What does I Write Sins Not Tragedies mean?

Panic! At The Disco: I Write Sins Not Tragedies Meaning

Album cover for I Write Sins Not Tragedies album cover

Song Released: 2006


I Write Sins Not Tragedies Lyrics

Oh, well imagine;
as I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor,
and I can't help but to hear, no I can't help but to hear an exchanging of words.
(I love you, I love you too)
"What a beautiful wedding!",
"What a beautiful wedding! says a...

  1. anonymous
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    Mar 27th 2010 !⃝

    I just want to say that the lead singer Brendon has pointed out many times that he is the grooms conscince tring to deny the fact that his fiancee is a slut. He over hears it and get upset.
    I feel like it is kind of the angel and devil logic that everyone has.
    Brendon is seen singing in the grooms ear like his conscince. The is trying to point out why he should not go throught with the wedding.
    The I'd chime in with the havent you people ever head of closing the goddamn door is about the groom's conscince trying to put his fiancee's past behind him and her.
    The No its beter to face the kinds of things wirh a sense of poise or rationality is about him thinking maybe he should confront herand figure thngs out before marrying her.
    I see it as him contemplating wether or not to act on what he knows.

    This is my interpetations mixed with what the lead singer gives us.

  2. Glambert4688
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    Mar 16th 2010 !⃝

    I think the idea of this song isn't that he's upset about his wife cheating on him - actually, he knows for a fact she's faithful, but gets upset when he hears people talking about her behind his back. (I know the video contradicts this, but I'm just looking at the song.) It's like, if you're going to gossip about someone, at least make sure a friend or lover isn't within hearing distance.

  3. anonymous
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    Jan 9th 2010 !⃝

    The song tells the story of a nervous groom who, on his wedding day, overhears two guests [apparently the bridesmaid and the waiter] the describing his wife as a whore. Feeling helpless, he tries to rationalize it, but then finds true, as the song continues to say "well, I'll look at it this way I mean technically our marriage is saved" [since they didn't go through with the wedding, their marriage didn't suffer].

  4. anonymous
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    Nov 6th 2009 !⃝

    Also I forgot to add (this is also from the video) after the groom sees the bride at the end, he stops denying his suspicions and believes his conscience was right and they become the same person because his inner thoughts are coming out.

  5. anonymous
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    Nov 6th 2009 !⃝

    I think the narrator is the groom's conscience trying to tell him not to marry the woman he thinks he loves. My guess is that her affair has been going on for a while and he just didn't want to admit it to himself. That's why in the beginning he is pacing because he isn't sure if this is the right thing for him to do. When he says "I'd chime in..." he is talking about the time he suspected her before but he tried to be rational about it and convinced himself that he had made it all up. Meanwhile, his conscience knows that he is really in denial and tries to stop the wedding himself (saving the marriage). Still the groom keeps trying to convince himself that he should marry his fiancee and won't listen to his conscience. Finally, (I know I'm kind of interpreting the video also) his conscience has no other choice than to show the groom what deep down he already knew, that his fiancee is a whore. And once she knows that he knows, the groom can't deny his suspicions any longer and the wedding is called off.

  6. anonymous
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    Oct 14th 2009 !⃝

    I take it like this: The groom is getting married obviously when the carnival folks charge in. I think he is from a carnival family or it represents his real, wild personality and that he is getting tied down and becoming something he's not by marrying this girl. Over the song he starts doubting his marriage like everyone else ("The grooms bride is a whore") And she storms out. He follows her out to see her making out with one the clowns which symbolizes her only loving him for his wild side which he changed for her thinking it was what she wanted. The marriage is called off and turns back into his old self after him and the ringmaster which was him combine back together.

  7. anonymous
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    Jun 22nd 2009 !⃝

    i believe that its about a guy that falls into "the wrong place at the wrong time" and hears the whole story through people gossiping about it. He considers letting people know that he is there, but his curiosity wins over him, although he explains it as "rationality"

  8. anonymous
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    Feb 15th 2009 !⃝

    Well I really made up my own interpretation when I first saw the video. The narrator is someone who the groom knows, like a friend or whatever. The narrator hears the maid and waiter and see's that the bride is cheating. The "I chime in with the 'Haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?' might show that the door was open with the bride and who she was using to cheat on her groom and because the door was open she was caught. The second verse shows that the groom figured out the bride was cheating and the wedding was canceled.

  9. Veinless
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    Dec 2nd 2008 !⃝

    Alright here is my interpretation. Everything I heard wasn't that good to me so hear is mine.

    I think basically he's talking about that we should take relationships more seriously.

    The song title is
    I write Sins not tragedies
    that means its something people do wrong
    He is not talking about a break up

    Oh, well imagine; as I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor,

    -That should mean in his way of life

    and I can't help but to hear, no I can't help but to hear an exchanging of words.

    -he hears people saying things to each other

    "What a beautiful wedding!, What a beautiful wedding!" says a bridesmaid to a waiter.
    "Oh yes, but what a shame, what a shame, the poor groom's bride is a whore."

    -Everything looks good from outside but in the inside something is different

    Well, I'd chime in with a "Haven't you people ever heard of closing the god damn door?!"

    -People domt want to know how bad a realotionship is if it looks ok to the outside. He know there in the room but he doesn't want to know whats going on in there.

    No, it's much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality.

    -you should think more about the person and you're realtionship to it.

    Oh, well in fact, well I'll look at it this way, I mean technically our marriage is saved
    Well this calls for, a toast so, pour the champagne,

    -he is being sarcastic about know that there about to get married there relationship is saved. people shouldn't get married if they don't love each other from
    the heart.

    Again...

    -it happens a lot in the world out there


    That's my interpretation seems not to bad for me but the other one aren't that bead

  10. anonymous
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    Nov 30th 2008 !⃝

    I think it just says that gossip should be handled in a rattional matter, instead of just going insane and blowing up.

  11. anonymous
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    Sep 11th 2008 !⃝

    M says:I think that (like in most of his songs) Jared is playing the role of sort of a trickster-like devil that is listening in on a wedding, finds out the bride is cheating and busts in on the wedding.Because in his head it serves them right.If they WANTED privacy they COULD have closed the door ,keeping him out

  12. anonymous
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    Aug 10th 2008 !⃝

    The circus folk don't fill up the bride's side. They fill up the groom's side, which is empty at the beginning and the bride's side is full. Then something happens and the two sides stand up and starting mingling and dancing together.

  13. PrettyOdd
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    Jul 18th 2008 !⃝

    Ok this is pretty random, but maybe he's pacing and he trips throught the doorway in shock of what the waiter said and he's mad and all like "Haven't ou people ever heard of closing the *** door?" But then he's like "I should calm down, it's much better to face these kinds of thing with a sense of poise in rationality," because he doesn't want to embarrass himself or something. And who knows, maybe his fall hit the groom's head and knocked sense into him and "Saved the marriage."

    I know it's very unprobable, but since when do music videos always have to do with the song?

    Happy random day!!

  14. anonymous
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    Jul 13th 2008 !⃝

    Ok well I’d like to add to some of what others have said. This is a story and it is a wedding. It helps a lot if you watch the music video for the song, it’s greatly explained and it’s pretty much obvious. In any case. The narrator or the person who sings the song is actually an alter ego of the groom, he’s the ringmaster in the family, and the groom is his cousin or something of the family.

    So he takes the groom outside were he sees his bride kissing another family member. *the groom’s family is part of a circus and the bride’s is a rich family. So there you have it. If you don’t believe me than watch the music video. You shouldn’t be disappointed and you can look up the making of it were they'll tell you the general meaning of the song and what it represents.

  15. anonymous
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    Jun 3rd 2008 !⃝

    I think that the Singer knows about the brides affair, and that it's happened to him before. So in order to "Save" the marriage, he shows the groom that his fiance is cheating on him. Then the groom shows up in the top hat because it is his turn to "Save" a marriage much like this one. But that's just what I thought when I first saw the video.




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