Anathema

Holding on to You
Song by Twenty One Pilots from the album Regional at Best
Released	July 8, 2011
Format	Digital
Length	4:26
Time signature	4/4
Tempo	90
Key	E minor
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

Anathema is the 9th track on the album, Regional at Best

Background

A lot of Tyler's songs deal with sleep/night time, such as "Ode to sleep", "Guns for Hands" and "Truce". I think this song is about those nights where he has too many worries and thoughts that keep him up at night.

'You will never know what's behind my skull/You will never know what's under my hair/You will never know what's under my skin/You will never know what is in my veins' - I think this refers to how he is able to put on a facade during the day but when night comes he struggles to hide how he actually feels and deals with his anxieties and fears that he has avoided throughout the day.

'I'm calling my father, Am I screaming to an empty sky?' He doesn't know who to turn to when he feels this bad and questions his faith as he tries to reach out to God. [1]

Versions

Studio

Title	Releas	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Holding on to You	Regional at Best	4:18	2010-2011	8 July 2011
Holding on to You	Vessel	4:23	11 Sep 2012	8 Jan 2013	Guns for Hands, along with other songs from Regional at Best were remastered for their next album, Vessel

Live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHKz6Okuukg

Lyrics

Lyrics

Album version

[Verse 1] You will never know what's behind my skull So won't you say goodnight, so I can say goodbye? You will never know what's under my hair So won't you say goodnight, so I can say goodbye? You will never know what's under my skin So won't you say goodnight, so I can say goodbye? You will never know what is in my veins So won't you say goodnight, so I can say goodbye? [Chorus] Won't you go to someone else's dreams? (Else's dreams) Won't you go to someone else's head? (Else's head) Haven't you taken enough from me? (Enough from me) Won't you torture someone else's sleep? (Else's sleep) [Verse 2] And you will never know what I'm thinking of Won't you go to someone else's dreams? So won't you say goodnight, so I can say goodbye Won't you go to someone else's head? And you will never understand what I believe Haven't you taken enough from me? So won't you say goodnight so I can say goodbye? Won't you torture someone else? [Bridge] Haven't you taken enough from me? Won't you torture someone else's sleep? Won't you go to someone else's dreams? Won't you go to someone else's head? Haven't you taken enough from me? (Oh) Won't you torture someone else's sleep? (Oh) [Verse 3] I start to part two halves of my heart in the dark and I Don't know where I should go and the tears and the fears begin to multiply Taking time in a simple place; in my bed where my head rests on a pillowcase And it's said that a war's lead but I forget that I let another day go by (Ah) I want to be afraid but it seems that these days I'm caught underwater and I'm falling farther My heart's getting harder, I'm calling my father Am I screaming to an empty sky? Empty sky, no way, that's me 'cause one half of my heart is free Empty sky, no way, that's me, 'cause the other half of my heart's asleep

Lyrics meaning

Lyrics
In the context of the song, anathema refers to a curse. Throughout “Anathema,” the narrator broods over the human condition and laments the fact that, as humans, we are naturally inclined to want what is considered to be evil. The song opens with a subdued keyboard and minimal percussion. As the song progresses, it slowly opens up, gaining more momentum and energy until finally reaching a climax drenched with heavy electronics during the bridge. That high energy is sustained for the third verse, creating a unique contrast of sound throughout the track. The third verse is recycled from a song called “Blasphemy” on Tyler Joseph’s 2008 solo project, No Phun Intended. [2]
all meanings of the lyrics are taken from the Genius website

Sources

[1] https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858886313/

[2] https://genius.com/Twenty-one-pilots-anathema-lyrics