On September 13th, 2016, the twenty one pilots account released the cover via a tweet linked to a Youtube Video.
cancer
twenty one pilots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you could get me a drink
Of water 'cause my lips are chapped and faded
Call my aunt Marie
Help her gather all my things
And bury me in all my favorite colors
My sisters and my brothers, still
I will not kiss you
I will not kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Turn away
'Cause I'm awful just to see
And all my hairs abandoned all my body
All my agony
Know that I will never marry
Baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo
I'm counting down the days to go
This just ain't livin'
And I just hope you know
I will not kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
If you say (if you say)
Goodbye today (goodbye today)
I'll ask you to be true (I'll ask you to be true)
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you
Yes, the hardest part of this
I will not kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (call my)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (call my)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
The song “Cancer” by Twenty One Pilots is a moving ballad that talks about the struggles of a cancer patient dealing with the end of their life. The song describes the singer's debilitating physical and emotional pain, as well as their desperate attempts to make peace with their imminent death. The song’s opening lines, “Turn away, if you could get me a drink of water cause my lips are chapped and faded”, immediately remind us of the vulnerability and fragility of the patient’s state of existence. The lines that immediately follow showcase the patient’s desire to make arrangements for their afterlife, asking for their aunt Marie’s help to “gather all my things and bury me in all my favorite colors.”
The song then refers to the singer’s loved ones and how they will miss them dearly. The lines, “My sisters and my brothers, still. I will not kiss you. 'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you” showcase the singer's struggle to come to terms with saying goodbye to their loved ones, even if it is just a temporary goodbye before they pass away. The chorus of the song is a repetition of “I will not kiss you”, which signifies the inability of the singer to express their love and affection towards their loved ones in the way they once could. The song ends on a bittersweet note, with the singer asking for the truth from their loved ones, and acknowledging that the hardest part of this journey is leaving them.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn away
I don't want you to see me like this
If you could get me a drink
Of water 'cause my lips are chapped and faded
I am dehydrated and my body is weak from the chemo treatment
Call my aunt Marie
Help her gather all my things
And bury me in all my favorite colors
My sisters and my brothers, still
I have accepted that death is imminent and want to be remembered by those I love
I will not kiss you
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you
I don't want to say goodbye, it's too painful for both of us
Turn away
'Cause I'm awful just to see
And all my hairs abandoned all my body
All my agony
I am physically deteriorating and it's hard to witness
Know that I will never marry
Baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo
I'm counting down the days to go
This just ain't livin'
And I just hope you know
I have come to terms with the fact that I won't survive and am tired of fighting
If you say (if you say)
Goodbye today (goodbye today)
I'll ask you to be true (I'll ask you to be true)
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you
Yes, the hardest part of this
Saying goodbye is hard, but I want to trust that you will remember me as I was
I will not kiss you
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (call my)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (call my)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Repeated chorus emphasizing the discomfort and struggle of this experience
Lyrics © BLOW THE DOORS OFF CHICAGO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, Gerard Way, Michael Way, Ray Toro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rTzz777
Lost my mother one month ago, she have a a trouble in heart after a surgery to remove a nodule of cancer, she had already beaten chemo but that surgery was necessary. I can remember everything from the last day that I saw her alive. We did an exam to see the heart and the doctor asked for hospitalization. I could not stay in the room where she was hospitalized, I could not stay as a companion, i remember that ive said goodbye and say that ill be there in the next morning, before i pass through the door i feel like ive have to kiss her on the forehead and say that i will be there on the next day, afther that ive started to crying a way that had never happened before, I felt like I was leaving my world behind. I got in the car and drove home crying because I needed to get her a pillow, so I left the pillow at the hospital but I couldn't see her. In the other day at 05 am my dad wakes me up and tell me the thing that i never wanted to hear. My last interaction with my mother was the kiss I gave her on the forehead. Before the funeral I went to where she was doing chemotherapy, there they had a bell where the person who defeated cancer would ring, my brother and I would ring the bell for her, because she overcame the cancer, what took her was the heart problem. the verse "I will not kiss you cause the hardest part of this is leaving you" hits me a lot because I followed the whole process of my mother always by her side, and in that last kiss I felt lost, I felt like it was the last.
Thank you Tyler and Josh for the all the great music, thank you guys for helping me with every difficult or happy moment of my life. Brazil loves you guys! i hope one day i can meet you guys and tell you how much your melodies have helped me
To anyone that is going through this or anyone that you know that is going through this. Stay strong, do what you can do to help, have faith, have faith in God, he knows everything.
I'm sorry everyone for my english
@XD-nd7ou
My heart goes to all the people with cancer. I'm sorry for everything you have to pass through! I love you all!
I'll tell you my story, my boyfriend was lying to me that he has cancer. I know, sounds unreal, right?
We had a LDR, it was going for around 5 months, he've been calling me the love of this life and the right one. He was telling me everyday that he loves me so much... We spend hours together everyday and being on call at night before falling asleep and dreaming and planning to meet each other. Around 20 days ago he started feeling very bad, as he told. His head and stomach were always hurting. I did everything I could to support and take care of him, letting him know that I'm with him and that I love him irrespective of how he is feeling.
After a week of feeling bad he told me he will go see a doctor. And you know? I believed everything! He said the doctor said he has an autoimmune disease but they didn't know what type it is yet. He said they need to do more analysis. Some more days passed. He told me he was still in pain continuosly and that he's throwing up very oftern. And he was faking everything so well... such a good actor. When we were on call he would groan as if with pain and all the things like this.
Then a few days passed, and he said that the doctor told him they suspect he has cancer but it's not conlusive yet and that they need more time to confirm this. A few hours passed and he sad they confirmed. He said he will go to do more exams to know thae type of cancer and possible treatments the next days and that he won't be able to pay me more attention. I told him not to worry about this and that I love him! And that we need to focus for him to get better now. I assured him that I support him in everything.
The next day he disappeared. I thought the doctors told him his cancer is very bad and that he doesn't talk to me not to make me feel sad. I was so horribly wrong.
More days passed, during which I was researching everything about cancer and joining different cancer communities, just to make everything I can to help him feel better. I learned about so many different stories of people with cancer. I sympathise with all of them!
During this time I was writing letters to him everyday (because it was our thing to do every night). And I was trying to contact him everywhere I could.
One day, I found his instagram account... and what do you think I found there? A photo of him kissing another girl... He was calling her 'my love' like he used to call me. And she called him 'my significant other'. This is a term I taught him, he had no idea such term exists before :) and he's using it with her now... I saw him being happy and healthy cheating with another girl when I was worried for him thinking he's in the hospital and is undergoing treatment. I was praying to God everyday to cure him...
I needed explanation and texted both of them. After a day I got answers. Apparently his love for me was fading and he had no courage to tell me but he had courage to tell me he has cancer so I'd leave him... guess what? I'm not a monster like him, I wanted to be with him even him being sick... He told me he is with the girl after he left when he told me he has cancer but the girl told me they are together for 2 months...
It was so difficult to comprehend that something like this is happening to me. And it's way more difficult knowing that he dared to lie about cancer. Seeing their photo I immediately broke up with him. I'm not sad he's not with me anymore but I'm sad he did it that way. Lying about having cancer... this is just so wrong and atrocious... It just doesn't sit well with me. How can you lie about having cancer?? Can you imagine?
And the worst part is that I never expected this from him as he 'loved me so much' and I thought he is the kindest person ever. He turned out to be a monster... the worst person I know...
After I told the girl everything, she is still with him... I hope he doesn't do the same to her... It must be difficult to live with a liar, a monster and a cheater... I don't feel anything for him now, except disgust.
I'm happy I found out his true nature and that God saved me from being with such a person.
Felipe Cafezeiro Plech, if you ever stumble upon this, know that you are not worth of my feelings. You are a monster, a real monster. I feel bad for all people that have cancer whom you disrespected with your lie. I feel bad for all the people he has to deal with too. I'm sorry!
May God forgive him. 🙏
@mhmmdkamil976
Turn away
If you could get me a drink
Of water 'cause my lips are chapped and faded
Call my aunt Marie
Help her gather all my things
And bury me in all my favorite colors
My sisters and my brothers, still
I will not kiss you
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you
I will not kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Turn away
'Cause I'm awful just to see
And all my hairs abandoned all my body
All my agony
Know that I will never marry
Baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo
I'm counting down the days to go
This just ain't livin'
And I just hope you know
I will not kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (turn away)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
If you say (if you say)
Goodbye today (goodbye today)
I'll ask you to be true (I'll ask you to be true)
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you
Yes, the hardest part of this
I will not kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (call my)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
Kiss you (kiss you)
Lips are chapped and faded
Call my (call my)
Lips are chapped and faded (faded)
@gday8813
My dad died on December 14th, 2018
He didn't had cancer but he had a lot of issues with his kidney, I remember coming home from school that day and I saw my mom in tears along with my aunts and uncles there, she just started at me and I immediately knew what had happened, my dad is dead.
This song reminds me a lot what's he was going through even though it wasn't cancer he was battling, I want to become a musician one day and I want to make songs like these, I want to make people happy.
Have a lovely day.
Edit: The amount of attention and support that this comment has gotten is truly astonishing.
I am proud to be apart of a community like this, I'll try to give you all some small updates on my progress.
And as always
Have a Lovely day and stay alive
Edit 2: 500 likes, absolutely beautiful. I don't know what to say but thank you for the support
Have a lovely day
Edit 3: I honestly don't know what to say at this point, I'll just give a small update on what's going on over here.
Mom hasn't been taking the lost very well and she started to smoke, alot.
Me and the family are trying their best to be supportive but it seems like she's way too far gone at this point but that's not going to stop us for trying.
I never expected this much support, I excepted this comment to be buried under those who had it worst than my family but I was wrong.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you everyone for everything and as always, have a lovely day!
@brookeearl1261
It's not like anybody cares but I'm now cancer free after 14 months. =]
@simplystas
Itz.Brooke Lol Omg good for you!! I may not know you but I'm glad to know another person survived this. I've had a few relatives sadly pass away because of cancer, so I'm glad another person won the battle ❤️❤️❤️
@brookeearl1261
NTVUK007 I'm sorry for your relatives, and thank you so much =]
@Deevy8_
Itz.Brooke Lol of course we care. God bless❤️️
@lesliecuevas4805
that's greattttt!!! I'm so happy for you 😊😊😊❤
@simplystas
Itz.Brooke Lol <3 <3 <3
@HexRuse
both performances showcase different emotions associated with death and knowing that your death is imminent.
MCR: showcased anger and frustration as well as fear, both of death and of who they leave behind.
TOP: showcases acceptance and quiet resignation to their fate.
really, both songs are just different parts in the acceptance cycle.
@jenniferbrewer4934
The only comment worth reading
@kitty-um8zg
I like this a lot
@Walkfazter
Exactly!!!!