Guns For Hands

Guns for Hands is the 1st track on the album, Regional at Best as well as the 10th track on Vessel

Guns for Hands
Song by Twenty One Pilots from the album Regional at Best
Released	July 8, 2011
Format	Digital
Length	4:33
Time signature	4/4
Tempo	129
Key	F#
Live debut	July 9 2011
Last played	April 1 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) Vessel track listing Ode To Sleep Holding On To You Migraine House Of Gold Car Radio Semi-Automatic Screen The Run And Go Fake You Out Guns For Hands Trees Truce

Background

Tyler Joseph has spoken several times about the track, including on Vessel Commentary Edition:

"This next song, "Guns for Hands"… I don’t dive too specifically into the lyrical content just because, one, I obviously want it to be something to someone and wouldn’t want to ruin my definition of it, but also, you know, it’s very close to me, you know, sometimes it’s hard to talk exactly about what it is I was going through in that moment and try to explain the song’s lyrics, I just want to listen to the song. I mean, I’m saying exactly what I’m trying to say in the song, for me to explain what I’m trying to say in a different setting is kind of weird for me. But, "Guns for Hands" specifically, I like to talk about what that song’s trying to say. There was one show in particular that this song was inspired by. I was playing a show in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it’s just this kind of a barn full of kids, and after this show, more than usual, there was kind of an unusual number of kids came up to me and felt inclined to share with me what it is they were going through. You know, a lot of their struggles, a lot of their, you know, whether that be depression or suicidal thoughts, a lot of stuff along that vein. And I just thought, I was like wow, I mean I’m — am I just in a hotbed of kids going through stuff, I mean is this just kind of like a crazy ratio of everyone struggling with this thing? And then I remember not too long after that, I was in New York, and I was — I think I saw like a pizza shop or something  and I saw a magazine that was you know at the entrance of the pizza shop, this big article about this specific town in New York that has a lot of kids, you know, high school age, going through a lot of the same stuff. And I realised you know, this isn’t just a — it’s not just an isolated event, it’s something that there’s a lot of kids throughout the entire country — even the world — that are struggling with the questions that they have, you know, ‘what’s the point?’, ‘what’s my purpose?’, ‘why am I here?’ and when you don’t have the answers to those questions, sometimes it can lead you to do something that you ultimately shouldn’t do.

So, "Guns for Hands" is talking about I wanna tell you that I know you have the ability to hurt yourself. You do. You have that ability. I feel like a lot of the older generation when they hear about someone struggling with it, their first reaction is like, “No, you’re not, you’re not struggling with that. Don’t think about that, you know, think about something else, you know, you’re just trying to get attention.” But this song was really trying to say like; “Listen, I know you have the ability to hurt yourself. I recognize that, but let’s take that energy and let’s point it at something else, let’s divert that, let’s kind of shift that momentum and look at something like art, or something like this music specifically, or even point it at me, you know, just point it anywhere, but don’t point it at yourself.” And so that’s what that song’s saying and that song will always be important to me. And I’m not a professional when it comes to this topic, but I write songs, and I feel like someone should say something about it." [1] [2]

Versions

Studio

Title	Releas	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Guns for Hands	Regional at Best	4:33	2010-2011	8 July 2011
Guns for Hands	Vessel	4:36	2011-2012	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=J_iPVOMPt8E

Lyrics

Lyrics

Album version

I know what you think in the morning When the sun shines on the ground And shows what you have done It shows where your mind has gone And you swear to your parents That it will never happen again I know, I know-ow-ow What that means, I know-ow-ow-ow-ow [Chorus] That you all have guns And you never put the safety on And you all have plans To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah [Verse 2] Let's take this a second at a time Let's take this one song, this one rhyme Together, let's breathe Together, to the beat But there's hope out the window So that's where we'll go Let's go outside and all join hands But until then you'll never understand [Chorus] That you all have guns And you never put the safety on And you all have plans To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it (Don't take it) I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah [Interlude] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Whoo! (Da-da da-da-da) (Da-da da-da-da) (Da-da da-da-da, ah uh) (Da-da da-da-da) [Bridge] We've turned our hands to guns Traded our thumbs for ammunition I must forewarn you of my disorder, or my condition 'Cause when the sun sets It upsets what's left of my invested interest Interested in putting my fingers to my head The solution is, I see a whole room of these mutant kids Fused at the wrist, I simply tell them they should shoot at this Simply suggest my chest and this confused music It's obviously best for them to turn their guns to a fist [Chorus] I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep (I'm trying to sleep) I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep (I'm trying to sleep) But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah

Album version

I know what you think in the morning When the sun shines on the ground And shows what you have done It shows where your mind has gone And you swear to your parents That it will never happen again I know, I know-ow-ow What that means, I know-ow-ow-ow-ow [Chorus] That you all have guns And you never put the safety on And you all have plans To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah [Verse 2] Let's take this a second at a time Let's take this one song, this one rhyme Together, let's breathe Together, to the beat But there's hope out the window So that's where we'll go Let's go outside and all join hands But until then you'll never understand [Chorus] That you all have guns And you never put the safety on And you all have plans To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it (Don't take it) I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah [Interlude] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Whoo! (Da-da da-da-da) (Da-da da-da-da) (Da-da da-da-da, ah uh) (Da-da da-da-da) [Bridge] We've turned our hands to guns Traded our thumbs for ammunition I must forewarn you of my disorder, or my condition 'Cause when the sun sets It upsets what's left of my invested interest Interested in putting my fingers to my head The solution is, I see a whole room of these mutant kids Fused at the wrist, I simply tell them they should shoot at this Simply suggest my chest and this confused music It's obviously best for them to turn their guns to a fist [Chorus] I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep (I'm trying to sleep) I'm trying, I'm trying to sleep (I'm trying to sleep) But I can't, but I can't when you all have Guns for hands, yeah

Lyrics meaning

Lyrics
Frontman Tyler Joseph has stated the following regarding this track: "I know you have the ability to hurt yourself, I recognize that, but let’s take that energy and let’s point it at something else, let’s divert that, let’s kind of shift momentum and look at something like art, or something like this music specifically or even point it at me, just point it anywhere. But don’t point it at yourself … that song will always be important to me." [1]
all meanings of the lyrics are taken from the Genius website

Sources

[1] https://genius.com/Twenty-one-pilots-guns-for-hands-lyrics