"The Search" by NF Is EXTREME & DEEP! | Music Video & Lyrics Explained

[@fauxie3090]

Not sure if you knew this, but he actually used the same swing set when he does Intro III live.

[@ThePopSongProfessor]

THANK YOU! Someone else mentioned that the actress on the swingset looked like his mom's actress in another vid. My current theory is that it represents his family and childhood--something he keeps coming back to.

[@wilsonvrieze3237]

The Pop Song Professor that’s a cool thought. I love the use of imagery by artist to not only develop a brand but tell a story that is much easier to grasp and hold on to.

[@Coolguy11109]

Also I think it’s the same swing set from the end of the WHY video

[@wilsonvrieze3237]

@@Coolguy11109 It is

[@crimpix7257]

@@wilsonvrieze3237 Isn't it also in outro?

[@DDArtCustom]

Flash: I'm the fastest! The Pop Song Professor: Hold my beer....

[@kaceykent2269]

😂😂😂😂

[@parasbansal4261]

One of the coolest pieces of symbolism is the lady that is sleeping on the porch. I think that symbolizes his mom. He ties some of the balloons next to her which I believe means he’s leaving those burdens behind ❤️

[@lorenamaxfieldfitness1935]

Oh wow that's what the lady symbolizes,? Thanku for the information

[@pointlesslylukesplainingpo1200]

Lol i dont think you understand symbolism.

[@princekevindy-victoria547]

ur a idiot hater

[@princekevindy-victoria547]

ded creator the idiot

[@travis4308]

Yeah I think so also but that confused me cause he only tied 2 to her and she has 3 kids.....

[@Cmarsenal11]

“You thought I was an issue when the door was locked, nah you should see me when the door opens” -lyric from outcast. Seeing him walking away from the cage got me so hyped for this album

[@religioussoup8256]

This is legit, bro! I didnt even realize this line was connected to the search!

[@religioussoup8256]

For real tho, every one of his lyrics connects to something else in his music. You just have to pay enough attention

[@madscientist6872]

Yoo thats insaneee

[@NickKersting]

Dude your comment gave me chills... holy shit

[@nickmilano8202]

That’s talking ab “fear” right

[@JosiahVaughan]

Cliff. YOU ARE SPEED.

[@ShawnDavid91]

Ka-Chow!

[@m0dder_archive103]

How the hell did you do this so fast 😂

[@alecrosema4885]

The cage is dema and now he’s going through trench (the field).

[@felicitydargis]

Alec Rosema you are my kind of person. ||-//

[@amelieharrison2583]

yesssss

[@JoshA437]

I think going through the field refers to the going through journey in life

[@akiyato8160]

||-//

[@Kreets_]

Both The Search and Jumpsuit were filmed in Iceland.

[@leovenceslau999]

According to Nate’s wife, they went to Iceland to shoot the music video... Twenty One Pilots went to Iceland to shoot the Jumpsuit music video....

[@gabyzephir9818]

Leonardo Venceslau exactly what I noticed!!!

[@gabyzephir9818]

JayBeka I wish!!!

[@JT-bl7gj]

Have people also noticed the TØP reference in NF’s song Know?

[@gabyzephir9818]

JT080magic yes of couuurse

[@sacredspxce5579]

Damn Cliff, you're FAST. "The Search" is 🔥 though, and I'm excited to see what you're going to say.

[@ThePopSongProfessor]

For everyone asking how I did this so fast, it comes from lots and lots and lots of practice. :) When you explain 500+ songs, you'll be this fast too!

[@Waderbader1982]

As a trauma survivor this is what I believe . I noticed in why that I could relate so well it kinda freaked me out. I believe he is referring to how trauma affects you later in life. In makes people incredibly afraid to live later on. I think he is talking about processing his trauma. I am personally experiencing much of the same in my own life with my therapist

[@ronnie3183]

I agree. Your drawing skills are awesome.

[@cristiangarcia1289]

People: How artistic are you? The pop professor: Yes

[@SaraPasquel]

Porch swing is a place of rest and peace. In the song he says he hasn’t been sleeping much but someone in white is able to sleep.

[@meghanearhart8887]

Can't get enough NF!! And of course never enough of The Pop Song Professor! I keep waiting for April to open that side door and smack you with it, lol

[@mallie9975]

HOW DID YOU UPLOAD THIS SO FAST?? i absolutely love this song so much as well as the rest of nf’s music and you do an amazing job of explaining his content.

[@aidengrasso1613]

The swings were at the very end of WHY

[@JoshA437]

Had to see a therapist has to do with the album Therapy Session and something funny going on in my house refers to Mansion. Also I believe that him talking about getting out a noose and hanging up his heart refers to him getting married

[@siddmic]

JoshA437 He’s also literally seeing a therapist.

[@davidread1987]

When it’s NF, you know it’s gonna be 🔥

[@JosiahVaughan]

Your getting so fast, whenever tøp releases their next song, I bet you’ll post an explanation before the video even drops 😂

[@RealHard]

Sorry bro but i just have to You're

[@criticalthinker72]

His music is the way he expresses himself. He says when he writes a song he literally repeats the first few lines over and over again until he figures out the next one. He's been through a lot and has anxiety and he definitely keeps to himself. I'm always going around talking about people being real and the fact that he made a hat that says REAL across it just makes me like him even more.

[@zeldaxhan1956]

I want twenty one pilots and NF to collab so bad!! My god, just imagine nf n tyler rapping together 😵

[@aylenferreyra6010]

That would be too much talent for this world

[@natealbatros3848]

OMG yes, this needs to happen

[@sarahmwashomah]

Omg, I was just thinking that!

[@ladonnaintexas7601]

The swing can be a pendulum between: Nate' internal struggles, his past and present, fame versus private life, and his faith God and living it out.

[@NewLifeThroughChrist]

Everyone is missing all the spiritual connection to the lyrics. They dont realize what he means by thoughts about being lost

[@mineaxit]

Am I the only one who thinks the white clothes symbolize clinic dresses (psychopaths)? + He's talking about mental health and that something's wrong in his head

[@alongthejourney9778]

Minnie G I mentioned the video having representations of an insane asylum also, in my 2 video reviews of it

[@walthina3783]

Me tooo

[@becci9420]

His new profile picture and also the new merch is white clothes but with black balloons. That symbolism is mind-blowing

[@onionsalled5376]

How do you do this so fast it came out like 3 seconds ago lol

[@samanthafeliz3451]

😂

[@justinlord8090]

The porch swing was in the WHY music video. So there's probably a connection there that's supposed to at least somewhat explain it. And what's crazy is that WHY was released almost a year ago! This is some TOP-level symbolism from Nate and I love it!

[@stashingthroughthesnow]

My hypothesis about the porch swing. It comes in to frame when he talks about anxiety. Maybe it chould represent how anxiety and worry will take you back and forth in in your mind but you won't go. anywhere. It chould also be a reference to his line about OCD and the repetitive habits that go with it.

[@michaelangelbeck1939]

Wow just got done with the music video, Good job being prompt with the explanation, really helpful. Once again just wanted to say you rock and deserve way more subs than you do. I really appreciate what you do for music lovers like me!

[@chrishumphreys4075]

PLZZZZZZZ DO ISIS BY LOGIC AND JOYNER LUCAS

[@isaactillman313]

The river could mean all of Nate's tears, like when people say cry me a river, Nate feels like he has gone through so much, he could really cry a river, which is why he puts his head down at the end looking like he is crying in his arms

[@dragondudeguy2361]

Hey Cliff this is my theory for the porch is swing (it's a long one) When you sit on a porch swing you are going back and forth over and over again and maybe that means that it's like he's on the swing and thinks that he's moving forward an then starts moving backwards and isn't getting anywhere with his music or his search he's just staying in one spot swaying back and forth as if his thoughts are making him think he's moving forward and then the next moment tell him he's moving backwards and he's not going anywhere like he's maybe wasting his time trying to move forward with his thoughts because he's going backward again. That's my theory! Awesome vid btw

[@graceshockency7179]

I love this KZbinr.. Imagine if he was a real teacher, BEST TEACHER EVERRR!!!!!

[@ARandomAccountYT]

he is a real teacher

[@mina_2387]

Damn that was fast

[@andrewaczel4949]

I'm soooo happy that he's back!

[@ndproductions6395]

In “WHY” NF sits on a porch swing at the end. Perhaps this is foreshadowing?

[@happypoo6708]

I knew you would make a video on this.

[@dreamchasemotivation]

i think the porch swing would have something to do with he’s always in a cycle or he’s always going back and forth, i also think the other people in the music video are dressed in white because he feels like he’s not like the rest and everyone else is just the same but he’s somewhat different.

[@flynn3104]

I was hoping you would drop this!! Idk how you did it this fast

[@Bruh-jo4lb]

I think lots of what to aid by just a few more details. Like you said, he’s taking around this heavy shopping cart that is a mini cage. This is obviously an annoying burden, and it’s only slowing him down in his search. All the people represent others andante have a issues but cover it all up with white. Like James Faux said about the swing, this could be showing fear may seem to start seeping it’s way in, but he’s trying all he can to ignore it. Or maybe the person on the swing represents who he used to be. Anyway, once he gets to the river, that to me definitely represents a roadblock. It’s like once he encounters a hurdle or struggles, then he seems to immediately put himself back on his cage. And then once he gets back here, he is starting to turn to one of those people who hide who they truly are. Obviously he’s in black showing he’s not hiding who he is inside or his balloons, like NF said “I hold my issues up for all to see like show and tell”.

[@austinbirk127]

Really impressed with this line of thinking. I could never figure out what the river symbolized but I think you are on to something sir!

[@peterkurschner153]

I think that the swing stands for the old or better time

[@sarahhennis2682]

The break might be the psych ward where they make you change. Performing makes him anxious and overwhelmed. He thinks deeply and was told last year he has something going on in his head. He has OCD and Anxiety and sounds like he might be going through a mood swing bc ppl tell him to tone it down. The search is to get mentally stable. He is getting help! The clothes in the cart is checking in and getting help. To get rid of his burdens with help. It’s a journey. This is my interpretation

[@shamusdrury2251]

The pop song professor: I always have notifications on Everyone: how is he so fast?!

[@davojuki5379]

"Had to see a therapist, then I found out Somethin' funny’s goin’ on up in my house" House is a reference for his album mansion. House is a symbol for his mind just listen to song mansion and you'll see. ;)

[@felicitydargis]

I feel like the white clothes are jumpsuits, the cart is Dema, and Nate’s going through Trench...

[@daverybest9742]

Great video man, explained a lot I was a little confused but you cleared it up , keep it up

[@mr.dedsec6449]

I keep getting the feeling that the setting and scenery in search was inspired by top And to me lately a lot of artists are taking some kind of inspiration from trench. I hope in future interviews Nate does touch on this topic about any relation this song has to trench!

[@louisxvi3059]

Ok hear me out NF's black balloons are his burdens as mentioned in the song "The Search". But why balloons? Everyone thinks of burdens as things that weigh you down, right? I think the reason is because his burdens are different from ours; his burdens are what we would see as "uplifting things" (see where this is going?). He's burdened by Fame and attention among a lot of other things. Thoughts?

[@presidentwu8205]

Well... You knocked that out of the park. Sick breakdown

[@alongthejourney9778]

Wow, I like how you explained the shopping cart thing about it being like a portable cage

[@careforgrant8756]

Maybe the swing is a representative of being alone because some time people just go on a swing alone that my opinion.

[@jonnyhughes1689]

I have seen people suggest the woman on the swing could be his mom which is definitely a solid theory, but I think its also possible it could be his wife. Typically a swing is something associated with romance, at least in some places. And I think it would make some sense, because he would obviously find some relief in marriage having someone you can truly open up with and trust, thus sharing some of the burden, which is why she ends up with some of the black balloons too. i have a feeling that some of the ups and downs of marriage will be a common theme on this album as well.

[@andrewmoore1084]

NF is the most underrated rapper every

[@Ky_The_Weird]

Can you do a video on the meaning of Yungblud's new song Parents?

[@phillipblest2622]

Great job getting on this so quickly!

[@graceful522]

I like your take on the shopping cart. I hadn't thought about how it could symbolize the cage. I was thinking it was just that his burdens were so heavy that he needed the cart to help him carry them but I think your way makes more sense lol. Also, I think the swing set could represent his childhood trauma, as he touches on the subject later in the album.

[@jliend6619]

I’m watching this dude for the first time and then i saw Tøp logo hangin’ on the wall, daamn i like this dude

[@303Concepts]

Perhaps the swing set represents his precious childhood memories or missing the days where his Mom gave him pushes on the swing when he was little. Just a theory

[@davidlawrence3932]

His earlier songs had bits about his faith in Jesus. That's why I was originally drawn to him. More I listened to him though you felt his pain of life spoken through words. Nowadays myself I'm not so close to a christian faith but his new song is still deep af against personal mental demons. The Search....Always Continues

[@Abigail-ib1nm]

5:30 in addition to, what you said, Nate "surpressing stuff for the sake of his job" I think he litterally is - like maybe Nate is (and I think Nate touched on this in another song, maybe intro III or mansion) where Nate says "can't bury anger, I'll need him for that song" so he *litterally* surpreses stuff for his job, because he needs to write about these emotions, and what better way than to not take care of them and let them grow, y'know?

[@XXchillpanda]

Thanks for the thoughtful analysis of the song! Great job!

[@steviedotson9479]

My theory is that the people in white are the different issues that make up his cluster of balloons(issues/burdens). Also, the lady laying in the swing I believe represents his mom who over dosed on pills. (The how could you leave us video talks about that and the lady portraying his mom had blonde hair as does the lady in this video). He also lays down in the swing, which I believe, demonstrates a connection between the two. My thoughts about him receiving the white hospital/psychiatric type clothes is that he is part of the problem. He mentions self hatred in this video and how he's the one that's locked himself in his cage(mental health issues). As always, that last part is just a piece to the puzzle nate is creating for us!

[@MartialTheology]

Your Right On Professor!

[@drew7824]

Nf: I just think I need a little me time This guy: so what Nf is basically saying is that he needs a little time🙆🏻‍♂️

[@laurasheets1]

Feeding his mind I believe also means if hes always talking down to himself, saying and thinking hateful things about himself then he will start to believe all the hate he thinks about himself. Think negative thoughts live negative life. Think positive thoughts live positive life.

[@laurae.7455]

I literally meant to go look for this video the day it came out but I forgot because my family came over ah!! Thank you for making all these videos. You explain like all my favorite artists songs 😂

[@CipherKilledit]

Wooo! I'm feeling it

[@travis4308]

I think the lady on the porch swing is his mom

[@selina5055]

amazing how fast your are, good video :)

[@christianhartman4999]

Is he in “Trench” close to Dema?? Yep freaking Trench

[@Jeremy_116]

The porch Swing was at the End of the Why video personally it reminded me of something outside of a mental Hospital. I love the break down Keep up the great work i'm a new subscriber :)

[@etherealvagabonddesigns]

I feel that its not exactly the burdon of success but that now that he has it he realizes he still isn't happy. He feels guilty for not feeling happy now. The void he feels/felt before to now wasn't from him not being successful in music or trying to be but something deeper. Now he is like back to square one in his head trying to figure himself out. He loves the music but it really isn't enough.

[@aristotle8813]

I clicked on this video to say this, Literally if you have dealt with the shit he has you already know what he’s taking about, this music isn’t made for the normal people, this is for the people who’ve been through some real shit

[@turg993]

I figured the woman on the swing was his mom, and that the reason why there were balloons with her was because he was trying to let her go. Let that burden go from his heart. They might have been HER balloons, but her burdens won. Like the "pills got you right?" Line in "How could you leave us". Idk maybe...

[@wilsonvrieze3237]

The porch swing is in the end of the why music video as well. Not sure the significance of it yet, but we have seen that same swing before.

[@curledseeker6139]

I was wondering when you’d make this video but how so fast jeez

[@curledseeker6139]

I wonder if I’ve gotten the most hearts out of anyone on this channel 😂

[@BilboWaggins]

It was released like an hour ago. How are you so fast?

[@ThePopSongProfessor]

54 minutes ago. ;)

[@deep0780]

wow. that was too unexpected.

[@FullMetalcoreJojo]

OMFG IT JUST HIT ME. HE ESCAPED HIS CAGE WHICH WAS WORKING HIS ASS OF TO FAME, TO WHERE PEOPLE RECOGNIZED HIM, PLAYED HIM (TO OPEN THE CAGE). HE FINALLY REACHED THAT, AND HE TALKS ABOUT LOSING HIMSELF AND BREAKING DOWN BECAUSE HE'S REACHED HIS LIFE LONG GOAL, HE DIDN'T KNOW BETTER THAN. SO NOOOW HE'S SO USED TO BEING IN THAT CAGE TRYING TO HIT HIS TARGET, YOU SEE NATE SITTING IN HIS CART, HIS OPEN CAGE (INSECURITY, FEAR OF CHANGE) WITH HIS HEAD IN HIS LAP... AND ARMS BLOCKING OUT THE WORLD, CREATING A LID TO HIS OPEN CAGE... HE'S FREE BUT THE MIND CREATES OTHER CAGES WHEN YOU ARE ANXIOUS ABOUT THE FUTURE. HE EVOLVES THROUGHOUT THE SLBUM AND IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING TO SEE.

[@FullMetalcoreJojo]

Sorry I realised it was all in caps half way thriugh, I wasn't about to rewrite it

[@clippy3274]

Theory: I think that the swing set represents giving up. The girl on it has 3 balloons whereas everyone else seems to only have 1. She's laying on it like she's dead or something. When NF gets on it, it's saying how close he got to giving up. Also did anyone else get TRENCH vibes? The prison (dema) in the background, yellow shoes, the river shot... idk but yeah.

[@atlaslennan5592]

The swing could represent innocence or childhood, I tend to think back to being a child and swinging on playgrounds with a friend and also swinging on a porch swing with my dad. It also could represent him swinging between fame/success and focusing on his mental health/trying to be normal, so he tends to swing between them not sure which one he should choose? I don't know that's just what I think. I hope it some-what helped!

[@nguyenvanquannguyenvanquan3459]

so touching for an excellent video

[@j.d.5709]

I feel bad for people that call rap trash when it can be just as deep and profound as poetry or an artist painting a picture or a writer speaking in metaphors. Great. Video by the way new sub 👍

[@micheald4676]

He says call me anything but forgettable or something along those lines and that can go back to when college kids reacted to nf and one person said he’s forgettable

[@matthewfischer4057]

One thing I found very interesting about the music video for "The Search" is that NF's sweatshirt has its zipper in the back. I think that the sweatshirt is maybe being compared to a straitjacket.

[@calebreams6395]

One minor thing I noticed that I don’t see anyone talking about is that the little clip at the end is brighter than the rest of the video. Idk if this is him becoming happier now that he’s escaped the prison and maybe the white clothes may represent that happiness is there for him but we need to wait and see how he reacts to that possibility in the future

[@llumi_nate]

Cliffs faces in the thumbnails kill me

[@josephdouglas]

I saw the shopping cart differently when I first saw this video. I love the image of it being a cage, but I also see it as representative of his search: he's taking it to hold whatever it is he finds. It might represent him having an open mind, or maybe just him being at a loss for something good to carry with him; he's struggling to keep pulling or pushing it, but he has faith that he will find something worth putting in his shopping cart. Thoughts?

[@blakeking305]

Bro you did this so fast!

[@headfonic7750]

thank a lot for your internet video it helps a great deal.

[@b27d83]

Amazing explanation!!

[@siyabongafxlovermlumiso7163]

I really like your explanations

[@rubylopez5753]

Its crazy because he released the music video on the last day of the mental health awareness month 👀

[@ephraimagoston2925]

The Song is sooooo good

[@coachjordanhardgrave]

I love this video, those white clothes are mental health gowns that you get at the mental health institution I don’t know why nobody is getting that it’s very clear. He talks about how he went to a therapist and realized that there’s some mental health issues still going on

[@sacredspxce5579]

Huh... I wasn't aware of that.

[@cindypalomino2347]

I think the porch swing is where he did his why music video cuz he was swinging on it at the end of the why music video and he kept saying there are too many faces and the porch swing is where he can finally relax and think about why he is doing what he is doing and i think that person in the white is like representing his therapist like tryna help him or its jesus since hes a Christian but doesn't rlly talk about much so i think jesus is tryna help him out of his situations and thats probably why as well you can see people all in white walking around with black balloons amd i thought that those people in white walking with the balloons is his Angels who protect him and are caring some of NATHAN'S burdens or there just some random people looking for something and when he said 'i had a taste of fame and threw it back up like i don't want it' well thats probably cuz of perception and how successful it was and the girl in the white laying on the porch swing was probably happiness and in mansion he said "i feel in love with my pain and slept with my regrets happiness saw it happen and maybe thats why she up and left" thats probably were happiness all this time and he even stared at her and touched her shoulder and left her laying there and in the beginning of the song he was talking to his fear again and fighting with him and when he said "OCD don't push my buttons now you'll done it" it probably means us fans pushed his OCD buttons cuz we kept begging for the 4th album. So those are my theories

[@vaughnyork2425]

Pretty well explained. I was hoping you would touch on the shopping cart a bit as we had the same idea on the meaning of it but I really liked how you explained everything 😁 subscribed

[@jlinn12]

So fast, great job!

[@beastmaster-zb2fu]

Yes

[@edwardyuan793]

The Flash: I'm the fastest NF: hold my beer

[@tsheringnorbu7184]

Imagine this is how the history class gonna be at the near future