so far I've only listened to Where are you but oh my gosh the acoustic version it honestly is so amazing and too me he's obviously talking about God and asking Where are you but to someone who isn't christian its just someone asking where a person they know or knew is but it's an amazing song
HA GOTCHA!
Yes! It's so well done, isn't it?
That's the thing I love about what I would describe as 'allegorical worship' so much. (Think these guys The Moderates which would go on to become half•alive, Twenty One Pilots, The Gray Havens, NEEDTOBREATHE, Gable Price and Friends, more that I don't know or am not thinking of off the top of my head) Is that some to all of their discography isn't regular worship in the sense it's like a hymn or traditional CCM or something else where it follows that format where it's actively and often saying things like 'Praise God for this, His mercy is abounding, etc etc' which are WONDERFUL and GOOD and TRUE and EXCELLENT and honestly should make up the majority of the music you're consuming, actively and openly and totally worshipping Him with that kind of mentality and heart posture.
BUT, I love music like this so so much because first, its delicious to chew on and think about. Especially TOP and h•a. The lyrics are deep. There are so so many layers and some different ways to think about everything they get into. Especially when they're talking about relationships. And the reason its so exciting to me when they're talking about good deep beautiful relationships is that it indeed can be about between two people, as well as the Father, depending on the song and stuff. Because our human relationships with each other just serve as a reflection of the one that He has with us.
And people who haven't yet accepting Christ can feel that! They get it! Not to the fullest extent, but they do! Partially because these songwriters have crafted the lyrics so well, but more importantly, because its part of the human condition! Haunted and holy! Divide in the soul! And they get into it with mental health and stuff too, and I adore that and its SO GOOD, but they really do shine when it comes to relationships because its some of the biggest and brightest and most obvious imagery of who God is and what He has done and wants to do for us.
Stuff like this works so beautifully because it can be a HUGE part of outreach. A fandom friend of mine who is not a Christian and I love to gush over art and squeal about our favorite character and chuck music at each other. And I have been chucking a bunch of the darker TOP songs at them, because they like angst, and being like "oooh this fits this character so well right? Do you know why?" Then I've been using the darker bits of the songs to point to the lighter bits, and how a lot of those songs (especially from Vessel and Blurryface my beloveds <3) start out recognizing the Darkness, calling it out, then pointing to the Light. And I don't know what affect it may or not be having, I can't see their face and gauge their gut reaction vs the one they type out on the screen, but I can have faith and pray for them. And hope that maybe one day they'll probe deeper into my 'offhand' comments about how this music works for characters we like. And how it might just reflect something greater.
But also this kind of music is great for established existing believers. I mean, obviously, look at me lol. Can’t shut up and no signs of stopping anytime soon.
First off because some of the stuff they get into 'normal' Christian musicians (to my knowledge) never touch, or if they do, its with the lightest brush of just mentioning it but not digging into how it feels, or why. Nope, its not demons or spirits or hyper-spiritual warfare culture I despise or anything, it can just be your own head. Beacause we're haunted. And can cause our own destruction. Also not to mention a Christian cannot be possessed but a lot of people like to forget that. And if anything bad happens to you it has to automatically has be the Devil coming after you, because coincidences aren't a thing, sure, but they amp it up and to a sense oversimplify everything or just go nuts with hearing things from God or feeling spirits, good or bad, or like anointing people with oil when injured rather than seeking medical help?? Or-
Wow I am ranting here about hyper-spiritual believer culture lemme wind back woah.
A lot of people don't touch those mental health and darkness topics. Which is why Twenty One Pilots in particular with this is so excellent. Even if they don't always do it the way I want them to *fists clenching and eye twitching* they have. And in the past they've nailed it, and hopefully will continue to do so. Because if they don't so help me-
It’s fantastic. I love what all these guys are doing and why and how. They’re all Christian. They’re all preaching the Truth. Some of them have yet to openly and boldly declare Christ in song, and some have almost all of their discography as VERY Christian (yay) and only a handful of songs more vague and allegorical. But it’s all fantastic.
Especially for firm established anchored believers! Because we can look at their music and it can push us to Christ in a different way than something else might’ve, and maybe in the exact way we needed that nothing else has yet. I’ve experienced that! A lot, you have no idea. Sometimes, you need a song on the ‘outside’ that isn’t what you’re used to that you can kind of tune out to pierce through your armor and cut to your soul in a way that hurts but is needed and beautiful. I firmly know that God has placed these callings on these guys who make this music specifically for this purpose, because it’s exactly the way He designed us to be reached to draw us closer to Him through a medium that reflects our minds and calls them out and is so destructive to the darkness inside of us in such a good way. One that forces us to grow for and to openly chose Him. Over and over and over again. And, bonus, they all sound GREAT!
Anyway.
Where Are You! This song is gorgeous. Asking a question that a lot of Christians do in a lot of seasons in life- where are you? You see it over and over again in the Bible, especially in David’s psalms which a lot of these allegorical worship songs naturally feel like. Can’t sleep, worried about what’s gonna happen, examining what has been told to him, and needing reassurance and comfort. Becuase without it we feel Dead. Again, we are creation both haunted and holy.
I love that part when it goes ‘I can’t speak, not to you’ because that is real. Sometimes we are so caught up in our heads or so lost and hurting so much we physically cannot pray. Then we need other believers to do it for us, and for the Holy Spirit to translate the groanings of our heart, until we get to the place where we can pray again, even if it’s just sobbing ‘HELP ME!’ on your knees, face down on the carpet. Because we know we need Him more than anything and want to be His.
And then the light shines on us because of His mercy. The shadows leave. And his brilliance is so bright it blinds us and exposes us so we can submit and He can come in and hold us close to His chest.
Also you're so right, both the acoustic and normal version are amazing in their own way. Acoustic is more longing and reflective, while the normal is more angry desperation. Sound is incredible.
