The 2010s were an era filled with wildly differing genres of popular music, ranging from dance pop to slower alternative songs. The decade began with upbeat, danceable pop music from artists like Kesha and Pitbull and later became defined by more melancholic vocalists like Post Malone and Billie Eilish. Artists such as Tyler the Creator, Lady Gaga, and Twenty One Pilots defined the industry with their unique musical styles in the course of rapidly shifting trends. These shifts reflect that music often changes depending on a culture’s needs or mood, and song lyrics have long been a means to reflect the songwriter’s thoughts and feelings. In the Christian world, music is traditionally used as a method of worshiping God through praise and thanksgiving. The lyrics of hymns and contemporary Christian music clearly remind the Christian listener of truth from the Bible and proclaim the works of God. This music allows Christians to engage openly with their faiths. While Christians often look only toward overtly Christian music to explore their faith, secular music provides listeners new avenues for exploring deep questions and growing in matters of faith.
Rising to international fame after their smash hits “Stressed Out” and “Ride,” Twenty One Pilots became one of the most notable artists of the 2010s. Twenty One Pilots is a two member band consisting of vocalist and songwriter Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. Their songs contain deep metaphors and offer multiple levels of analysis with topics like mental health, faith, and the internal lore storyline that the band has created. “Isle of Flightless Birds” is the final song on the tracklist of Twenty One Pilots’s self-titled album, which is the album most clearly written through the lens of faith. In this song, Joseph mourns humanity’s fleeing from God by highlighting our dire need for a greater hope in our lives.
All we are is an isle of flightless birds,
We find our worth in giving birth and stuff.
We’re lining our homes against winding roads,
And we think the going is tough.
We pick songs to sing, remind us of things that nobody cares about,
And honestly we’re probably more suicidal than ever now. [1]
Joseph begins the verse by introducing birds as a metaphor for humans. Birds were created (most notably) with the ability to fly. What does it mean, then, for us to be an isle of flightless birds? He seems to suggest that humanity is on an island, unable to fulfill the very purpose that might help us escape. Rather than fly away, we are unaware of our purpose, a feeling that many of us can relate to. Joseph alludes to the idea that we commonly try to define our own value by stating that We find our worth in giving birth and stuff. People spend their entire lives searching for meaning through wealth, relationships, power, and knowledge. Many dedicate their entire lives pining after these means of happiness that never truly fulfill their deep need for purpose. This section of the verse ends with profound hopelessness in its claim that humanity is probably more suicidal than ever now. Why might this claim be true? When everything that we rely on for purpose fails us, everything seems hopeless. The rest of the verse gives us guidance on where we should be searching for purpose.
If you decide to live by, what you think’s wrong and what’s right,
Believe me you’ll begin to wish you were sleeping,
Your weeping will creep in your head and you’ll cry.
But if we wake up every morning and decide what we believe,
We can take apart our very heart and the light will set you free.
Joseph furthers his claim that, if we choose our own purpose, we will continue down a hopeless path. He instead encourages his listeners to reckon with their decisions. Whether in major life choices or in a session of scrolling on social media to procrastinate homework, many of us understand the feeling of making mistakes and the regret that follows. Even Paul, a leading member of the early Church, says in a letter to the Romans, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing” [2]. If we continue to live this way, determining for ourselves what’s wrong and what’s right, we will fall further into despair. Relying on personal, relative truths seems like a great idea until our truths inevitably hurt ourselves or others. Joseph claims that, as a result of living this way, you’ll begin to wish you were sleeping. Sleeping refers to a state of emotional numbness that allows us to suppress emotions like depression and despair that can sometimes come from constantly living for ourselves. A common response to negative emotions is shutting down and avoiding them, but this rarely leads to anything better. Joseph’s honest reflection encourages his listeners to decide what they want their lives to look like. Is more freedom found in deciding one’s own path, or must we seek a greater source of hope?
Thankfully, this story does not end here. Instead of waking up and mindlessly going about each day, Joseph proposes that we face hard questions and decide what we believe. He sings of a light that will set you free in a clear allusion to God. Christians believe that humans were ultimately created to be in relationship with God. They take hope in the promise that one day their relationship with God will be fully restored to what it was at the time of Creation. The first part of this verse talks of being trapped on an island with no escape because we lost our ability to fly away. As we come to understand our intended design, we are freed from this island and our lives are filled with love and hope. The final verse of “Isle of Flightless Birds” begins with a focus on God and shifts into a direct call to action.
How frustrating, and so degrading,
His time, we’re wasting,
As time will fly by and the sky will cry as light is fading.
And he is waiting, oh so patiently,
While we repeat the same routine as we will please comfortability.
This heartbreaking scene of humanity choosing to turn away from God is so often seen throughout our own lives and is also reflected in many stories throughout the Bible. Though God continues to tell His followers to search for Him, they repeatedly run from God. The paradox that Paul details in his letter to the Romans is incredibly frustrating to many Christians as they desire to seek a relationship with God, and yet continue to fail in perfectly doing so. Still, God waits patiently for His followers to return, a truth that Joseph captures in this final verse of “Isle of Flightless Birds.”
Please think about why you can’t sleep in the evening,
And please don’t be afraid of what your soul is really thinking.
Your soul knows good and evil, your soul knows both sides.
And it’s time you pick your battle, and I promise you this is mine.
With this final mention of sleep, Joseph uses the word sleep in a literal sense. He’s asking: What keeps you up at night? Contemplating your beliefs is a necessary part of growing in any doctrine, and Joseph clearly understands that. Through raw reflection, he encourages his listeners to be honest with themselves as they figure out what they believe. Through secular music, Joseph is able to present the honest thoughts of a regular person in a way that helps listeners wrestle with their own convictions. The Bible does not avoid presenting hard questions about doubt and belief, so Christians should not fear being honest with themselves and with God in answering them.
The Bible does not avoid presenting hard questions about doubt and belief, so Christians should not fear being honest with themselves and with God in answering them.
Both in lyrics and sound, “Isle of Flightless Birds” is a sad song. Joseph paints a grim picture of the state of humanity as he highlights our sins and their repercussions. Though he never explicitly mentions God like Christian music does, he still incorporates his honest thoughts and reflections on faith and the journey of faith. By doing so, he remains raw while also adding a tinge of hope to a song that would otherwise be hopeless. This balance of opposing feelings (like hope and hopelessness) is frequent in the biblical book of Psalms. Much like modern songwriting, Psalms contains many prayers where the psalmist expresses honest doubt, lament, or anger towards God. However, the psalmists often follow with a recollection of God’s past faithfulness and glories.
Psalm 74 is a psalm written by Asaph, a member of the court of King David who worked as a prophet and a director of music. This Psalm was written during the exile of the Jewish people. Unlike many of the Psalms written by David, the Psalms of Asaph contain these themes of hopelessness, pain, and betrayal.
1O God, why have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of
your inheritance, whom you redeemed – Mount Zion, where you dwelt. [3]
This Psalm does not open with praise but lament. Forced out of their kingdom by King Nebuchadnezzar of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Asaph and the people of Judah are in exile. Before their exile, the people of Judah believed that they were living in the prophesied Kingdom of God promised in the Scriptures. The first verse of Psalm 74 conveys a significant feeling of betrayal, as Asaph felt that God had taken what he believed to be guaranteed to the Judeans forever. Asaph directly questions God’s anger, and asks Him to remember the promises that He made to His people. However, there is a reason why God punishes Israel and Judah. After the reign of King Solomon, King David’s son, the people of Judah began to worship other gods, directly disobeying the command that God gave them. Due to their disobedience, God allowed Judah to fall to the Babylonians. Despite understanding God’s anger, Asaph still begs Him to stay faithful to the promises that He made to His people in the past.
7They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
They defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!”
They burned every place where God was worshipped in the land...
10How long will the enemy mock you, God?
Will the foe revile in your name forever?
11Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
In a desperate plea, Asaph tries to provoke God’s judgement by citing Solomon’s Temple in Judah. Asaph laments the destruction of the Temple, and he does not understand why God would allow it to be conquered by people who disrespect the name of God. However, Asaph does not recognize that the Judeans committed a similar sin when they worshipped other gods inside the Temple. God is fully justified in his punishment of the Judeans. As we shift into the second half of this Psalm, Asaph switches from questioning God to remembering his glory and faithfulness in the past.
12But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.
13It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters…
16The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made summer and winter.
Asaph recognizes God’s long history with the people of Judah and Israel. God delivered His people from their enemies countless times in the past, and this steadfastness gives Asaph hope for the future. He recounts God’s splitting the Red Sea for the Israelites fleeing Egypt. He looks back at God’s great display of power in creating the sun, moon, and Earth. The exercise is that, by looking at God’s faithfulness in the past, he can find hope in him for the future. As a Christian, it is often comforting to remember what God has done for me, as I frequently forget how faithful he has been in my life. Paul certainly took cue from this thought and wrote to the Philippians saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! … Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” [4]. Asaph, in due form, ends his Psalm by presenting his own requests to God.
19Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
Just as in the beginning of the Psalm, Asaph is pleading with God for the Judeans’ kingdom to be restored and the Babylonians to fall. However, the difference is that this time his words are filled with hope. By turning towards God and focusing on His works from the past, Asaph is now able to see the hope that he can have in God. This pattern that Asaph uses is something that Christians mimic in their daily lives as they pray to God. Asaph begins by being honest and expressing his fear and disappointment. After sharing his emotions and giving them up to God, he is able to turn toward God with praise. This praise reminds him of the hope that he has in God and allows him to humble himself as he asks God for deliverance from the Babylonians.
Expressing our negative emotions is one of the more difficult teachings gleaned from Psalms. Sometimes Christians can seem to be doubting God or attacking Him if they express negative emotions. Christian music often fails to provide an avenue to explore negative feelings because worship often holds a positive connotation and seems to be reserved for moments of joy. Praising God is a wonderful aspect of faith that the Bible commands Christians to do, but, as seen in Psalms, worship is not only done in positive contexts. Part of worship is identifying negative emotions, honestly thinking through them, and trusting that God’s character remains the same in the midst of our experiences. In “Isle of Flightless Birds,” Tyler Joseph explores his sorrows and frustration and emphasizes the woes that result from ignoring God. Joseph’s honest consideration mimics that written in Psalms 74, and his lyrics prompt his listeners to wrestle with their beliefs in a healthy manner. Perhaps, if Christian music were to contain the vulnerability from the Psalms that secular music often does, it would better capture the full faith experience.
By Andrew Lopez-Couto, Contributor
Andrew Lopez-Couto is a sophomore from Winter Park, Florida. He is studying electrical and computer engineering with a minor in engineering management.
References
- Twenty One Pilots. Isle of Flightless Birds, Twenty One Pilots. Self-released, 2009.
- Romans 7:19, Bible, NIV.
- Psalms 74, Bible, NIV.
- Philippians 4:4-7, Bible, NIV.