“Twin Skeletons” is a distinctly modern, macabre, and materialist description of love and connection. The lyrics focus on how human experiences are temporary and on the inherent desperation of romantic relationships. In addition, this song manages to touch on the regrets and impulsivity of love.
Peter Wentz, who was the lyricist for the track, wrote it during a period of personal exploration that encompasses the whole of American Beauty/American Psycho. Whereas previous endeavors had him focusing on broader subjects, this track and album relate to things in his personal mental life. Few details are known about the creative process behind this track (since it was never a single), but it appears to follow this pattern.
In this article, we’ll take a look at these moody lyrics to discover their intended meaning. We’ll also examine the songwriting story and the human themes that make this track accessible to anyone. Without further ado, let’s get started!
“Twin Skeletons” Lyrics Meaning
The lyrics begin with the chorus, which is definitely the heart of the entire track. We’re taken to a “room in New York City” that “shares our fate and deserves our pity.” What does this mean? As we’ll see in the verses, the universal human fate is death – to fade away and fall apart. Accordingly, I interpret this line to mean that the room will also deteriorate, or may have already begun doing so.
The narrator doesn’t “want to remember” the events that took place here. Specifically, the “promises” he made to the song’s recipient haunt him. The pair’s relationship appears to be troubled or inconsistent, but he still asks his companion to “hold on.” In other words, the affection is still there.
Verse one shows us the purposeof the song’s narrative: Wentz is looking to reconnect. Life has gotten lonely, and he “just needs enough” of his consort to “dull the pain.” He wants to be “twins again” and get “stripped down” to his skeleton. All of these lines are metaphors for interpersonal intimacy, but they also manage to allude to death.
The skeleton imagery may also reference the cover of Believers Never Die, a 2009 album from Fall Out Boy.
This is made apparent by the “jet black crow” above the pair. He is circling them even in their happy moments because death is always at the door. Even with this crow in the backdrop, Wentz decides to “keep making trouble” and embrace life and romance. That is the major theme of the song.
Wentz vaguely confirmed this interpretation on the record, stating that human connection is valuable even though people, in his view, are “just chemicals.” Despite the cryptic feel of the track and lyrics, Wentz still referred to it as a “love song” in the same quote.
So, to be crystal clear, the message is bittersweet. At the same time, there’s an underlying optimism we aren’t supposed to miss. These traits are also present in verse two, although the optimism is less obvious.
Verse two also mentions the cycles of birth and death, and states that the two occur “on the same day.” The next line is particularly clever: “I only appeared so I can fade away.” At one level of meaning, this is a continuation of the death references throughout the song. In another sense, though, it’s a personal message to the song’s recipient that he may bounce after a while.
After resolving to “die laughing” in the face of these anxieties, Wentz takes us into another chorus. A short outro follows, but the lyrics from here are repetitive. In summary, “Twin Skeletons” is meant to call an image to mind of embracing your companion even in the face of death. As Wentz put it, it encapsulates “modern anxiety” and “clinical love.”
The Story Behind “Twin Skeletons”
Pete Wentz has revealed little about the specific creative process for this track. It was never released as a single, so discussion of it (and related statistics) tend to revolve around the surrounding album, American Beauty/American Psycho.
Wentz has stated that this album is quite a bit more personal than previous endeavors. It deals with “modern love” and things going around in his head, whereas previous work was described as “broader.” It seems that “Twin Skeletons” follows this pattern.
Musically speaking, “Twin Skeletons” also follows the album’s philosophy of daring experimentation. Its strange bridge and unorthodox sound were intended to challenge notions of what rock music really is.
Based on album metrics, the fans seem to have loved the result. American Beauty/American Psycho rapidly reached a position of #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold millions of copies worldwide. Critically and commercially, it can only be considered a huge success.
The next time you play this edgy tune, let these pieces of background information bring it to life!