It's more of a desperate promise to show the direness of the situation.
(This point is further illustrated when he says "pretend" {"Let's say we up and left this town/ And turned our future upside down/ We'll make pretend that you and me/ Live ever after happily"}.)
The next part can be confusing, but is probably best explained through the music video to this song. In the music video, the singer and the drummer (who make up the entirety of Twenty One Pilots) are simply the top half of bodies, the lower half torn off (supposedly by some machinery accident {implied by a bloody machine in a field next to the main singer}). As the singer sings this song, it is implied that he is the son. And seeing that he is torn in half, he is unable to keep his promise (further illustrating the idea of a desperate, unfulfillable promise). TAKING ALL OF THIS INTO CONSIDERATION, the next lines ("And since we know that dreams are dead/ And life turns plans up on their head/ I will plan to be a bum/ So I just might become someone") make a bit more sense. The singer is acknowledging that his dream of helping his mother once his father passes is unrealized, as he is dead too. (I am not certain I understand the "bum" reference, but I assume he means that it is just more hopeless acceptance of his and her dire situation; he is basically accepting failure.)
In my estimation, your interpretation nails it. I especially appreciate your perspective on the video, as I had still been pondering it, but what you propose makes a lot of sense.
In my estimation, your interpretation nails it. I especially appreciate your perspective on the video, as I had still been pondering it, but what you propose makes a lot of sense.
The only thing I would add is in response to your note about the "bum" reference. I think the key here is the preceding lyric: "And life turns plans up on their head." I suspect he's saying that when we expect things to work out great, life throws us a curveball and we wind up disappointed more often than not. So he's going to do the opposite - set...
The only thing I would add is in response to your note about the "bum" reference. I think the key here is the preceding lyric: "And life turns plans up on their head." I suspect he's saying that when we expect things to work out great, life throws us a curveball and we wind up disappointed more often than not. So he's going to do the opposite - set his expectations low ("to be a bum") and hope that when he gets his curveball from life, the outcome is instead greatness.
Thanks again for the insightful write-up on this great song!
This song is from the perspective of a man whose mother is thinking about what will happen to her when her husband dies. It is possible that she contemplates this as her husband is dying. (If there is any doubt that she is saying "when your father turns to stone", take into consideration that "stone" could be referring to his tombstone.) When the man promises all of these things to his mother, it is more of a romantic idea of promising someone anything they desire simply to please them, regardless of whether or not they can really fulfill their promises. It's more of a desperate promise to show the direness of the situation. (This point is further illustrated when he says "pretend" {"Let's say we up and left this town/ And turned our future upside down/ We'll make pretend that you and me/ Live ever after happily"}.) The next part can be confusing, but is probably best explained through the music video to this song. In the music video, the singer and the drummer (who make up the entirety of Twenty One Pilots) are simply the top half of bodies, the lower half torn off (supposedly by some machinery accident {implied by a bloody machine in a field next to the main singer}). As the singer sings this song, it is implied that he is the son. And seeing that he is torn in half, he is unable to keep his promise (further illustrating the idea of a desperate, unfulfillable promise). TAKING ALL OF THIS INTO CONSIDERATION, the next lines ("And since we know that dreams are dead/ And life turns plans up on their head/ I will plan to be a bum/ So I just might become someone") make a bit more sense. The singer is acknowledging that his dream of helping his mother once his father passes is unrealized, as he is dead too. (I am not certain I understand the "bum" reference, but I assume he means that it is just more hopeless acceptance of his and her dire situation; he is basically accepting failure.)
In my estimation, your interpretation nails it. I especially appreciate your perspective on the video, as I had still been pondering it, but what you propose makes a lot of sense.
In my estimation, your interpretation nails it. I especially appreciate your perspective on the video, as I had still been pondering it, but what you propose makes a lot of sense.
The only thing I would add is in response to your note about the "bum" reference. I think the key here is the preceding lyric: "And life turns plans up on their head." I suspect he's saying that when we expect things to work out great, life throws us a curveball and we wind up disappointed more often than not. So he's going to do the opposite - set...
The only thing I would add is in response to your note about the "bum" reference. I think the key here is the preceding lyric: "And life turns plans up on their head." I suspect he's saying that when we expect things to work out great, life throws us a curveball and we wind up disappointed more often than not. So he's going to do the opposite - set his expectations low ("to be a bum") and hope that when he gets his curveball from life, the outcome is instead greatness.
Thanks again for the insightful write-up on this great song!