He asks himself, ‘Why can’t I be the person I want to be?’ Tyler presents himself as two different people who are as different as night and day. In a way, they actually are night and day.
The night represents the dark side of himself. He thinks in a different way and behaves in a way that he doesn’t like. He doesn’t have much control over his mind during the night. The rising of the sun gives him both control and relief.
Tyler said this about the song:
"It’s a different song than most of the other ones. It’s a very bouncy, happy sounding melody and everything.
Why is it that we continue to do wrong things, why do we continue to do things we know are wrong? Why is addiction even a thing? These are all things I ask myself. I know there is something wrong with this world and there’s something wrong with me. There’s something wrong and we have to figure out how to fix it…As a brother, if I want to be the best brother in the world why is it I sometimes do the opposite? But I want to be a good brother. Why does that happen, why can’t I make that connection?
Why can’t I do what I want to do? And why do I always do what I don’t want to do?"
Semi-Automatic
twenty one pilots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Earth turns, from sanity
Taking my only friend I know
He leaves a lot, his name is Hope
I'm never what I like
I'm double-sided
And I just can't hide
When I make you cry
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up, inside
The horrors of the night melt away
Under the warm glow of survival of the day
Then we move on
My shadow grows taller along with my fears
And my friends shrink smaller as night grows near
When the sun is climbing window sills
And the silver lining rides the hills
I will be saved for one whole day
Until the sun make the hills its grave
I'm never what I like
I'm double-sided
And I just can't hide
I kinda like it
When I make you cry
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up, inside
I'm never what I like
I'm double-sided
And I just can't hide
I kinda like it
When I make you cry
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up, inside my mind
I'm semi-automatic
My prayer's schizophrenic
But I'll live on, yeah, I'll live on, yeah, I'll live on
I'm semi-automatic
My prayer's schizophrenic
But I'll live on, yeah, I'll live on, yeah, I'll live, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm semi-automatic
My prayer's schizophrenic
But I'll live on, yeah, I'll live on, yeah, I'll live on
I'm semi-automatic
My prayer's schizophrenic
But I'll live on, yeah, I'll live on
By the time the night wears off, the dust is down
And shadows burn
I will rise and stand my ground
Waiting for the night's return
I'm never what I like
I'm double-sided
And I just can't hide
I kinda like it
When I make you cry
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up, inside
I'm never what I like
I'm double-sided
And I just can't hide
I kinda like it
When I make you cry
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up, inside my mind
The lyrics of Twenty One Pilots's Semi-Automatic talk about the internal struggles of the singer that haunt him both in his waking state and in his dreams. The song references themes of mental illness, hopelessness, and the desire for emotional conflict. The first few lines describe the singer's friend, "Hope," who's just a concept that people cling to for a sense of security. The rest of the song seems to explore the contrast between day and night and how they affect the singer's thoughts and emotions. In the day, he can manage his fears, but when the night falls, his shadow grows taller while his friends shrink smaller.
The line, "I'm semi-automatic, My prayers schizophrenic" mentions a struggle between the singer's internal motivations and the reality outside his head. This struggle could create contradictions in the singer's desires and actions. The "double-sided" aspect of the singer's personality may refer to different personas he feels he has to put on to deal with his surroundings. The chorus that repeats throughout the song can be interpreted as the singer's defense mechanism trying to keep everything and everyone distanced from him.
Overall, the lyrics of Semi-Automatic are open to interpretation, but they paint the portrait of someone who struggles with their emotions and personal conflicts in a society they feel like they don't belong to.
Line by Line Meaning
Night falls, with gravity
As the sun sets, a feeling of sadness and heaviness sets in
The earth turns, from sanity
The predictable routine of life is disrupted and chaos prevails
Taking my only friend I know,
He lives a lie, his name is Hope
Hope, which was the only support, is fleeting and unreliable
When the sun is coming, window soothes
And the silver lining rides the hills
I will be saved for one whole day
Until the sun make the hills its grave
The dawn brings a glimmer of hope, but it fades as time passes
The horrors of the night melt away
Under the warm glow of survival of the day
Then we move on, my shadow grows taller along with my fears
And my friends shrink smaller as night grows near
The fears and anxieties of the night are conquered by the light of day, but they return as darkness sets in
I'm never what I like
I'm double-sided
And I just can't hide
I kinda like it
When I make you cry
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up, inside
The singer has a complex personality and enjoys manipulating others
I'm semi-automatic,
My prayers schizophrenic
But I'll live on, yeah I'll live on, yeah I'll live on
The singer has emotional ups and downs and struggles with mental illness, but will continue to survive
By the time the night wears off, the dust is down
And shadows burn
I will rise and stand my ground,
Waiting for the night's return
After struggling through the night, the singer will not give up and will face whatever comes next
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tyler Joseph
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cheesecakeknight5862
Night falls with gravity,
The earth turns from sanity,
Taking my only friend I know,
He leaves a lot, his name is "Hope".
I'm never what I like,
I'm double sided, and I just can't hide,
I kind of like it when I make you cry,
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up inside.
The horrors of the night melt away,
Under the warm glow of survival of the day,
Then we move on,
My shadow grows taller, along with my fears,
And my frame shrinks smaller as night grows near.
When the sun is climbing window sills,
And the silver lining rides the hills,
I will be saved for one whole day,
Until the sun makes the hills its grave.
I'm never what I like,
I'm double sided, and I just can't hide,
I kind of like it when I make you cry,
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up inside.
I'm never what I like,
I'm double sided, and I just can't hide,
I kind of like it when I make you cry,
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up inside my mind.
Doo,
Doo, doo, doo-doo-doo... [8x]
Doo
[4x:]
I'm semi-automatic, my prayer's schizophrenic,
But I'll live on, yeah I'll live on, yeah I'll live on.
By the time the night wears off,
The dust is down and shadows burn,
I will rise and stand my ground,
Waiting for the night's return.
I'm never what I like,
I'm double sided, and I just can't hide,
I kind of like it when I make you cry,
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up inside.
I'm never what I like,
I'm double sided, and I just can't hide,
I kind of like it when I make you cry,
'Cause I'm twisted up, I'm twisted up inside my mind.
Doo,
Doo, doo, doo-doo-doo... [8x]
Doo
@maxonmendel5757
Sasha Koch
Some words from the man himself:
"My flow's not great, okay, I conversate with people
Who know if I flow on a song I'll get no radio play
While you're doing fine, there's some people and I
Who have a really tough time getting through this life
So excuse us while we sing to the sky.
Read more: Twenty One Pilots - Screen Lyrics | MetroLyrics "
So there. You don't have to like him. Doesn't matter. Some of us love him, and whether he's talented or not doesn't matter. We love him because he is honest and his music is relational.
Now, some of us do care what you think. You don't have to like him, but you ought to have enough respect that if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all "in my opinion".
With all that, I agree with Iaela (suh-weeet name, btw). Go sit in the corner and think about what you said!
In the meantime, I'll have your 10 followers tell how great of a rapper you are.
@reemhamadeh4165
Who’s here in 2024
@AnonymousZCool
Of Course
@laser-ll5ui
Yep got this late since we're just got this song on mars😂
@astridmcintyre2279
Don't fall off the stage Tyler
@noasagi6171
ikr lol
@XxPinkGalaxyXxAjj
the clique will alwaya be there to catch him xD
@paphonieface8506
+My Chemical Trøyler! At The Twenty Øne Phandøms I see you everywhere
@noasagi6171
+Blurry Face I'm like the phandom in a person haha
@paphonieface8506
+My Chemical Trøyler! At The Twenty Øne Phandøms 😂
@mindlessjulian1666
"I kinda like it when I make you cry"
So that's why the hiatus started.