What does A Car, A Torch, A Death mean?

Twenty One Pilots: A Car, A Torch, A Death Meaning

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Album cover for A Car, A Torch, A Death album cover

A Car, A Torch, A Death Lyrics

The air begins to feel a little thin
As I start the car and then I begin
To add the miles piled up behind me
I barely feel a smile deep inside me

And I begin to envy the headlights driving south
I want to crack the door so I can just fall...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 20th 2017 !⃝

    The air begins to feel a little thin
    (It's hard to breathe, he's terrified)
    As I start the car and then I begin
    (The car and his drive is a metaphor for his life)
    To add the miles piled up behind me
    I barely feel a smile deep inside
    (He is recounting his past, but he can't find happiness from it)
    And I begin to envy the headlights driving south
    (He is seeing the way other people live their lives, and from the outside they seem so much better than his)
    I want to crack the door so I can just fall out (Debating suicide)
    But then I remember when you packed my car
    You reached in the back and buckled up your heart
    For me to drive away with
    (He remembers that he metaphorically carries her heart with him, so he can't take his life from her)

    I began to understand
    Why God died
    (He is realizing the extent he would go to to help the people he loves)

    The demon sat there waiting on her porch (The demon represents her issues, the things that haunt her)
    It was a little dark so he held a makeshift torch
    And when my car was far out of sight
    He crept in her room and stayed there for the night (He isn't there to help her)

    [2x]
    And then I felt chills in my bones
    The breath I saw was not my own
    I knew my skin that wrapped my frame
    Wasn't made to play this game
    And then I saw Him, torch in hand
    (I think this is later, he has come back and met her demons, and it overwhelms him)
    He laid it out, what he had planned
    And then I said, I'll take the grave
    Please, just send them all my way
    (He is trying to trade his life for hers, to take her demons for her)

    I began to understand
    Why God died
    (He is realizing how someone could give their life for another's)

    The air begins to feel a little thin
    As we're waiting for the morning to begin
    (Night has ended, and it is all over)
    But for now you told me to hold this jar
    And when I looked inside, I saw
    It held your heart
    For me to walk away with
    (She is dead, but she will now live on through his life)
    I began to understand
    Why God died
    (He would have done anything to save her life, like Jesus did for the world)

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 27th 2016 !⃝

    The air begins to feel a little thin
    (He's realizing what's he's doing dispite the consequence)
    As I start the car and then I begin
    To add the miles piled up behind me (he drives to escape something he knows he can't)
    I barely feel a smile deep inside (even deep down, he knows he ant help her)

    And I begin to envy the headlights driving south (he wants to go back, And save her)
    I want to crack the door so I can just fall out (he wants to die)
    But then I remember when you packed my car (he remembers what she has done for him)
    You reached in the back and buckled up your heart
    (she gave him her heart)

    For me to drive away with
    (he still has her heart and loves her as well)
    I began to understand
    Why God died
    (He starts to understand his faith)

    The demon sat there waiting on her porch (the demon is waiting)
    It was a little dark so he held a makeshift torch
    And when my car was far out of sight
    He crept in her room and stayed there for the night (when he leaves, the demon effects the girl as she sleeps. Meaning she is dealing with depression)

    [2x]
    And then I felt chills in my bones
    The breath I saw was not my own
    I knew my skin that wrapped my frame
    Wasn't made to play this game
    (He realized that he wasn't ready to face demons)
    And then I saw Him, torch in hand
    He laid it out, what he had planned
    And then I said, I'll take the grave
    Please, just send them all my way
    (He is willing to take his life if the girl no longer has demons)

    I began to understand
    Why God died

    The air begins to feel a little thin
    As we're waiting for the morning to begin (he is waiting for demon to leave)
    But for now you told me to hold this jar
    And when I looked inside, I saw
    It held your heart
    (He still has heart even though she's is gone and dead, her not surviving her demons and taking her life)

    For me to walk away with
    I began to understand
    Why God died
    (He is willing to face her death, knowing she loved him)

    -Kristy

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 9th 2017 !⃝

    He wants to commit suicide but he's debating to or on t because he still cares about her...and I'm assuming she died that's why he wanted to die.. She packed her heart=she loved him but was going to die... If that makes sense.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 24th 2020 !⃝

    warning: im an atheist so i aint know bout the bible or stuff :/



    'The air begins to feel a little thin
    As I start the car, and then I begin
    To add the miles piled up behind me
    I barely feel a smile deep inside me.'
    he realizes that he is leaving her(?) alone w/ depression but he cant turn back.
    'And I begin to envy the headlights driving south
    I want to crack the door so I can just fall out
    But then I remember when you packed my car
    You reached in the back and buckled up your heart
    For me to drive away with'
    he wants to turn back but he knows he cant. e debates suicide to just end it, but he remembers that he has her heart and she loves him, despite her problems.
    'I began to understand why God died'
    he understands why/how he could take her depression and make it his, or take his life to save hers.
    'The demons sat there waiting on her porch
    It was a little dark so we held a makeshift torch
    And when my car was far out of sight
    He crept in her room and stayed there for the night'
    not sbout him, this is about a narration: er depression was weakened when he is around, but when he leaves it comes back to hauntt her. he knows this bbut cant help it.
    'And then I felt chills in my bones
    The breath I saw was not my own
    I knew my skin that wrapped my frame
    Wasn't made to play this game
    And then I saw him, torch in hand
    He laid it out, what he had planned
    And then I said I'll take the grave
    Please just send them all my way'
    and then he realizes his body cant survive er demons, but refuses to let er have 'em. he doesnt matter if he dies, but if shhe lives.
    'And then I felt chills in my bones
    The breath I saw was not my own
    I knew my skin that wrapped my frame
    Wasn't made to play this game
    And then I saw him, torch in hand
    He laid it out, what he had planned
    And then I said I'll take the grave
    Please just send them all my way
    I began to understand why God died'
    same thing but at the end he understands why God was willing to take our sins.
    'The air begins to feel a little thin
    As we're waiting for the morning to begin
    But for now you told me to hold this jar
    And when I looked inside I saw it held your heart
    For me to walk away with
    I began to understand why God died'
    he is too late, as she has taken her life. he is struggling to breathe what with all the crying but he realizes e had the jar so she could still be a part of him even if se was dead. h enow realizes more than ever why god was willing to take our sins. its a sad song but the first one twenty on pilots ever wrote.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 21st 2017 !⃝

    I think the song means he’s depressed but he has a love that has devoted their heart to him.



    I love you beans

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 9th 2017 !⃝

    It seems like him having her heart shows how she loves him but she can't be with him because she is with "demons" which are other guys she's with. So she loves him but keeps making choices that hurt him so she sent him away

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 15th 2017 !⃝

    Depression and suicidal thoughts for the girl he once loved.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 9th 2017 !⃝

    I think some of it is about how on the outside, you can see people with depression and you can remember how terrible it was, but nothing compares to depressions effect in the moment.

    Other points I got from this song where:
    -
    "I began to understand
    Why God died"
    I think this refers to how he was willing to take her pain, like god was willing to take our sins. However, despite willingness and wanting to protect her/us, neither He nor God could live with all of that.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 14th 2017 !⃝

    Maybe Tyler was driving a car trying to escape his dark thoughts.Maybe he wanted to attempt suicide and was hoping that his car would crush.And because he thought he was a bad person maybe he thought he would go to hell and meet demons.But deep down he knew he was not ready to do that. At that moment he crushed and the torch was nothing else but another cars lights.but he didnt go were he expected.He found God.

    It's probably stupid but it could make a little sence

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 20th 2017 !⃝

    He gets in a car wreck and sees a vision of god? Idk... It says I begin to understand why god died, so that kind of screws with my theory, but idk...

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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