What does The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage mean?

Panic! At The Disco: The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage Meaning

Album cover for The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage album cover

Song Released: 2005


The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage Lyrics

Sit tight, I'm gonna need you to keep time, come on, just snap snap snap your fingers for me.
Good good, now we're making some progress, come on just tap tap tap your toes to the beat.

And I believe, this may call for a proper...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 22nd 2008 !⃝

    Ok, so this is what I think the song is about:

    The TITLE: I think they mean that there is no difference between martydom and suicide because press can write as they want so they can just change a bit and get it to be one or the other (SUICIDE OR MARTYDOM) which shows how people are fake.

    THE SONG: what I said up is shown also when it say wait wait dear studio audience I Have an annauncement to make, the artist this days are not who you think... which keeps showing how people are fake

    also when it says trophy boys trophy wives as it shows that you can be famous and have a wife that all cares about is money really and it can seem as you are soo cool but really your no one and fake..

    and than when it says we are still so young desperate for attention, we aim to be your eyes.. How people lie really just to get attention and be famous..


    THAT IS WHAT I THINK THE SONG SAYS: people are fake and they do it just for attention.. They lie.. I hope you liked it!!

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 12th 2006 !⃝

    I don't think they want trophy wives or want to be trophy boys. I think they're calling us trophy boys and trophy wives, maybe because they're assuming most of us to be simply empty-headed fans who listen to the latest trend. "And I aim to be your eyes" means that they want to set an example and turn us into people who can think for ourselves rather than just be walking talking humanoids.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 15th 2007 !⃝

    As someone said before, the title of this song was taken from the book "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk.

    The entire book is basically one giant satire about pop-culture and being in the spotlight, and how it can change you and affect the way you think and act. That's what this song is about as well.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 5th 2021 !⃝

    This is about how people like to change their story to fit them and make them look better. "Swear to shake it up if you swear to listen" People want someone to hear them and will do anything to make people listen. "applause applause no wait wait dear studio audience I have an announcement to make it seems the artist these days are not who you think" The people you hear on the radio are fake they don't have as many issues as they say they do. "Can't you see I'm the narrator and this is just the prologue" If you are writing the book you can turn it into whatever you want. Sadly no one ever tells the full truth when they tell their story. "We're still so young desperate for Attention" Lying to get what you want is something kids do so he saying they are still mentally a child. "I aim to be your eyes" When everyone is only listening to your side of the story they only see through your eyes. Summary: Everyone has a story to tell but those that have a chance to tell you their story change everything to suit them.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 16th 2016 !⃝

    Ok here's what I think. I'm currently writing a presentation where I'm gonna explain what this song is about and this is MY OWN PERSONAL VIEW OF IT so it may be wrong but here it goes:

    ---

    Sit tight, I'm gonna need you to keep time
    C'mon, just snap, snap, snap your fingers for me
    Good, good, now we're making some progress
    Come on just tap, tap, tap your toes to the beat

    A really catchy part that intrests you for the song. "Good, good now we're making some progress" I think is that you are beginning to like this song.
    ---

    And I believe
    This may call for a proper introduction, and well
    Don't you see?
    I'm the narrator, and this is just the prologue

    This is Panic!'s first "real song" and is kind of an introduction to their music. "I'm the narrator, and this is just the prolouge". He's the singer and is telling the story of this band. This is mainly the beginning of their journey, so this is just the prolouge and the main story hasn't really started yet.

    ---

    Swear to shake it up, if you swear to listen
    Oh, we're still so young, desperate for attention
    I aim to be your eyes, trophy boys, trophy wives

    They swear to shake it up, so they will maybe change their music through the story if that's what the fans want. I believe they are not trying to say they will walk blindly. They are still new to the music industry, and they want people to listen to them. I don't beleive either that they are desperate for fans, only that young people are known for being desperate for attention- and maybe they are kind of mocking that idea. "I aim to be your eyes". They want to make difference in people's lives and really make an impact, be the thing that can make you see the world in a different way- seeing that the society isn't so perfect after all and a suicide can easily get turned into a martydom with press.
    ---

    Applause, applause, no, wait, wait
    Dear studio audience, I've an announcement to make
    It seems the artists these days are not who you think
    So we'll pick back up on that on another page

    They are saying people should trust them and that some people cheer blindly for people they think is one person but really they are another. Cheering for a martyr that the society has created from a suicide using press.
    ---

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 25th 2015 !⃝

    i think i know what this song means and even how the title fits into it. I think it's about them mocking other musicians who don't deserve to be famous. Enjoy :3
    "Sit tight I'm gonna need you to keep time, c'mon just snap, snap, snap your fingers for me. Good, good now we're making some progress, c'mon just tap, tap, tap your toes to the beat." This first line I'm honestly not certain about but I think this is how "empty-headed" musicians coax their audience into listening to their music.
    "And I believe this may call for a proper introduction. I'm the narrator and this is just the prologue." This line seems to be introducing their band and beginning to explain why people should trust them.
    "Swear to shake it up if you swaer to listen. Oh we're still so yoyng desperate for attention. I aim to be your eyes." This is the part mocking the other musicians. They're saying that this is how they act, saying that "We want to be your favorite so you'll listen to our music. If you swear to listen to our music, we'll keep making it, just for money and fame." "Trophy boys trophy wives" is just how the band describes the "empty-headed" fans.
    "Applause, applause, no wait, wait. Dear studio audience, I've an announcement to make." This is simple enough. Everyone's cheering for those "empty-headed" musicians when the band stands up with a revelation to point out.
    "it seems the artists these days are not who they seem, so we'll pick back up on that on another page." Ok this is where the title mainly plays in. This is the bands "announcememt" they're making to the audience. Have you ever heard of those famous singers or actors who've commited suicide because they were too stressed out to deal with it? So did they die because they were faithful to the music/acting or was it simply just an act of giving up? Well, this song is saying that's for the "press" to decide. The press could cover up something bad a celebrity did, suicide, for example, and tell everyone a made-up story. So the band's making a statement to not always trust media. "The artists these days are not who they seem." The press could've lied and said their death was the death of martyr or they just simply commited suicide. So, therefore, the only difference between martyrdom and suicide is press coverage.
    Well that's my take on the song, hope i was clear enough in my explaination. :3

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 24th 2014 !⃝

    Sit tight, I'm gonna need you to keep time
    Come on just snap, snap, snap your fingers for me
    Good, good now we're making some progress
    Come on just tap, tap, tap your toes to the beat

    ~they are basically saying "look you're snapping your fingers tapping your toes keep going,the more you continue the more you will learn to like us and we will keep making progress"

    And I believe this may call for a proper introduction, and well
    Don't you see, I'm the narrator, and this is just the prologue?

    ~them being a new band and introducing themselves, so Brendon is saying how big they want to be and introducing them and the band like the beginning of a story therefore writing the 'prologue'

    Swear to shake it up, if you swear to listen
    Oh, we're still so young, desperate for attention

    ~them saying if you are willing to keep listening and giving us attention we will 'shake up' our music however you want us to;hence their big genre change in their newer albums

    I aim to be your eyes, trophy boys trophy wives

    ~meaning what their aiming for is to be all your eyes can see;the center of attention which Brendon has already admitted to love being that's why hes the lead even though it should have been Ryan.'trophy boys trophy wives' means that they want to be the new shiny thing in the music industries they want to be the trophy boys and they want to their nice pretty trophy wives

    Applause, applause, no wait wait
    Dear studio audience, I've an announcement to make:
    It seems the artists these days are not who you think
    So we'll pick back up on that on another page

    ~them announcing to everyone that other artists (not only of that time) are fake and aren't promising but they are and to prove they aren't the will continue on another page; make another album to show this isn't a one time thing and to prove 'swear to shake it up you swear to listen'

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 24th 2012 !⃝

    All of AFYSCO is actually at least somewhat related to how screwed up our society is.

    Swear to shake it up if you'll swear to listen.
    Oh we're still so young, desperate for attention
    I aim to be your eyes
    Trophy boys, trophy wives.
    --
    They're saying that they'll keep making music if we listen to them. Standard for a new band.
    But then, "I aim to be your eyes, trophy boys, trophy wives" is being said as if he is speaking to us. For example: You say "Right, Ryan?" It shows you're talking directly and personally to that person.

    It's along the same lines. Imagine him saying it like, "I aim to be your eyes, trophy boys and trophy wives." They're calling us the trophy boys and trophy wives. Just without the "and."
    ---------
    Applause! Applause! No, wait wait...
    Dear studio audience,
    I've an announcement to make.
    It seems the artists these days are not who you think.
    So we'll pick back up on that on another page.
    --
    They're making sure we know that the artists these days are mostly fake, and don't write their own music, lip-sych, etc. while also making sure that we know they're real [as opposed to fake]. And "another page" is another album.


    The rest of the song consists of introducing themselves and pursuading us to listen to them.
    But of course! It's the first song on their first album!

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 28th 2011 !⃝

    "I aim to be your eyes, trophy boys, trophy wives" think that line is cynicism towards the music industry saying that bands now a days only aim to make music that will make them popular rather than make music they actually like and feel good about. They use the trophy boys and wives part to be sarcastic and suggest that if you sell out, you get a trophy life but you don't get happiness from a trophy. The part "swear to shake it up if you swear to listen, we're still so young desperate for attention" is about how they will be different and continue to be different from the rest of the main stream bands and do their own thing if the fans promise to give them a chance. Last, "this is just the prologue" is them saying 'you'll like what you hear so expect more from us soon'

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 28th 2010 !⃝

    This song narrows down to a lot of things.
    #1 > It's a very basic introduction to Panic! as a band; how they want to be big, how they want to make a difference and how they want to be known.
    #2 > It's also a promise that they're not one-trick. They're not going to build up a fan-base, break teen hearts, whatever, just to knock them back down again by stopping their music. ("I'm the narrator and this is just the prologue".)
    #3 > It's trying to tell people that not everything is as it seems; the 'artists' aren't who you think, which is definitely true when you listen to most modern day chart 'music'. They're telling you that they're not going to be like that... Or they'll try.
    #4 > They're highlighting that they are young; they still have dreams, abitions and a need for attention, commonly confused with over-confidence or whatever.
    #5 > It helps highlight the theory of the album having two parts; the second going into the past, yet it doesn't seem as personal as the first half, which tells stories of Ryan's past, especially in Camisado.

    Hope this helps :D

  11. schnazzleberry
    click a star to vote
    Aug 23rd 2010 !⃝

    This song is definitely based off of the book "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk (as has already been said). In the book, some little nobody is taken over by publicists, make up artists, and various other media and becomes a worldwide phenomenon. He basically gets brainwashed into thinking life in the center of attention is the only thing that's important. A direct quote from the book is "Because tanning and steroids are only a problem if you want to live long. Because the only difference between a martyrdom and a suicide is really the amount of press coverage."

  12. xsilentdawnx
    click a star to vote
    Jul 6th 2009 !⃝

    As some of you might know,this song's title came from a quote in Chuck Palahniuk's novel Survivor.I've also noticed a few lyrics where it might be based on the book.

    "Don't you see, I'm the narrator, and this is just the prologue?"
    -Possibly because the book has a prologue and also how they are singing the song to you.Thus he is the narrator.

    "Swear to shake it up..."
    -Maybe a reference to the fact that the main character in the book is supposed to have killed himself by now and hasn't done so yet.Meaning that he is shaking things up.

    "Applause, applause, no wait wait
    Dear studio audience, I've an announcement to make:
    It seems the artists these days are not who you think"
    -In the story the main character is thrown into stardom by his agent,but he's only doing so because when he kills himself,there will be a bigger crowd.

    "So we'll pick back up on that on another page"
    -Survivor is a book,leading us to pages of course!

    The rest just seems to be stuff the band added.Possibly meaning to open up air headed fans' eyes such as other interpretations have stated.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 10th 2009 !⃝

    This ones relatively easy.
    Theyre saying how theyre probably just going to be the next 'thing' and then be forgoten.
    but they dont want to be known just for their looks [trophy boys trophy wives] and such

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 8th 2008 !⃝

    I think it means look trophy wives and boys are people that look great and before it says that line about trophy wives it says I aim to be your eyes as if to say looks are not everything but I guess that don't go with the other lyrics.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 27th 2007 !⃝

    LOL! I don't think you people have ever studied literature. No offense! There are second meanings in everything, just to point out. So for God's sake just READ BETWEEN THE LINES. That is if you can. You know, ANALYSE. I agree with emvob123, but its actually criticising the idea of trophy boys and trophy wives, as in fame and that, that others have mentioned. And the main theme, here, in my opinion is the pressure 4 kids these days 2 b recognised.

    BTW I respect all of your views, just thought you might want a clarification. =P

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 12th 2007 !⃝

    If you listen to the songs carefully and pay attention to the lyrics, they all kind of tell a story and are all parts to one long story. so they are telling us to listen to the story

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  17. twinkle_toes
    click a star to vote
    Jul 15th 2007 !⃝

    Yeah they wouldn't want to be trophy boys and marry trophy wives! They even said that they want to be known for their music, not their appearance.

  18. anonymous
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    Jun 30th 2007 !⃝

    I think it's about them trying to make it big.(swear to shake it up if you swear to listen) and if they get lots of fans, they will make more music.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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