Meaning of “Morph” by Twenty One Pilots

“Morph” is a 2018 song by Twenty One Pilots.  Lyrically, “Morph” sees the narrator (Tyler) talking about morphing into someone different from himself. The narrator’s sole purpose of wanting to transform into someone else is to save himself from being captured by his tormentor(s).

But who’s after him? Who are his tormentors?  In the song’s second verse, he reveals that a man named Nicolas Bourbaki always tries to stop him. He therefore needs to keep on moving in the hopes that he morphs into someone else. To him, to morph is his “defense mechanism mode”.

Who is Nicolas Bourbaki?

He is a recurring character from the album Trench (on which this song can be found). Nicolas is one of the nine bishops whose job it is to govern and control the evil city of Dema. He is also known simply as Nico. He was a major character in the song “Nico and the Niners” (heck the song was partially named after him)!

It is also noteworthy that Nico was also a recurring character in the duo’s 2015 album titled Blurryface. In an interview with MusicFeeds, Tyler Joseph revealed that in the album Blurryface, Nico went by the name Blurryface. Blurryface represented everything the narrator (Tyler) and others were insecure about. At that time, the narrator didn’t know his real name so he called him Blurryface. However, now he knows his real name. He is called Nicholas Bourbaki!

Nico represents negative things ranging from depression to anxiety to insecurity. He is one of the wicked rulers of Dema whom the narrator seeks to escape from. If the narrator is able to successfully escape from Nico and his co-rulers, he will automatically escape from his insecurities, anxieties, etc.

Facts about “Morph”

• Tyler Joseph and Paul Meany wrote this song together. If you are wondering who Meany is, he is lead vocalist of the American alternative rock band Mutemath.
• The other half of Twenty One Pilots, drummer Josh Dun, didn’t contribute to the writing of “Morph”. He isn’t credited as a songwriter as a result of this.
• The song “Morph” was produced by its writers – Tyler and Meany.
• The official release date of “Morph” was October 5th, 2018. It is the third track from the 2018 album Trench by Twenty One Pilots. Trench is the fifth studio album of the duo’s career.

Did Twenty One Pilots release “Morph” as a single?

No. The duo didn’t release this song as one of Trench‘s singles.

Does “Morph” make use of samples?

There are no samples in this track.

Is there any official music video for “Morph”?

Twenty One Pilots didn’t make a music video for the track.