Twenty One Pilots released their newest song called “The Line” as a part of the soundtrack for the second season of the hit Netflix series Arcane. The song is featured during a tragic scene in the seventh episode. However, the song may serve more than one purpose.

  Tyler Joseph is the lead singer of Twenty One Pilots and the mastermind behind all of their songs. In the behind-the-scenes for the music video for this song, he shared that the song was inspired by the moving experience he had being in the room with his grandmother when she died.

  Arcane is a massive show and having recently binged the whole thing I can safely say that it’s a nearly perfect show. This song serves as a sorrowful background as a beloved character goes through a moving transformation that pushes the plot significantly. And while this song is perfect for the scene, it may also further the storyline that Twenty One Pilots has continued throughout their albums.

  If you have read my article about the album Clancy you would know that there is extensive lore behind the Twenty One Pilots discography. Many thought that the story of Dema was over, myself included, but it seems there’s still more story to tell.

  Throughout the past few months, the band has been hinting at the idea that the protagonist Clancy may become a bishop, or a main antagonist of the story. If this song is to be factored into the lore, it may all but confirm this to be true.

  The lyrics are heart-wrenching. Joseph sings about how his “body’s on the line now” and how he “can’t fight this time now.” He later says how he’d rather someone not be here for his “final form” which could allude to his becoming a bishop. He’s signaling to his rebel friends, asking if they’re disappointed in him and if they’ll still accept him if he crosses the line.

  This song also serves as a tragic ode to his grandmother. The aforementioned final form may be in death. The lyric “I can feel the light shine on my face” could be the light of an afterlife.

  While the song “Paladin Strait” featured Joseph’s character finally facing his demons triumphantly, this song may show the aftermath of Blurryface catching him.  This could be a mournful showcase of some people’s reality of failing to overcome

their challenges. He says that he thought he was “fully prepared for the threshold in store” but that he had “ never really faced [his] fears before.” He was therefore not ready and is now finding himself submitting to the evil parts of him.

  While the Twenty One Pilots’ story is not yet complete, it’s not looking pretty. The reality may be that Clancy’s insecurities may beat him and there may be no happy ending.

  This song is very impactful but it’s definitely not upbeat. Tyler Joseph himself recommends that this song should be listened to alone. It’s not meant to be victorious. It’s meant to be a sorrowful melody best listened to late at night.

  Whatever story this pertains to most, it’s an amazing song. And while it could just be a song solely meant for Arcane, there are just too many coincidences in the lyrics for it to be about just one thing.