Friend, Please:
"I feel for you, but when did you believe you were alone?"
This is Johnny's wife (referenced in The Pantaloon) telling him that while she understands, Johnny shouldn't feel alone. He has friends to take care of him.
"You say that spiders crawled inside and made themselves a home where light once was"
This basically means that Johnny had described his depression in this way. The depression (spiders) took away any glimmer of happiness in his mind (light).
"Petrified of who you are and who you have become. You will hide from everyone denying you need someone to exterminate your bones"
This goes back to the point that when he says that he's okay, or he's fine, he's really not. Johnny attempts to hide his true feelings, but can't hide it from his wife.
"Friend please remove your hands from over your eyes for me"
This plays on the last line. Johnny says he doesn't need help, but his friend is there for him. She's asking Johnny to open his eyes and see there's people who want to help.
"I know you want to leave, but friend, please don't take your life away from me"
She's saying that he understand he wants to kill himself, but she's begging Johnny not to.
"Living like a ghost you walk by everyone you know. You say that you're fine but you have lost your away and glow"
Johnny ignores everything around him, as if he's in a trance. He's practically lifeless.
"Would you let me know your plans tonight? Because I just won't let go until we both see the light"
She wants to make sure Johnny doesn't do anything stupid. This is also an admission from Johnny's wife that she has issues as well.
"I have nothing left to say. But I will listen to you all day"
She's laid it all out for him. The ball is in Johnny's court.
March To The Sea:
"There's miles of land in front of us and we're dying with every step we take. We're dying with every breath we make and I'll fall in line. A strangers back is all I see. He's only a few feet in front of me and I'll look left and right sometimes but I'll fall in line. No one looks up anymore, because you might get a raindrop in your eye and Heaven forbid they see you cry as we fall in line. And about this time of every year, the line will go to the ocean pier, and walk right off into the sea. Then we fall asleep"
This is possibly the most important piece to the entire theory. This is after Johnny attempts suicide. He's been placed in this afterlife where he, and other strangers are told to march to the sea. It's a sort of middle ground between life and death. The sea is true death, and they're all told to walk towards it.
"As we near the end of land and our ocean graves are just beyond the sand I ask myself the question why I fall in line"
Johnny begins to question why he just follows orders like this. Why he doesn't just walk the opposite direction, or at least stand still.
"Then out of the corner of my eye, I see a spaceship in the sky and hear a voice inside my head, 'follow me instead' "
As soon as he's willing to question himself, he's greeted by a voice, which represents God offering him another way. He only has to follow his voice.
"Then the wages of war will start inside my head with my counterpart and the emotionless marchers will chant the phrase, 'this lines the only way' "
Those marching around him sense his urge to separate from the pack, and they attempt to keep him in the line.
"Then I start down the sand, my eyes are focused on the end of land, but again the voice inside my head says 'follow me instead' "
He starts to listen to the marchers chant, but the voice reminds him what he has to do.
I also think the vocals are important in this section. The idea that God begins to shout and scream for Johnny to follow him. He's begging him not to march to the sea.
"Take me up, seal the door. I don't wanna march here anymore. I realize that this line is dead, so I'll follow you instead"
Johnny finally listens to the voice and agrees to follow him.
"So then you put me back in my place so I might start another day and once again I will be in a march to the sea"
This is God basically reviving Johnny. He puts him back on earth. However, Johnny realizes that even though he will be alive once more, he will inevitably end up marching to the sea again after death.
YOU ARE READING
The Twenty One Pilots Theory (Self Titled)
Fanfiction'The Twenty One Pilots Theory' is a theory I created based on twenty one pilots first album, which was self titled. This theory explains how each lyric fits into a giant, album long puzzle of a story.
