Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Car Radio
Twenty One Pilots Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I ponder of something great
My lungs will fill and then deflate
They fill with fire, exhale desire
I know it's dire, my time today

I have these thoughts so often, I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

Sometimes quiet is violent
I find it hard to hide it, my pride is no longer inside
It's on my sleeve, my skin will scream
Reminding me of who I killed inside my dream
I hate this car that I'm driving, there's no hiding for me
I'm forced to deal with what I feel
There is no distraction to mask what is real
I could pull the steering wheel

I have these thoughts so often, I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

I ponder of something terrifying
'Cause this time there's no sound to hide behind
I find over the course of our human existence
One thing consists of consistence
And it's that we're all battling fear
Oh dear, I don't know if we know why we're here
Oh my, too deep, please stop thinking
I liked it better when my car had sound
There are things we can do
But from the things that work there are only two
And from the two that we choose to do
Peace will win and fear will lose
And there's faith and there's sleep
We need to pick one please because
Faith is to be awake and to be awake is for us to think
And for us to think is to be alive
And I will try with every rhyme
To come across like I am dying
To let you know you need to try to think

I have these thoughts so often, I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh

Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh
Whoa, oh-whoa-oh

And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit
And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit in silence
And now I just sit

I ponder of something great
My lungs will fill and then deflate
They fill with fire, exhale desire
I know it's dire, my time today

I have these thoughts so often, I ought
To replace that slot with what I once bought
'Cause somebody stole my car radio
And now I just sit in silence

Overall Meaning

The song "Car Radio" by Twenty One Pilots is a raw and emotional examination of coping with the loss of a car radio. The lyrics delve deeper, however, into the idea of how we cope with the loss of distraction in our daily lives. The song describes the quick transition from thoughts of something great (filling the void with something productive) to thoughts of something terrifying. The intensity of the emotions builds throughout the song with the lyrics, "I find it hard to hide it, my pride is no longer inside, it's on my sleeve, my skin will scream, reminding me of who I killed inside my dream."


The meaning of the song seems to be focused on the idea that distractions can be helpful in coping with the more negative aspects of life. However, when those distractions are taken away, we're forced to confront those emotions and thoughts head-on. The singer describes the struggle with the realization of being "forced to deal with what I feel" and the idea that "there is no distraction to mask what is real." The song ends on a poignant note with the repetition of the line "And now I just sit in silence" demonstrating the pain of coming to terms with one's thoughts and emotions.


Line by Line Meaning

I ponder of something great
I am contemplating something profound


My lungs will fill and then deflate
I am filled with excitement, then realize it will not last


They fill with fire, exhale desire
I burn with passion and long to express it


I know it's dire, my time today
I recognize the seriousness of my current situation


I have these thoughts so often, I ought
I constantly have these profound thoughts and should act on them


To replace that slot with what I once bought
I need to fill the void where my music once was


'Cause somebody stole my car radio
Someone took away the one thing that brought me peace


And now I just sit in silence
Now I am forced to confront my thoughts without distraction


Sometimes quiet is violent
The silence can be overwhelming and emotionally painful


I find it hard to hide it, my pride is no longer inside
I cannot keep my feelings bottled up any longer


It's on my sleeve, my skin will scream
My emotions are evident and hard to ignore


Reminding me of who I killed inside my dream
My subconscious is constantly reminding me of my past mistakes


I hate this car that I'm driving, there's no hiding for me
I am uncomfortable in my own skin and cannot escape my problems


I'm forced to deal with what I feel
I have no choice but to confront my emotions head-on


There is no distraction to mask what is real
I cannot escape from my problems by distracting myself


I could pull the steering wheel
I could choose to end my life, but I know it won't solve my problems


I ponder of something terrifying
I am contemplating something that scares me deeply


'Cause this time there's no sound to hide behind
I cannot use music or noise to distract myself from my fears


I find over the course of our human existence
I have come to understand something about humanity


One thing consists of consistence
One thing that remains constant is consistency


And it's that we're all battling fear
We all struggle with fear in our lives


Oh dear, I don't know if we know why we're here
I question our purpose on this earth


Oh my, too deep, please stop thinking
These thoughts are overwhelming and I need a break


I liked it better when my car had sound
I miss the distraction of music in my life


There are things we can do
There are solutions to our problems


But from the things that work there are only two
There are only two effective solutions


And from the two that we choose to do
We have to choose one of the two solutions


Peace will win and fear will lose
Choosing the path of peace will overcome fear


And there's faith and there's sleep
The two solutions are faith and sleep


We need to pick one please because
We must choose a path forward


Faith is to be awake and to be awake is for us to think
Having faith allows us to be aware and to think critically


And for us to think is to be alive
Thinking is necessary for us to truly live


And I will try with every rhyme
Through my music, I will try to convey these ideas


To come across like I am dying
I will try to express the intensity of my emotions


To let you know you need to try to think
I hope my audience will also engage in critical thinking




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tyler Joseph

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@sarenemun4817

I was so focused on the car radio, I missed his message.
Faith is to be awake
And to be awake is for us to think
And for us to think is to be alive
And I will try with every rhyme
To come across like I am dying
To let you know you need to try to think


He talks to us here. He says that his music is for us. He sings to let us know we need to try to think. And for us to think is to be alive.



All comments from YouTube:

@Hannah-cr7rp

“sometimes quiet is violent” has stuck with me since the first time I heard this song.

@justcarly3830

Too violent. I got put the F away for being woke!!!

@sedricgilmore2373

han facts

@KathyMiller434

This is one of the only lines in the music video he doesn't sing, he skips it after saying and now I just sit in silence

@charleeradford3813

Oof same

@rrpearsall

Great song to distract us from the violence raging on! ;)

38 More Replies...

@Pedro-uz8jz

I'm a 41 year old man who's battled depression and suicidal thoughts. The lyrics are heavy and very real to what depression is. But, when it hits when everyone is dancing and jumping up and down......that's freedom. So thank you, Twenty One Pilots for sharing this song with the world.

@allisondellasera7211

Wow

@Solacesreprieve

Keep fighting! You still have so much joy in your life to experience. Mine is fairly similar but we have to stay🤎

@mario-nq9jc

Stay alive

More Comments

More Versions