Call (Call)
Call (Call)
Call (Call)
[Verse 1]
What's my problem?
Well, I want you to follow me down to the bottom
Underneath the insane asylum
Keep your wits about you while you got 'em
'Cause your wits are first to go while you're problem-solvin'
And my problem?
We glorify those even more when they...
My opinion, our culture can treat a loss like it's a win
And right before we turn on them
We give 'em the highest of praise
And hang their banner from the ceiling
Communicating, further engraving
An earlier grave is an optional way, no
[Chorus]
Neon gravestones try to call (Neon gravestones try to call)
Neon gravestones try to call for my bones (Neon gravestones try to call)
Call (For my bones)
Call, call, call (Call, call, call)
Call (Call)
Call (Call)
What's my problem?
Don't get it twisted
It's with the people we praise who may have assisted
I could use the streams and extra conversations
I could give up, and boost up my reputation
I could go out with a bang
They would know my name
They would host and post a celebration
My opinion will not be lenient
My opinion, it's real convenient
Our words are loud, but now I'm talking action
We don't get enough love?
Well, they get a fraction
They say, "How could he go if he's got everything?
I'll mourn for a kid, but won't cry for a king"
[Chorus]
Neon gravestones try to call (Neon gravestones try to call)
Neon gravestones try to call for my bones (Neon gravestones try to call)
Call (For my bones)
Call, call, call
[Bridge]
Promise me this (Call, call)
If I lose to myself
You won't mourn a day
And you'll move onto someone else
Promise me this
If I lose to myself
You won't mourn a day
And you'll move onto someone else
(Ooh, call, ooh, call)
Neon gravestones try to call
(Neon gravestones try to call)
Neon gravestones try to call for my bones
(Neon gravestones try to call)
Neon gravestones try to call
(Neon gravestones try to call)
Neon gravestones try to call for my bones
(Neon gravestones try to call for my bones)
[Bridge]
'Cause they won't get them
No, they won't get them
They won't get them
But they won't get them
[Verse 3]
Don't get me wrong, the rise in awareness
Is beating a stigma that no longer scares us
But for sake of discussion, in spirit of fairness
Could we give this some room for a new point of view?
And could it be true that some could be tempted
To use this mistake as a form of aggression?
A form of succession?
A form of a weapon?
Thinking "I'll teach them"
Well, I'm refusing the lesson
It won't resonate in our minds
I'm not disrespecting what was left behind
Just pleading that it does not get glorified
Maybe we swap out what it is that we hold so high
Find your grandparents or someone of age
Pay some respects for the path that they paved
To life, they were dedicated
Now, that should be celebrated
About
“Neon Gravestones” attacks society’s practice of glorifying those who have committed suicide, and romanticizing the idea of taking your own life. In the context of Trench’s story, Tyler revealed in a 2020 hangout with the Discord Clique that the main goal of the bishops' religion, Vialism, reflects this glorification:
There’s a reason why the outside of Dema is all graves because…It’s presented to people in Dema that this [suicide] is a good thing, like this is what your goal is–to try to impact and affect as many people as you can and then ultimately this is your final act.
twenty one pilots have never shied away from talking about suicide with their lyrics, including songs like “Truce,” where Tyler Joseph sings:
Stay alive, stay alive for me
You will die, but now your life is free
Take pride in what is sure to die
And one of their most popular hits, “Car Radio,” where Tyler talks about his own depression and will to live:
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
Tyler also plays on the idea of “neon lights,” where celebrities dream of having their name in lights as a sign of success: a theme that has been discussed by plenty of different artists, including Ed Sheeran, Lil Wayne, and Lecrae. The neon lights draw people in and will seem appealing to people who are on the streets. This is commonly used in Las Vegas to bring people off the streets into a casino or a bar, as it draws attention to the location. However, once that status has been achieved and the celebrity has committed suicide, their name lives on in the “neon gravestone” that may seem appealing to others who are facing a rough time.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In an AltPress interview, Tyler stated:
There was a minute when I showed [Josh the song] and said to him, ‘Well, what do you think?’ It’s not a song where you listen to it once and say, ‘OK, this is where I land.’ It’s something you have to kinda live with for a little bit, talk about and bounce off of other people—give it oxygen and let it breathe.
So while it’s sitting there in Josh’s brain, I’m waiting to hear from him. Ultimately, if he says, ‘This is not coming off correctly or I think we should be worried about this not being perceived right,’ I would know that’s it. For him to live with it and come back and say, ‘I get behind this,’ is what I needed to hear.
The idea of self-harm, depression, suicide…I’d like to believe that there are multiple ways to approach it and talk about it. This angle that ‘Neon Gravestones’ is talking about is one that I haven’t heard much of and wanted because I know that’s what I’d respond to as a challenge. I think at some point, ‘We hear you and we are here for you and we understand you’…There’s a point where that doesn’t help. And what’s the opposite of that? That’s a challenge to step up and defeat something. To win.”
When [Atlantic Records] heard that song, there was a lot of red flags. They all listened to it and were extremely concerned about how it was going to come off. They described it as this giant landmine in the middle of the record…When ‘Neon Gravestones’ came around, it was another reason for them [the label] to show that ‘I don’t think this is the right direction for this record. You could lose your career if this song isn’t taken the right way.’
–Tyler Joseph via Discorde Clique Hangout
Josh Dun via AltPress:
I think we have always kind of seen eye-to-eye on a lot of different subjects…From political things to spiritual things. Which is why I think we started getting along right away. Like Tyler says, there can be sensitivity within those kinds of things so I want to find a balance between something that’s just not too sensitive but not too extreme. [The song] is something that I sat with for a bit, but I think that it’s kind of bold—and I like that.”
The piano piece is actually sampled from a classical sonata by Beethoven.
- 1.Jumpsuit
- 2.Levitate
- 3.Morph
- 4.My Blood
- 5.Chlorine
- 6.Smithereens
- 7.Neon Gravestones
- 8.The Hype
- 10.Cut My Lip
- 11.Bandito
- 12.Pet Cheetah
- 13.Legend
- 14.Leave the City