Tyler uses a variety of metaphors (e.g. a Megalodon and Megatron) to express a sense that the band was once a leader in their music due to their success during the Blurryface era when many of their songs topped the charts, but now that time has passed and the Megalodon faces extinction as well as Megatron watching the cogs he once stepped on rising up. “The Outside” expresses the inevitability of how the music industry moves on from one artist to the next and highlights Tyler’s bitterness towards the industry and how it prioritizes non-controversial, non-challenging music.
This is not the first time Tyler has been bold in declaring his criticisms. On twenty one pilots 2011 hit “Holding On To You,” he wrote:
"Lean with it, rock with it, when we gonna stop with it?
Lyrics that mean nothin', we were gifted with thought."
And on 2015’s “Lane Boy” he says:
"Don’t trust a perfect person and don’t trust a song that’s flawless."
Tyler has always been at odds with music that is thoughtless, but “The Outside” sees him tired of having this argument and even accepting that if twenty one pilots can’t be mainstream, they will still make music from the outside.
Additionally, listeners can read “The Outside” as a confrontation with Dema and their control over Tyler’s character and his music.
The “The Outside” made its live debut on May 26, 2021 as part of The Livestream Experience, the same day the studio version was released as part of "Scaled And Icy". While this performance has not been officially shared post-stream, its audio was remastered and released as part of the "Scaled And Icy (Livestream Version)" album.
It was later performed for the Corona Capital Festival at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City on November 21, 2021. The performance video was released later on December 16.
A tweet promoting the performance video also teased that a music video would be filmed after the year-end holidays.
The Outside
Twenty One Pilots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm pretty sure I've seen this one before
I've got a long drive, I'll tape my eyes
So I don't fall asleep again
Singing out
Up and down
They're nodding
You got it
Everybody stand in line
One by one, take a hit, join the club
Kids will try to take my vibes
Or am I on the outside?
(Am I on the outside?)
I've got a long drive, I'll tape my eyes
So I don't fall asleep again
Singing out
Up and down
They're nodding
Heads are moving up and down
You got it
Everybody stand in line
One by one, take a hit, join the club
Kids will try to take my vibes
Or am I on the outside?
(Am I on the outside?)
(Am I on the outside?)
I am a Megalodon, oceans feeling like a pond
Swimming like a beast, underneath they be clinging on
Meteoric rise, in prehistoric times
Now that meteor is coming, coming
I am Megatron, cogs I'm stepping on
Then the little cogs got together, start a renaissance
Switched it up on me, fuel efficiency
On fumes I am running, running, running
Up and down
They're nodding
Heads are moving up and down
You got it
Everybody
Up and down
They're nodding
Heads are moving up and down
You got it
Everybody stand in line
One by one, take a hit, join the club
Kids will try to take my vibes
Or am I on the outside?
(In the summer heat, in the summer heat)
(Drum in the street, drum in the street)
I'm on the outside in the summer heat
You can pay the cover charge, I'm in the street
Little do they know that they can't touch me
I'm vibin', vibin'
I'm on the outside in the summer heat
You can pay the cover charge, I'm in the street
Little do they know that they can't touch me
I'm vibin', vibin', yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
In "The Outside," Twenty One Pilots explores the sensation of being out of place, particularly in situations where you feel like you don't belong. The song starts with the singer already feeling stagnant and bored, seeing something that seems familiar and predictable. He is trying to stay awake as he drives and sings about being on the outside. He feels like everyone in the club is part of the same system and doing the same thing, but he is on the outside looking in, asking himself, "Am I on the outside?"
The second verse presents the singer's struggle even more. He uses metaphors like "Megalodon" and "Meteoric rise" to describe his past success and fall from grace. The prehistoric beast is no longer the top predator, and the singer feels like he's being pushed out of the system, struggling for fuel to keep going. Despite the distance he feels, the singer is still vibing in the summer heat, unaware of those who are trying to take away his energy and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm already bored
I'm tired of the same old routine and I need something new and exciting.
I'm pretty sure I've seen this one before
This situation feels familiar and repetitive like it's happened before.
I've got a long drive, I'll tape my eyes
To avoid falling asleep at the wheel during a long drive, I'll tape my eyes open as a temporary solution.
So I don't fall asleep again
I've experienced this before and I want to prevent it from happening again.
Singing out
I'm expressing myself and my emotions through singing and music.
Up and down
People are nodding their heads in time with the music.
They're nodding
People are enjoying the song and expressing it by moving their heads up and down.
Heads are moving up and down
People's heads are going up and down as they listen to the music.
You got it
I'm acknowledging that the audience is enjoying the performance.
Everybody stand in line
Everyone is waiting their turn to experience the song and the performance.
One by one, take a hit, join the club
Everyone is getting in on the experience, one by one, and it's like they're all part of a club.
Kids will try to take my vibes
Others may try to ruin the vibe that I'm feeling and the experience that I'm having.
Or am I on the outside?
I'm questioning whether I'm part of this experience or not, and whether I truly fit in.
I am a Megalodon, oceans feeling like a pond
I'm feeling powerful and like a huge dinosaur in a small space and place.
Swimming like a beast, underneath they be clinging on
I'm moving powerfully through the crowd and people are holding onto me for support.
Meteoric rise, in prehistoric times
I've climbed my way up and reached success just like how a meteor used to be powerful in ancient times.
Now that meteor is coming, coming
My success might be coming to an end soon, or I might be nearing a downfall.
I am Megatron, cogs I'm stepping on
I'm a powerful figure that's stepping on the little people, like a robot that crushes its enemies.
Then the little cogs got together, start a renaissance
Despite being small on their own, people can band together and create something beautiful and meaningful like a renaissance.
Switched it up on me, fuel efficiency
Everything has changed quickly and now I need to find a more efficient way to keep up and survive in this new world.
On fumes I am running, running, running
I'm barely keeping up with the changes and I'm running on the fumes of what I used to have.
In the summer heat, in the summer heat
This is happening in the middle of hot summer, which makes everything more intense and emotional.
Drum in the street, drum in the street
The beat of the music is loud and can be heard echoing in the streets.
I'm on the outside in the summer heat
Even though it's hot outside, I'm still feeling isolated and lonely.
You can pay the cover charge, I'm in the street
I don't need to be inside, where it's more exclusive and costly, I'm outside where anyone can join in.
Little do they know that they can't touch me
Those who are inside, who seem to have more power and success, can't affect my own feelings and experiences.
I'm vibin', vibin'
I'm in a good mood and enjoying the moment.
Yeah
I'm expressing my enthusiasm and excitement.
Yeah
I'm still feeling excited and enthusiastic.
Yeah
I'm still hyped up and feeling good.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tyler Joseph
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@it_mittens
I noticed it too when the song first came out! Migraine is my favorite TOP song, and now these lyrics make WAY more sense:
Behind my eyelids are islands of violence
My mind's shipwrecked, this is the only land my mind could
Find, I did not know it was such a violent island
Full of tidal waves, suicidal crazed lions
They're trying to eat me, blood running down their chin
And I know that I can fight or I can let the lion win
I begin to assemble what weapons I can find
'Cause sometimes to stay alive you gotta kill your mind
The weapons are the artifacts (antlers) Clancy uses to control the dead bishop!
@KakutoKishi
The full Dema storyline explained
Today I will explain the entire Dema storyline but first we need to go over:
Types of 21 pilots music
-symbology
(Chlorine car radio etc)*MV
These videos have symbology showing different aspects of depression and mental health, many of them corresponds to the different niners
-concert
(Ride etc)*MV
Simply Tyler and Josh playing music some symbology but typically not much, sometimes niner songs.
Niner: the songs/Music Videos describing the insecurities each bishop controls the songs corresponding to the bishops are:
𝑁𝐼𝐶𝑂
Stressed Out.
Insecurity: Growing up, General stress.
𝐴𝑁𝐷𝑅𝐸
Fairly Local
Insecurity: Staying The Same, Never Changing.
𝐾𝐸𝑂𝑁𝑆
HeavyDirtySoul
Insecurity: Fear of death.
𝑆𝐴𝐶𝐴𝑅𝑉𝐸𝑅
Tear In My Heart
Insecurity: Fear Of Love.
𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇𝑂
Ride
Insecurity: Abandonment and Overthinking.
𝑉𝐸𝑇𝑂𝑀𝑂
Lane Boy
Insecurity: Conformity.
𝑁𝐼𝐿𝐿𝑆
Goner
Insecurity: Defeat.
𝐿𝐼𝑆𝐷𝐸𝑁
Polarize
Insecurity: What's Next And Not Being Good Enough.
𝑅𝐸𝐼𝑆𝐷𝑅𝑂
Doubt
Insecurity: Doubting God, self doubt.
And
-dema
What I’m going to be talking about The epic 21 pilots rock opera that tells the fantasy story of a city where it citizens are forced to stay there by an evil regime called the bishops that propagate the religion of fatalism and a group of rebels called the Bandidos fighting against them. This is an epic fantasy story but everything in it also represents different aspects of mental health depression suicidal thoughts and you being able to overcome them.
Albums:
trench,scaled and icy and the upcoming album.
I am mainly going to focus on the music videos, there are other aspects of the lore that I used such as other songs, interviews and Demaorg*
*Note: Demaorg is a website hidden in the vessel page on the 21 pilots website and contains letters and Journal entries written by Clancy
Dema storyline important details:
The continent of trench: this is where our story takes place, Fantasy world that represent someone’s mind
Dema: a city with walls surrounding it lead by the Bishops who keep the Citizens from leaving
The Bishops: a mysterious group of hooded humanoids that keep all the Citizens of Dema inside the walls, they cannot phisicly harm rebels they must use their powers to bring all rebels back under the spell of Dema.
Fatalism: the religion propagated by the bishops glorifying suicide, hailing those who kill themselves as heroes.
(The song neon gravestone)
The bandetos: a group of rebels who help smuggle people out of Dema they wair a yellow jumpsuit that makes them somewhat invisible to the bishops.
Jumpsuit: a coat with yellow tape on it that helps the bandetos stay unnoticed by the bishops.
Ned: small creatures that live outside of Dema their horns have a strange connection to the bishops, they can be used by the bishops, or can be used to control the bishops.
Trash The dragon: a underwater dragon that is an enemy of the bishops.
Clancy: the protagonist of the story he is a bandeto who is escaping Dema and is best friends with the leader of the bandetos
Dema music videos in order
-jumpsuit
-nico and the niners
-levitate
-Saturday
-The outside
Storyline:
Dema storyline plot begins in the Trench trilogy
The story starts with the music video jumpsuit Clancy is outside of Dema and is being chased by a bishop on horseback, he is swayed by the bishop and begins to follow him but the bandetos help him and he runs from the bishop, he is eventually over run and captured.
The next segment of the story is in Neco and the niners, we see the bishops setting up some sort of ritual and Clancy is back in Dema but his spirit is not broken And he is not under demas spell “what the bishops don’t know is Dema don’t control us” he meets up with the bandetos and they go to their underground basis and go through secret tunnels and escape the city.
We move on to the final episode in the trench saga, Levitate. Clancy goes with a group of bandetos to their camp outside Dema and all seams well until a bishop comes to the camp and forcefully captures Clancy and thus ends the trench saga.
The scaled in ice era begins with Saturday*
Note: The video Shy away is another propaganda video but has no Direct implications on the story, other than showing that Clancy is under the bishops Control.
We meet up with Clancy again and he and other bandetos they are hosting a propaganda video for the people of Dema on a submarine somewhere with the bishops but something seams off instead of continuing to fight they all appear to be partying, they’re all completely under the control of Dema, and it appears the bishops may have won until trash the dragon crashes into the submarine freeing the bandetos and Clancy.
The latest installment of the saga “The outside” takes place after Saturday we see The bishops finishing a ritual they sacrifice one of their members to kill the dragon that freed the bandetos. Clancy and Josh are washed up on a mysterious island where they venture into a cave that appears to be a settlement of Ned’s the Ned’s give them clothes and food and their leader leads Clancy out of the cave The ned proceeds to remove his horns and he gives them to Clancy, Clancy uses them to infiltrate the ritual the bishops used to kill the dragon and takes control of the dead bishops body making him overturn one of the light rods used in The ceremony Lighting Dema on fire. We then see a group of Bandidos revealing that their is more Bandidos than we thought, The video ends showing Dema going up in flames as the Bandidos watch from afar.
@mcgfn
Okay lots of REALLY BIG THINGS have been given to us by this video and the letters that came before it.
The Migraine chorus sound being used when they reach "Ned's" cave proves this must be the "Voldsøy" seen on Clancy's new map (Norwegian for "Island of Violence").
Clancy's letter from today introduced to us the idea that the Bishops are always inhabiting the bodies of those "honourable citizens" who died for the sake of Dema, who had achieved what is known as "The Glorious Gone", and may not even have their own physical forms. This would explain why they were okay with stabbing one of their own (Keons) after he took control of Trash as a method of taking him down. I doubt Trash is actually dead but for now both him and Keons' current body are down for the count.
Clancy's letter from today also reveals that he and Tyler may actually be the same person. This was doubted for a long time because Clancy wrote about the events of the Jumpsuit music video from the perspective of someone who wasn't Tyler. However, today he wrote that this power of possession that the Bishops have makes everything "make sense...The episodes I would have: the blood red visions, my dreams of flying, the out of body account of the rider in the river ...". He also wrote that he was the "only one that can wield it" (the power of possession the Bishops have that Tyler is clearly shown to wield at the climax of the video). That is it, that makes me think a lot, Tyler has got to be Clancy.
From what I could tell by the end of the video, the Banditos are back, and they still have faith in "The Torchbearer's" (Josh's) plan. Dema is on fire after Tyler's sabotage when he took over Keon's form. I believe once they reach the mainland and reunite with the Banditos we will be getting our preparation for the sequel to Trench and during the course of the album they will begin a final assault on Dema and the Bishops.
This is the beginning of a long fight that may end in the fall of the Sacred Municipality of Dema and the liberation of its citizens.
@kaelabook23
This video makes so much more sense now
@piecemaster14
fax
@rayebristol
literal chills 😭
@Amber_Huitronn
Fr tho😭
@heathersmith1042
Agreed, and so many "ooooooohhh" moments. But, dema is on fire here at the end, hmmm... the speculations continue! Gotta love these guys!
@baileyc8255
So real😭
@Momomansion
I love how Josh’s role always feels like “yo I just saved you, now I’m gonna chill on my themed drum set and look cool as fuck”
@amauer4834
As long as josh gets to play drums, he is happy
@kazigkaasje
fairly accurate
@xhazteralx927
@@krozzsk8283 Men, ajasjsajsaj por qué contestas en español?