Fall Away


Fall Away

Song by Twenty One Pilots from the album Twenty One Pilots
ISWC:	T-906.533.710-2
Composer:	Tyler Joseph
Lyricist:	Tyler Joseph
Recorded:	Second half of 2009
Producer:	Tyler Joseph
Mixed:	Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas
Released:	29 December 2009
Single:	18 April 2015
Length:	3:02
Time signature:	4/4
Tempo:	120
Key:	F major
Live debut:	11 October, 2009
Last performed:	9 November, 2019
Live count:	89
Stream / Buy:
Twenty One Pilots tracklist
Implicit Demand For Proof Fall Away The Pantaloon Addict With a Pen Friend, Please March To The Sea Johnny Boy Oh, Ms. Believer Air Catcher Trapdoor A Car, A Torch, A Death Taxi Cab Before You Start Your Day Isle Of Flightless Birds

Fall Away is the third song on the album Twenty One Pilots by Twenty One Pilots.

Versions


Title	Releas	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Fall Away	Twenty One Pilots	3:02	Second half of 2009	29 Dec 2009
Drown	No Phun Intended	3:38	2007	2007	Some of lyrics are taken for "Fall Away" from old Tyler Joseph's song.

Background

The song is alternative hip-hop, quite similar to trip-pop and has a melodic pre-chorus and chorus in which vocal samples can be heard.

The track has no live drums and bass and is fully synthesized in Logic Pro X software.

Lyrics

CollapseAlbum version


I don't wanna fall, fall away I don't wanna fall, fall away I'll keep the lights on in this place 'Cause I don't wanna fall, fall away I don't wanna fall, fall away I don't, I don't wanna fall away I'll keep the lights on in this place 'Cause I don't wanna fall, fall away I disguise And I will lie And I will take my precious time As the days melt away As I stand in line And I die as I wait as I wait on my crime And I'll try to delay what you make of my life But I don't want your way, I want mine I'm dying and I'm trying But believe me I'm fine But I'm lying, I'm so very far from fine And I, I can feel the pull begin Feel my conscience wearing thin And my skin It will start to break up and fall apart I don't wanna fall, fall away I don't wanna fall, fall away I'll keep the lights on in this place 'Cause I don't wanna fall, fall away Every time I feel selfish ambition Is taking my vision And my crime is my sentence Repentance is taking commission It's taking a toll On my soul I'm screaming submission and, I don't know if I am dying or living 'Cause I will save face For name's sake Abuse grace Take aim to obtain a new name And a newer place But my name is lame I can't walk and I ain't the same And my name became A new destiny to the grave And I, I can feel the pull begin Feel my conscience wearing thin And my skin, It will start to break up and fall apart! I don't wanna fall, fall away I don't wanna fall, fall away I'll keep the lights on in this place 'Cause I don't wanna fall, fall away... I don't wanna fall, fall away I don't wanna fall, fall away I'll keep the lights on in this place 'Cause I don't wanna fall, fall away!

Live version

Expand5 September 2014

Lyrics meaning

Lyrics	ExpandMeaning
«I know You're not a liar and I know You could set fire this day Go ahead and make me look away»	Tyler believes that all of God’s promises (everlasting life will be eventually fulfilled, but because of his doubt, he still wants physical proof of His existence. This is why he is asking for God to show himself and make it rain fire upon the Earth now, just as the Bible says it will during the final days in 2 Peter 3:10: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. “Make me look away,” could be a reference to Genesis 19, where God destroyed the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with a rain of fire. When God told Lot to leave with his family, they were told to not look directly at the cities burning, for little did they know, they would turn to salt if they peeked; Lot’s wife learned the hard way. A less literal analysis of this line is that God is making him look away from any proof, forcing him to solely rely on his faith.^[1]
«Strike me down, I am calling Your lightning down from Your dark hiding place Go ahead and show me Your face»	Tyler is taunting God, trying to draw Him out and make Him prove Himself. What Tyler doesn’t realize is that God isn’t hiding; Tyler simply hasn’t found Him of his own accord. He resorts to blasphemy, asking for his own self-destruction. What Tyler is asking for is comparable to what was described in either Job 36 or Job 37. “Show me your face,” connects with the chorus and the previous demands for self destruction as well (“Strike me down”). It is quite likely an allusion to Exodus 33:20: ‘But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’ Ironically, this line defies the meaning of an implicit demand. “Show me your face” is an explicit , or direct, demand, whereas an implicit demand would be indirect with only the implication of a demand.^[1]
«Reign down and destroy me Reign down and destroy me Reign down (Reign down)»	Tyler taunts God, vying for his attention or acknowledgement by saying, “Go ahead, destroy me, then at least I’ll know you’re real.” Recognizing that God does not owe him an answer (as seen in Job 38), he may also be asking for God to destroy him as an atonement for all of his doubting. The word “reign” in these lines could have a double meaning, acting as a homophone for “rain.” Gods are usually seen as having control of the weather and the sky, bringing bad weather to punish people for things such as blasphemy. God is also known as the “King of kings,” and Tyler is asking God to actually “reign down” by doing something that only a king or a god could do to prove their existence. This could also be a nod to Radiohead’s 1997 song “Paranoid Android” where it says:^[1] Rain down, rain down Come on, rain down on me From a great height From a great height, height
«I mean no disrespect I am simply very perplexed by Your ways»	Sometimes following blindly in the words and ways of your superiors can be confusing and lead you to question their motives; not out of malice, but out of genuine curiosity. Nobody likes to be left in the dark. More specifically, Tyler strives to understand God Himself more thoroughly. This is seen more blatantly in Tyler’s song “Blasphemy” from his 2008 solo project, No Phun Intended. He seems to possess some resentment towards God in this line, as many do after suffering some sort of trauma. He questions His methods, which is not acceptable behavior according to some Christian churches, but is common in those who feel hopeless.^[1]
«Why would you let us use your name?»	As many worshipers have expressed, Tyler is curious as to why God would create humans with the ability to sin. In biblical times, the true name of God was considered much too holy to be spoken aloud. This may also allude to the famous passage in the Book of Exodus in which speaking the Lord’s name in vain is made to be a crime: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. It’s appropriate to note here that Tyler never directly says “God” in his songs (save for “A Car, A Torch, A Death”), even though many clearly contain religious allusions. As this article suggests, it almost seems as if this is done to draw people in, then let them figure it out for themselves.^[1]
all meanings of the lyrics are taken from the Genius website

Live

The song has never been fully performed, or at least no performance of the song has been recorded, But a slightly modified intro of the track was used for the Guns for Hands intro during the 2014 tour.

Media

Video

Chris Joseph and his partner have a religious website where the latter posted a homemade video clip of this song a long time ago.

Sources

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Twenty One Pilots
Members	Tyler Joseph • Josh Dun
Former Members	Chris Salih • Nick Thomas
Albums	Twenty One Pilots • Regional at Best • Vessel • Blurryface • Trench • Scaled and Icy
EPs	Johnny Boy (EP) • Live At UG Studios • Three Songs • Migraine (EP) • Holding on to You (EP) • Quiet Is Violent • The LC LP • Double Sided • TOPxMM • Trench 10" Triplet EP • Location Sessions
Live releases	Blurryface Live • Scaled and Icy (Livestream Version)
Singles	Holding on to You • Guns for Hands • Lovely • House of Gold • Fake You Out • Car Radio • Fairly Local • Tear in My Heart • Stressed Out • Lane Boy • Ride • Heathens • Heavydirtysoul • Cancer • Jumpsuit • Nico and the Niners • Levitate • My Blood • Chlorine • The Hype • Level of Concern • Christmas Saves the Year • Shy Away • Choker • Saturday • The Outside
Tours	Local Shows • Twenty One Pilots Tour • Regional at Best Tour • Mostly November Tour • Blurryface World Tour • Emotional Roadshow World Tour • Tour De Columbus • The Bandito Tour • Takeover Tour • The Icy Tour
List of Twenty One Pilots songs • List Twenty One Pilots music videos

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