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


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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. swestvballplyr27
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    Feb 22nd 2007 !⃝

    you guys are a bunch of faggots, this song doesn't deserve interpretation, panic at the disco sucks ass

  2. anonymous
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    Feb 21st 2007 !⃝

    The singer guy hears them talking about the bride, so he starts talking like when you're talking about someone talk quieter or close the god damn door so people don't hear what the hell your saying if you understand what I'm saying. I love Panic! at the Disco

  3. anonymous
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    Feb 8th 2007 !⃝

    1. I've seen plenty of videos that have little or nothing to do with the lyrics.
    2. 2006-12-20 20:07:53 might have it : "imagine" and "I'd" support this.
    3. I have Never heard this song with the word "whore". For some reason the local radio station plays it with the 'word' "Shhh" substituted. I always thought it was substituting for some unnamed racial slur, in which case (Duh) the groom will of course already know about the bride's 'secret', and the slur-word itself reflects badly on the bridesmaid (presumably from his side of the family).
    4. Thanks -- I never considered that the gossiping bridesmaid was a so-called friend or relative of the bride, I thought she belonged to the grooms side. This opens up a whole lot of other possibilities.

  4. anonymous
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    Feb 6th 2007 !⃝

    I think that the narrator is a random person who has nothing to do with the wedding. He's walking in a church and overhears a bridesmaid and a waitor talking about the bride being a whore. He thinks "Haven't you people ever heard of closing the god damn door?" because he doesn't want to hear about it but then reminds himself that it's better to realize these things because whether we like it or not they are going on around us.

  5. anonymous
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    Jan 29th 2007 !⃝

    I think the song has an ok meaning because it really doesn't make sense putting the words in the song 'I'd chime in, haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door' because wat does that have 2 do w/ the song. I mean the song is about a wedding & putting that phrase in there is kinda weird. & also I don't think tht they should not have put the word goddamn in there because thts kinda saying tht in gods name. But other than tht I reelly luv the song.

  6. paniqluv
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    Jan 27th 2007 !⃝

    here's what its about:
    a couple who had trouble in the past (same from lying is the most fun... and but its better if you do) are getting (finally) married
    his family doesn't approve of her because of what she did so they set her up with another guy to prove to the son she would willingly go with someone else

    the line "technically our marriage is saved this calls for a toast so pour the champagne" refers to the only thing keeping them together and loving eachother is alcohol.

    when the bride at her wedding sees it was his parents who set her up with her lover, she realizes that there is no point in pretending to love the groom and runs off with the guy in the back.

    i see it as from the point of view of a best man who knew what was happening so he brought his family in the goddamn door to show the bride what happenned.

  7. anonymous
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    Jan 27th 2007 !⃝

    I cannot believe that there were almost 100 so-called interpretations for this song and no one seems to know what point is actually being made here. Okay, maybe a few were partially correct.

    This song literally has nothing to do with a wedding or circus performers. pay no attention to the video if you are attempting to analyze the lyrics. It doesn't even matter from whom's perspective this is. Actually the one line of the chorus can some it up; "haven't you people ever heard of closing the god damn door!" this refers to what is known as a closed-door policy. In other words, they are backing the idea that the United States government should not lend a hand or interfere with the problems of other countries unless they directly effect us. Most likely this also includes the ocuppation of Iraq. Generally speaking, most people would consider our current policy to be an Open-doored one like we have the right to police the world. So it is criticizing our government. I haven't made any others connections with the rest of the lyrics but I haven't really tried. please give me some feedback.

  8. anonymous
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    Jan 24th 2007 !⃝

    its about him coming out of the closet.

  9. anonymous
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    Jan 4th 2007 !⃝

    Just from the video, I presume its like this:

    1. The man has brought the 'bad' family to the wedding, which the bride didn't want.
    2. Just before they say 'I do' the strange man with the powder ( Cocaine xD ) makes it a 'cursed' wedding.
    3. The bride runs out - the secret lover follows.
    4. The singer tells the groom this isn't how it should be.
    5. They go out and discover her, and then the singer and the groom switch places - now the 'groom' has to find a broken wedding to be 'freed'.

  10. machs
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    Dec 31st 2006 !⃝

    I think this song is about Brent being kicked out of the band. The wedding represents Jon joining the band, for he is "marrying" the band, in a way. The waiter is Brent, and he is called the bride a w**** because he is mad that they kicked him out. The bridesmaid is the fans, they like Jon and find it good that he is joining the band because they like him better than Brent. Then one of the fans says "Panic are not w****s and he want him to close the door because he doesn't want to hear such lies, but Brent says "It's much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality". The second verse is celebrating the fact that Brent is out of the band, and in the video when the singer says "YESSS" it's because he's happy that brent leaves. And when he says "again..." it's because they have a bass player "again".

  11. anonymous
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    Dec 30th 2006 !⃝

    A comment to all of you - you're all talking like Brendon knows exactly what the lyrics mean when he didn't write them. RYAN wrote the lyrics, so surely he would know better than Brendon?
    Just saying. Just saying.
    And don't take things so literally. Just because it says "groom" and "bride" in the song doesn't mean it's actually about a wedding. Use your brains, sweethearts.

  12. anonymous
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    Dec 26th 2006 !⃝

    I think that the P!ATD song "But it's better if you do" is more like a prolouge to this song. "BIBIYD" is telling about a couple who arent faithful to eachother. The line "The poor groomsbride is a whore" pieces that together. It seems that the three songs But it's better if you do, I write sins not tragedies, and Lying is the most fun..... are like a story of a couple. I'm not sure, but they're cool songs.

  13. Esparanza
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    Dec 22nd 2006 !⃝

    The person above is right. This song is a metaphor. It's about how friends and loved ones stab you in the back and gossip. " What a beautiful wedding says a bridesmaid to a waiter, what a shame the poor groom's bride is a whore." Then it's like "Haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?! no it's much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality." meaning the friend being betrayed is pissed but wants to have all the facts down before pointing fingers. So yeah I think it's about gossip and friends.

  14. anonymous
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    Dec 20th 2006 !⃝

    OK! I've GOT IT. This interpretation is not biased by the video, as I have never seen the video-- only love the song and listened to it many times as well as read the lyrics.

    I believe it is definitely from the Groom's perspective, as illustrated and supported by the extreme violent response "God D--- door," and the declaration of the overall state of the marriage due to the indiscretion. Who else but the bride or groom could decide whether a marriage was saved or doomed?

    I believe that this is about a wedding that has not yet occurred, only real in the Groom's mind. I believe the Groom is imagining what would happen if he did not deal with the issue of his girlfriend's infidelity before the wedding day. This is evidenced by the Oh, well imagine" at the beginning of the song. Also, a bridesmaid would never be talking to a waiter until the RECEPTION... Hours after the wedding and the vows. She also would not talk about how beautiful the wedding was, unless it has already occurred. Do you ever say, "What a beautiful wedding!," before the ceremony? No! If the wedding was truly occuring during the song, the marriage could not be saved (nullified or stopped) as the vows would already have been done.

    I believe the Groom is therefore imagining what will happen when the girl he loves is at their wedding and people start finding out about her past infidelities. He wishes that he could keep it quiet and make it go away, but in the end, he realizes he can't and that he must deal rationally with it -- knowing he cannot realistically hide the truth.

    With poise, he allows himself the truth... That the marriage is "saved" -- knowing he must end the relationship with this girl before a commitment such as a wedding. I think the "poor the champagne" and toast is a reference to the desire to hide the pain and "celebrate" his hard decision with some strong alcohol -- and much of it.

    Anyway, I believe this sums up a great piece of musical poetry. Enjoy!

  15. anonymous
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    Dec 8th 2006 !⃝

    ever think this song might not even be about a wedding?
    sure, it's kind of obvious that it was intended to be assumed.. but in the first lyrics, he sings "oh, well imagine.." I think he could be using the whole wedding story as a metaphor, because I don't think anyone in the band would have had an experience like this.. I could be wrong, but I think they might have been writing about an experience that they had with "friends": overhearing gossip about someone you thought you could love and trust, like a fiance, who actually stabbed you in the back. I think everyone has the "'Haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!' No, it's much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality" lyrics interpretated right, but just applied in a different way.
    again, I could be totally off with this, but I'm just trying to find a deeper, nonfictitious meaning to the song.




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