Ode To Sleep

Ode to Sleep
Song by Twenty One Pilots from the album Regional at Best
Released	July 8, 2011
Format	Digital
Length	5:15
Time signature	4/4
Tempo	150
Key	G major
Live debut	October 1 2010
Last played	Jan 8 2023
Composer	Twenty One Pilots
Lyricist	Tyler Joseph
Writer	Tyler Joseph
Producer	Tyler Joseph, Josh Dun
Label	Self-released
Stream / Buy
Twenty One Pilots track listing Guns For Hands Holding On To You Ode To Sleep Slowtown Car Radio Forest Glowing Eyes Kitchen Sink Anathema Lovely Ruby Trees Be Concerned Clear House Of Gold (Newsletter Edition) Two (Newsletter Edition)

Ode to Sleep is the 3rd track on the album, Regional at Best as well as the 1st track on Vessel

Background

Twenty One Pilots bounces between lighthearted, cheerful, and dark, eery sounding verses in Ode to Sleep. The song takes the listener through a day in the life of ups and downs of depression. Right from the get go, a haunting vocal serves as a backdrop for Tyler Joseph's rap which begins the track on the eerier side of things.

In the first verse, Tyler "wake[s] up find and dandy", the day looks positive. It doesn't take long for something to leech the optimism and it's not a few bars later that he's "pleading, "Please, oh please!" on [his] knees repeatedly asking Why it's got to be like this?", a surprisingly common question to pose before God. In times when it feels like things should be normal, Tyler appears confused.

It's in the lead up to the chorus that the first talk of darkness is mentioned. The dark is personified, and Tyler is determined the "the dark's not taking prisoners tonight". It's sung instead of rapped, and with a new, brighter guitar and a much more positive tone. The dark is a constricting force that seems to allude to the night when battles with mental illness can be common, and aligns with evidence that mental illness and sleep disorders can go hand in hand.

The chorus continues this lighter tone and shouts questions "why won't you let me go? Do I threaten all your plans?". The questions and statement of insignificance draws some parallels to similar questions asked by Joseph Smith recorded in his account that speaks of persecution he faced during periods of religious revival in the 1800's, why is it that darkness always finds a way to detest motives that seem good? In recognizing that light threatens darkness, it seems to take a more concerted effort on distracting sources of greater light. Paradoxically suggesting that evidence of difficulty and/or hardship could mean a greater potential for light. As the chorus ends the harsher electronic elements from the first verse are reintroduced, to present another layer of obstacles.

In the second verse there are references made to the Bible. Asking "forgiveness three times, Same amount that I denied", which refers to Peter, who denied association with Christ upon His arrest on three occasions. Tyler becomes afraid to tell who he adores for fear perhaps that the truth is hard to accept. The final line of the verse: "Metaphorically, I'm a whore, and that's denial number four" draws upon the comparison of the Biblical house of Israel that's often compared to a bride wed with Christ. At times, Tyler feels he deserts his ties, denying his love yet again, which threatens to plunge him back into darkness.

The chorus repeats twice to end the song. "I will set my soul on fire" is sung again and again, as though Tyler has begun to recognize that finding light in his life is likely of method of enduring pain and burning off impurities like a refiners fire. His soul still has parts that need to be burned off, and he's humble enough to recognize, even saying "I'm sorry" at the end demonstrating his penitence. The oscillation between periods of darkness and light in life is a reality, but is encouraging to improvement. [1]

Versions

Studio

Title	Releas	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Ode to Sleep	Regional at Best	5:15	2010-2011	8 July 2011
Ode to Sleep	Vessel	5:08	2011-2012	8 Jan 2013	Ode to Sleep, along with other songs from Regional at Best were remastered for their next album, Vessel

Live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i48ZbAnyvC8

Lyrics

Lyrics

Album version

[Verse 1] I wake up fine and dandy, but then by the time I find it handy To rip my heart apart and start planning my crash landing I go up, up, up, up, up to the ceiling Then I feel my soul start leaving like an old man's hair receding I'm pleading, "Please, oh please!" on my knees repeatedly asking Why it's got to be like this, is this living free? I don't wanna be the one, be the one who has the Sun's blood on my hands, I'll tell the moon Take this weapon forged in darkness Some see a pen, I see a harpoon [Pre-Chorus] I'll stay awake 'cause the dark's not taking prisoners tonight Why am I not scared in the morning? I don't hear those voices calling I must have kicked them out, I must have kicked them out I swear I heard demons yelling Those crazy words they were spelling They told me I was gone, they told me I was gone [Chorus] But I'll tell 'em, "Why won't you let me go? Do I threaten all your plans? I'm insignificant" Please tell 'em, you have no plans for me I will set my soul on fire, what have I become? I'll tell 'em [Verse 2] On the eve of a day that's forgotten and fake As the trees, they await, and clouds anticipate The start of a day when we put on our face A mask that portrays that we don't need grace On the eve of a day that is bigger than us But we open our eyes 'cause we're told that we must And the trees wave their arms and the clouds try to plead Desperately yelling, "There's something we need!" I'm not free, I asked forgiveness three times Same amount that I denied, I three-time MVP'd this crime I'm afraid to tell you who I adore, won't tell you who I'm singing towards Metaphorically, I'm a whore, and that's denial number four [Pre-Chorus] I'll stay awake 'cause the dark's not taking prisoners tonight Why am I not scared in the morning? I don't hear those voices calling I must have kicked them out, I must have kicked them out I swear I heard demons yelling Those crazy words they were spelling They told me I was gone, they told me I was gone [Chorus] But I'll tell 'em, "Why won't you let me go? Do I threaten all your plans? I'm insignificant" Please tell 'em, you have no plans for me I will set my soul on fire, what have I become? [Outro] I'll tell 'em, you have no plans for me, I will set my soul on fire What have I become? I'll tell 'em, I'll tell 'em, I'll tell 'em I'll tell 'em, please tell 'em, you have no plans for me I will set my soul on fire, what have I become? I'm sorry

Lyrics meaning

Lyrics
“Ode to Sleep” seems to represent night and day as both the instrumentation and the lyrics seesaw back and forth between the light and the dark. The verses are riddled with a dark tone full of conflict, similarly to how Tyler describes his nights. The pre-chorus, chorus, and outro all share a light-hearted tone in which Tyler sings about conquering the night and the depression it invokes. “Ode to Sleep” is Tyler Joseph’s favorite song to perform live, even after releasing Blurryface and touring extensively. This track was originally featured on Regional At Best in 2011 and was later remastered for Vessel in 2013. The reason why this is the first song on the album is that I feel like it kind of prepares the listener for the rest of the album, it almost puts them through a boot camp of what to expect… Which is don’t expect anything! –Tyler Joseph via Rock Sound The music video was released on New Year’s Eve in 2014. It depicts the band’s rise to fame, starting with their first show and ending with a performance at a venue holding 12,000 fans. [2]
all meanings of the lyrics are taken from the Genius website

Sources

[1] https://www.audio-vault.com/ode-to-sleep-twenty-one-pilots

[2] https://genius.com/Twenty-one-pilots-ode-to-sleep-lyrics