Devils On Our Side

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship teetering on the edge, where truth and deception are blurred by a sense of inevitable doom. The opening lines, "With devils on our side, what's the use of lying?" immediately establish a tone of fatalism, suggesting that external forces or internal corruption have already predetermined their fate. This sets up a conflict where honesty is rendered pointless, as the ultimate consequence—death—will reveal everything anyway. The central tension lies in the narrator's internal struggle and the conflicting narratives they hold. They confess to speaking to themselves in moments of silence, yet these internal dialogues are tainted by the "lies that lay beside us." This suggests a deep-seated dishonesty, perhaps within the relationship or the narrator's own perception, that permeates even their most private thoughts. The act of kissing "when nothing else felt right" further complicates this, indicating a desperate clinging to intimacy amidst a backdrop of wrongness. The most striking craft element is the stark contrast between the "devils on our side" and the "angel by my side" in the outro. This shift dramatically alters the emotional landscape, moving from a defiant embrace of corruption to a profound moment of vulnerability and fear. The narrator's crying, triggered by the angel's presence, isn't necessarily a sign of salvation but a terrifying realization of their own mortality and the potential for a spiritual reckoning, or perhaps the fear of having already lost their soul. Ultimately, these lyrics resonate because they capture the disorienting feeling of being caught between destructive forces and a desperate search for something pure. The ambiguity of whether the "devils" and "angel" are external influences or internal states leaves the listener contemplating the nature of choice and consequence. The final lines, "For fear that I had died or worse that I was dying," encapsulate a profound existential dread, making the narrator's plight feel intensely personal and unsettling.