The second song on the self-titled album, Twenty One Pilots is called “Fall Away.” Within the lyrics of the song we see a pretty consistent theme of Tyler’s tug-of-war between his desire to obtain fame, or a greater reputation, and his desire to honor and submit to God. I believe that this is a decision we are all faced with: to choose to build our own reputation or to build God’s reputation. (Disclaimer: I will be addressing the lyrics from the song in a different order than how they appear in the recording).
We Demand, and God Judges
In the first verse of the song we see the lines, “As I stand in line, and I die as I wait, as I wait on my crime, and I’ll try to delay what you make of my life…” To rephrase, it sounds as if Tyler is waiting in a line of people who have committed crimes, and he’s trying to delay the judgement of someone or something. If we assume that God is the one he is speaking to, then Tyler has acknowledged that God’s opinion of his life is the most important to him, and also the most dreaded. There are many verses about God acting as the ultimate judge (which we will elaborate on more when we reach the song “The Judge”), one example of which is Psalm 75:7, which states, “but it is God who executes judgement, putting down one and lifting up another.”
The question that we are left with, that we may not fully address in this blog post, is this: How does God come to his verdicts?
Fame, Reputation, and Rewards
The second half of Verse Two reads, “Cause I will save face for name’s sake, abuse grace, take aim to obtain a new name, and a newer place, but my name is lame. I can’t walk and I ain’t the same, and my name became a new destiny to the grave.” These lines illustrate how Tyler may have been motivated by fame for a season of his career, but he realized somewhere along the way that the pursuit of fame, and perhaps even the attaining of fame has led him to his own demise.
In Matthew 6:5, Jesus tells His listeners, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.” What Jesus means here is that a person who seeks the attention and approval of other people will indeed be rewarded for it, but only by the people and not God. He goes on to say that a reward from God is based on what you practice in secret, where only you and He are aware of your doings. In verse 24, Jesus illustrates further, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” We cannot pursue both rewards.
The question that we must answer is this: Whose reward is worth our devoted pursuit? This is where Tyler recognizes that his fame has resulted in his “destiny to the grave.” Jesus offers us this reality: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26). This is the reality we can assume Tyler lives in: if I want the approval of the world, so that I look amazing, I will have to forfeit my soul for the rest of eternity.
Tug-Of-War
The Pre-Chorus and in the first half of Verse Two contain similar themes. The Pre-Chorus reads, “And I, I can feel the pull begin, feel my conscience wearing thin…” and the first half of Verse Two reads, “Repentance is taking commission. It’s taking a toll on my soul, I’m screaming submission, and I don’t know if I am dying or living.” From the sound of these verses, it seems as if Tyler is trying to pursue God more so than his own fame, but the effort required to do so is wearing him down, and he’s not even sure if his efforts are successful.
Romans 7 has been a source of great comfort for me as I’ve wrestled with my own split desires between God and myself. Verses 18 and 19 read, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” This is the daily battle for people who are found in Jesus. We have the desire for good, and to do good, but can hardly ever seem to accomplish good without evil also being present in some form or another. Our tug-of-war is between the new heart of Christ that we have been given (Ezekiel 36:26-27) and our human bodies that are drawn, by nature, to evil (Ephesians 2:3).
There is comfort to be had, however. God lovingly reminds us that our weaknesses are not hurdles for him. He tells Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace can be defined as the free and unmerited favor and provisions of God, especially in the form of salvation through Jesus, and the adoption of sinners. If you are considering a relationship with Christ, or if you already have one, you can be sure that your right standing with Him will remain secure, because it was “unmerited” to begin with, and is sustained by Him, by His grace.
Keep the Lights On
“I will keep the lights on in this place, ‘cause I don’t wanna fall, fall away.” This is the chorus of the song, and it addresses the tension we’ve examined in the verses. Tyler seems to be aware of the possibility of his decision to just pursue his own fame, and losing his soul, so in order to keep him focused on the goal of God’s reward, he claims that he will “keep the lights on.” This could mean two different things: 1) Tyler often talks about how his thoughts become the darkest at night, so it could mean that he will physically keep the lights on when it’s dark to help him fight mentally. 2) It could mean that he will continue bringing his dark thoughts to the surface, keeping them exposed or “in the light.”
Jesus refers to himself as the light of the world several times throughout scripture. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). “I have come into the world as a light so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).
The experience of “dark to light” has multiple facets. Jesus states that he sends Paul to people who don’t know Jesus yet “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). The experience has four parallels:
| Dark | Light |
| Satan | God |
| Unforgiven Sin | Forgiven Sin |
| Not Sanctified | Sanctified (declared holy, set apart, pure) |
When we are found in Jesus, Satan no longer has any power over us, our sins (or past mistakes and shortcomings) are forgiven by God, and He declares that we are set apart and pure.
What Do I Do?
If you’re feeling inclined to this “light” that Jesus is, and that He offers, here is what you need to consider: John tells us, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9). Be honest with God about your failures, the things you’re ashamed of, the ways that you feel you don’t measure up, and recognize that He is your only hope for obtaining a new identity apart from those things. Be honest, and ask Him to step in.
As always, comments are open to any and everything. If you’re ticked off about what I’m saying, let me hear it. If you have a point of argument, let me know. If you want to talk more about what the Bible says, or have questions about following Jesus, I’ll take them. If you want to geek out over Josh’s drumming technique, COUNT ME IN.
“See you tomorrow but it’s the end of today, and of my ways.” – Tyler Joseph
All lyrical content obtained from Genius.com
All biblical references taken from the English Standard Version
Connections 