Is "Neon Gravestones" about Suicide? | Twenty One Pilots Lyrics Explained 

I saw this comment somewhere and felt like sharing it: "Suicide doesn't solve the problem, it transfers it to someone else"

*talks about dark suicide song* *plays happy whistling music* 😂

I thought of neon like neon signs. They attract attention and try to show off something good. So he’s saying that the gravestones are attracting attention.

If anyone says that Tøp glorifies suicide, show them Neon Gravestones and this video

this song is by far the most lyrically interesting and beautiful song on the entire album

I’m not crying, I just have a bit of neon gravestones in my eye

I think it's Tyler basically saying that he doesn't(and we shouldn't) glorify it

it's such a beautiful and important song. i love that he wrote it the way he did, he's never talked about mental illness in that way before and i'm really proud of him. one of the best songs he's ever written.

Boy u be faster than a pet cheetah

I think it's Tyler explaining that he doesn't glorify it.

I have this nagging feeling that the suicide of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington was the main inspiration for this song, seeing as Chester was a MASSIVE fan of Twenty One Pilots. He attended one of their concerts and tweeted about it afterwards, and even posted a video of him doing the Heavydirtysoul fast rap section.

Neon grave stones is a song that this generation needed.

In my opinion it is really brave from Tyler to be this straight forward about a topic this heavy I love the lyrics, the message is very important and the whole Album was SO worth the wait 💛

I met the mother of my (dead) stepdad today..she is a very old woman in a wheelchair and when I talked to her I thought of the last lines of this song..I celebrate her and the fact that she lives so long and keeps going 💛

In my opinion, he's saying that glorifying suicide is wrong and that you shouldn't celebrate death but life. And honestly this song really reminded me of that Chester Bennington's situation where everyone started to love him "again" after he took his life... And if you see linkin park did got more attention after chester's suicide... No one was talking about linkin park, no one was really caring about, there were even heavy criticism on the new album (One more light) but when Bennington unfortunately took his life, everyone was paying attention to him again. That's sad but that's the truth.

I'm always inspired by people who have gone through things and still have survived. But not really those who have have gone through things and ended it. Please don't take that the wrong way, it's just I can't have a conversation with the already dead. Those who have scars have control of their self power. (To me at least.) Those who have ended it, they didn't find what they needed and ill mourn, but that's all I can do. Ill mourn for the dead, but ill have a conversation with the still living. That's all I can do. (Again please dont take this the wrong way, it's just my thoughts)

This video represents tøp *happy background music on deep talk"

Neon Gravestones was a deep ride for both my friend and I since we listened to it together and gave live reactions in our Instagram dms. Also Cliff I love your cautious approach to this song and topic. You're doing great hon 💞

I think that Tyler wants to use the line of "use this mistake as a form of aggression" as a way of someone saying "if you do ____ I'll kill myself" kind of thing

It’s important to acknowledge that depression, anxiety, and suicide are terrible things that we need to help stop. But it seems like media is going to far and almost portraying it as a good thing that people can do for revenge, or for attention. Like Tyler says in the song, they’re treating it like it’s an option when it shouldn’t be. We should be talking about it yes, mental health awareness is so important! But, we need to word things carefully so people don’t get the wrong idea. If you don’t take care when talking about something like suicide, it can have the opposite effect and cause more suicides. I hope people actually listen to this video the whole way through and take what Tyler is saying seriously. Sorry if I said anything offensive, I tried to word my thoughts as best I could. Love you, stay alive. ||-// 💛

Tyler's musical genius on full display here: The vibe of the song is dark with the piano notes almost building a cemetery vibe, the whirling sound effects at the beginning paint a ambiguous phantasm picture and to top it off, the snares are playing what drummers call "ghost notes" Bravo Tyler. Bravo.

I think the term “Neon Gravestones” is like how neon signs advertise establishments. These graves of celebrities are almost advertising to us but he’s not going to give in to it and he hopes others don’t either. This song is my favourite from Trench because it really says something and deals with the topic respectfully and never actually says the S-word. Its amazingly powerful, it makes me cry and it’s honestly very interesting to hear a new point of view and some lyrics that really resonate with me. Also, stay alive frens ||-//

The background music is annoying as hell, specially for a topic like this

The part about 'if i lose to myself.....' has me so worried for tyler:(

I really like that you mentionned 13 reasons why. I didnt watch the show, but read the book and felt very uncomfortable, hated it. It felt exactly like you said. Like killing oneself to make people feel bad and seek a kind of revenge was a thing. No.

Chester of Linkin Park is a big twenty one pilots fan. You can still read it on his twitter account. He went to to their concerts. I have mixed emotions over this because i love chester so much but also that tyler speaks the reality about celebrity suicide. Remember the lyrics that mention Celebration? The hollywood bowl was called chester bennington, a celebration of life. Also, about mourning for the kid but not for the king, coz Chester has like 6 youngs kids. But also, I know that he reached out to the band last, and for the fans, that's enough.

“This culture is a vulture that feeds on pain.”

I think that the lyric 'neon gravestones' is a metaphor for these glorified suicides.

I feel this could be the response to Chesters death that everyone wanted. Some were pretty upset that he "said nothing" when that happened and now he's like want my opinion? Here it is.....

•its sort of is• •it sounds like tyler is saying that suicide isnt an option•but we as a society almost glorify it in a way that it seem like its an option•knowing that it will accepted as a form of death•and tyler doesnt agree with that•he wants us to stay alive•later on he says if he decides to take his life•that we have to promise not to glorify his death•but to appreciate what he did while he was living•and later on he goes to say that we have appreciate our older family our parents and to show respect for them• that they gave us this life to live and we should live up to the promises that they have made• •thats my interpretation• •sorry for the length• ||-//

I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I’ve struggled with it, for as long as I can remember, I’m still struggling with it, and I will struggle with it for the rest of my life. I’ve had bad thoughts, I still do sometimes even though I don’t like admitting it. It makes me scared to talk about my struggles sometimes because I don’t want people to hate me, make things worse for me, and worst of all, waste their time pitying me. But I also love talking about these things, having real conversations about uncomfortable topics like this, because it makes it easier for me to admit that I’m not okay. And being able to admit I’m not okay, ironically, makes me feel a bit better. From my perspective, you didn’t say anything offensive or uncalled for. You handed the topic with care, and therefore handled it well. Thank you. Sending love to anyone out there struggling, stay alive. ||-// 💛

I love this song, it is completely amazing. I was so happy with Trench. It was worth the wait.

i think u approached this topic n explained it in a v respectful way. neon gravestones is such a powerful n deep song damn, went right through my feels💔

My absolute favorite song of the album

Great explanation. This song miiiiight be my favourite on Trench. Also I recalled their older song's "Glowing eyes" lyrics. In that song they say "We have romantic fantasies what dying truly is."

Neon gravestones is a very deep and darkly beautiful song. It makes me wonder if Tyler is doing alright. I hope he is okay since tour starts in 10 days and I don’t want him to force himself to pretend that he’s okay and go out and perform when he doesn’t want to. I could be wrong though.

Tyler and Josh actually did an interview about this song (I can’t remember who conducted it) where Tyler basically says that he wrote words that he himself would need to hear to help him conquer suicidal thoughts and that he doesn’t mean to demean people who feel them but is simply rejecting the glorification of death. I am absolutely in love with Tyler’s song writing and this just cements how involved and meticulous he is about the messages he present, and it also fits perfectly in the album.

Here’s my take from a Christian perspective. And knowing that Tyler is a Christian, this makes sense to me at least. I’m going to be referencing multiple songs here as a whole big picture/album not just one song. 1. Dema: “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, 2 Timothy‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬ (so even though in the Bible Demas is actually a person I think the meaning still fits.) Dema is “the world.” Christians will know what this means because “we are Not of this World.” (Dema don’t control us) 2. Vialism: my guess is that with the “tubes of light” you see in the Nico video, this is referencing cell phones. People today, especially young people are so entranced and controlled by their by their cell phones. People in the world today (Dema) are impressionable, entranced and mind controlled even addicted to their cell phones. (think about the vials of light the bishops are making.) You can also think about how Tyler and Josh poke fun at peoples addiction to their cell phones with the “extreme phone pinching” videos they made. 3. Jumpsuit: Jumpsuit is Tyler’s faith. God, Jesus, the Bible etc. all of it is his Faith. Jumpsuit = his Faith, his beliefs. Matthew 16:24-26 E 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” ***”I'm heavy, my jumpsuit is on steady.” Taking up your cross is Heavy. James 4:10 ESV / 36 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” ***”I'm lighter when I'm lower, I'm higher when I'm heavy,” when we humble (lower) our selves we will be exalted (higher) Psalm 118:5 ESV “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.” ***”I'm so high, my Jumpsuit takes me so high” 4. Trench: Luke 19:43 “For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,” Link :Stories in the Bible about people who struggled with depression www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/7-bible-figures-who-struggled-with-depression.html?amp=1 5. Leave the city: leave the city=leave Dema, Dema is the world. Leave the city= leave the world =The Rapture. 6. Morph: For "above" is blind belief (Faith) and "under" is sword to sleeve
And "around" is scientific miracle, let's pick "above" (Christian Faith) and see. From car radio: “Peace will win and fear will lose It is faith and there's sleep We need to pick one please because, Faith is to be awake.” 7. Neon gravestones: sounds like an anger towards the glorification of suicide (think horrible TV shows like 13 reasons why, celebrity suicide etc.) but there is also an undertones reference to the negative influence of cell phones again, literally a neon gravestone. 8.”We’ve been here the whole time, you were asleep. Time to wake up. : “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:14-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬. And there is so much more, I could go in and on! There are tons of Faith related messages in this album.

This was my favorite song from the first listen. It has like no nonsense, NF-ish, vibe, and it is so hard hitting. It relates to me so much, as I have found it much more difficult to be lenient on those who don't understand suicidal struggles. And are more milking the "hype" around it rather than actually understanding it. Also, I think the Neon Gravestones mean graves that are bright and shiny. Meaning that people are making it look admirable to commit suicide, and that is why they are "Neon"

This is my favorite song on Trench

This is my favorite song

Hi dad

I really liked your explanation, although after multiple listens I have a different interpretation of the line "I'll mourn for a kid, but won't cry for a king", namely that it's still said by the 'they' mentioned in the previous line (They say, "How could he go if he's got everything?"). This is because this lyric matches incredibly well (when interpreted like this) with the previous line since a king kind of has everything and therefore they won't mourn him ( with the rationale of how could somebody like that feel sad??), but they will mourn a kid for various reasons

I think the "I'll teach them" is meant as somebody committing suicide thinking they'll show people who weren't nice to them how important they were. Or by really just letting it all out in their suicide note and "teach" their bullies not to be bullies but yes I would say he's talkingabout 13 reasons why even though I've only seen videos about how bad it is And if you wanna dive deeper into what Tyler said at the end of the third verse check out Old Bones by Trash Boat and the behind the lyrics to that song . It's a whole song about their singer talking to his grandpa who has experienced war and putting his whole life and his now seemingly meaningless struggles into a new perspective.

I Iove this song so much. I cried first time I heard it

I think the line where he says “and could it be true....” I think he means that people could be commuting suicide to hurt other people it’s kinda like they’re saying yeah I committed suicide because of you like they’re trying to put blame on other people for what they did but idk just a theory

Wow, I was just looking up the lyrics and the meaning of this song, after I realised that you haven't made a video of this yet and then I got this notification!! Thank you :D

I've got a question. Do you think the song is in this case related to celebrities? Because I got another kind of meaning from the vibes of this song: in general when someone dies people start to talk about their loss and love the dead person even more when he was alive, so anyway this kind of glorification happens a lot in our society even though the person is not famous. Besides in the verse "I'll mourn for a kid, but won't cry for a king" it could be referred to the fact that people strongly believe that you have got everything and you should be happy so that you shouldn't have any kind of reasons to be depressed because your life so perfect from their kind point of view. I don't know I love your explanation because it makes so much sense but I might think this message is like universal and is relate to everybody. What do you think about ? And also I have thought about this sentence for hours :Don't get it twisted It's with the people we praise who may have assisted: I think it's referred to the people who committed suicide, who have before assisted to this kind of actions of glorification so they think to use this method to get the glory and boost up their reputation. Maybe this could be seen as incorrect but I don't want to offend anybody so I am so sorry if I used any incorrect words.

50 seconds New record

This is by far my favorite song of the album because I agree with everything he says. Glorifying suicide and loving people when they are already gone is bs, we should do it while they live. I think he tries to make a stand against suicide, like saying that it's a mistake to do it, we have to be strong and keep going.

I was literally watching Jake for Stolen Potential reacting to this This is the 3rd time this has happened Cliff are you psychic

I just can't believe that Tyler tackled such a difficult topic with such tact, and never once used the words suicide or even death.

The most offensive part of this video is all the desynced loop transitions in the background.

You handled this super impactful song perfectly, I don’t think you said anything out of place and I agree on your explanation.

this song never fails to make me cry, this song is honestly just a work of art

The song made me think about kurt cobain, probably the most glorified suicide ever, especially because of the line "it's better to burn out than to fade away" which, by the way, IS SO NOT TRUE please stay alive kids

Is it okay that i bought it on cd. Please tell me it is. 😢

6:15 maybe he’s talking to jenna, to find another husband instead of mourning his death for her whole life

Tyler is an actual lyrical genius. Like for real. He’s always so concerned with saying things the right way and you can tell how much time he spends dwelling on his choice of words by reading the lyrics. Some ideas are understood right away and others take a little more time but either way, everything is exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. Nothing is thrown in just for the rhyme or whatever. Every word matters and that is so important and so hard to find in popular music.

🚨Songwriters, don't forget the How to Write Lyrics Like Twenty One Pilots Course! how-to-write-lyrics-like-twenty-one-pilots.teachery.co/sign-up-now ➡️ Learn to be true to your ideas ➡️ Write raps like Tyler Joseph ➡️ Learn how to come up with non-cheesy ideas ➡️ Learn how to connect with listeners! ➡️ Beat writer's block and actually get your lyrics out there!

Please explain cut my lip next. I can't understand anything from it

Am I the only one that thought this had to do with school shootings? "It's with the people we praise who may have assisted I could use the streams and extra conversations I could give up, and boost up my reputation I could go out with a bang They would know my name" When someone shoots up a school they are often posted all over the news. Some news stations are bad about posting the shooters face everywhere. The shooter gets more attention then he would have ever otherwise like he is being praised. Kids shoot up schools when they are completely defeated. The message of loving them while they are alive rather than talking of them when they dead would fit. These kids want that attention, but they go to irrational means to get it. Getting this fame in death could be what Tyler is talking about. Here's some more lyrics that reinforce this theory. "And could it be true that some could be tempted To use this mistake as a form of aggression? A form of succession? A form of a weapon? Thinking "I'll teach them"" From what I understood, the attention the shooters receive only encourage more shooters. The mentality of "I'll teach them" has become almost acceptable. This is when Tyler rejects that idea and basically says it's deplorable. "Well, I'm refusing the lesson It won't resonate in our minds I'm not disrespecting what was left behind Just pleading that it does not get glorified" That's all I have to say. I think it fits really well. I'd love more voices and constructive criticism.

You've just enhanced my appreciation for this song. Thank you.

You opened my eye to this song. Thank you for making this video. 💕

Why Is It So SADDDDDDD 😭😭😭😭😭😭

*I'm not crying, you are!* 😢

This was a great explanation. Great video, Clifford.

I really enjoy watching your videos!!

I love and appreciate your content SO much! But please please take off this background music..

So my idea for Neon Gravestones is about XxxTentacion's death. In the song Tyler says "I could give up, and boost up my reputation, I could go out with a bang, they would know my name, they would host and post a celebration" When Triple X died he gained so much popularity ( "I could give up, and boost up my reputation") and he died from a gun ("I could go out with a bang, they would know my name") and they had a funeral for Triple X ("they would host and post a celebration") I'm not saying this song is about Triple X, but I'm saying these lyrics could be about him

I think you explained this very well. Thank you!

I think you did a good job of being respectful and unbiased. I honestly think this may be the best song Tyler has ever written. So hauntingly beautiful yet packed with so much raw emotion.

Like how Xxxtentacion topped charts AFTER his death.... The world is weird

Robin Williams and Chester Bennington’s deaths have NOT been glorified. Chester dying especially has sparked a movement in mental health awareness, and things are changing because of that. People are grieving a wonderful man, but his death hasn’t been glorified - it’s the exact opposite. We are helping people to stay alive because of him, not copy him. And please stop saying “commit” suicide. We say “die/died by suicide”, (or just “kill self” is better). The progress we have made, that Tyler talks about, includes changing the language we use to describe mental health. That means modifying our descriptives in order to not pass blame or stigma. Chester’s death has made this change happen, especially. Look at any website related to mental health and you will see what I’m talking about. “Commit” is an archaic term in 2018.

everything was beautifully said, always love ur tøp videos

This was such a perfect dissection of the lyrics. That last part of the song resonated a lot with me. Reminded me of my grandma who passed this last summer. She was such a good example of someone who went through a lot but still fought through it all. To life she was dedicated and I celebrate her.

I'm loving all of these Trench explanations so far. Absolutely pumped for your video on Morph, that song's lyrics are important to me and I know you're going to kill it.

You’re brave for taking on these songs! I think there’s a few points were missed, but it’s a lot to unpack. Every time I listen I get something new from the songs on Trench! Good job.

This is exactly how I understood this song. So crazy. I'm glad I have this band, and music in general to help cope. Glad you exist to explain some lyrics and/or give a different perspective on how songs could be interpreted!

Great explanation, spot on, thanks PSP.

Thank you for this! I was just listening to this song earlier and reading the lyrics and coming to a similar conclusion as you but you pointed out some things that I didn’t see at first as well so thank you!!

Man. I love how clearly you put it. I couldn't understand it earlier cause I wasn't truly listening

you created this video in the best way i could imagine. thank you for this.

Beautifully explained 💛🌻🌼

I think this hit the point spot on. Great song, great explanation, great video. Keep it up :)

This is a beautiful song and a beautiful video on how you interpreted it, well spoken

Once again spot on analysis. I was in my garage painting last week when this song just clicked and it brought me to my knees in tears... I have gone and going through a lot of things in my life and this record has really helped me cope. Beautiful and powerful song.

This son and it´s explanation were soooo deep and brilliant. Thank you, Cliff!

One of my favs off the album! Great explanation Clifford!

Thank you so much. I absolutely love this video. I can now listen to this song and enjoy it for the real message behind the lyrics. This song speaks to me so I because I have felt everything that Tyler has written in this song and it has helped me to get through my struggles. Thank you so much for making this video 🙏🙏🙏

man, 100% agreed. thank you! btw, i found the explanation before watching your video, and you were just literally saying my thoughts. thanks ❤️

Wow... Great explanation it really helps me understand the song.

thank you so much for your videos. this song is really incredible and emotionally strong.

I just wanted to say that I think your doing a fantastic job explaining there new album. I personally love all there new songs and I just wanted to say your doing great and I can't wait for the next explanation. :)

I'm subscribing dude you explained this so well 💛

I think that you did a really good job explaining this. I think it’s accurate to what Tyler was trying to portray and tell us. I love this song ❤️

Well done Clifford. Well done!

This is such a sad and powerful song. Thank you for explaining it so well. Probably the best song on the entire album lyrically. So beautifully handled 😭❤️

Thank you very much for your explanation

this is such a good video and THE SONGGGGGGG UGH SO GOOD