By Demons Be Driven

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a grim picture of a faith or belief system that preys on the vulnerable, particularly the young, promising purity but ultimately leading to destruction. The opening lines suggest a ritualistic betrayal of an oath, where an established "faith" lies in wait for an "offering." This institution, described as "old for drawing the young," corrupts innocence, as "purity withers and dies." The narrator seems to be caught in this cycle, attempting to save someone but becoming ensnared themselves. The central tension arises from a sense of being trapped and manipulated by a malevolent force, referred to as "demons." The narrator's attempt to "save" a "bloodless child" backfires, as they are "taken by the one I was saving." This suggests a perversion of altruism, where acts of salvation lead to personal damnation. The repeated command, "By demons be driven," underscores a feeling of helplessness and involuntary movement, as if the narrator is no longer in control of their own destiny. The most striking aspect is the imagery of corrupted salvation and the cyclical nature of destruction. The narrator describes being "pulled us from nails, shatters our bones, leaving us crippled and strewn," a violent inversion of rescue. The pre-chorus escalates this with the disturbing image of "boiling my corpse in the blood of his children," a profound betrayal by the very entity one might pray to. The "beckon the call" refrain, repeated relentlessly, acts as an insistent, almost hypnotic summons to this destructive fate, blurring the lines between being driven and willingly answering the call. This lyrical construction is effective because it creates a visceral sense of dread and inevitability. The stark, brutal imagery and the relentless repetition of "By demons be driven" and "Beckon the call" hammer home a feeling of being overwhelmed by forces beyond one's control. The narrative arc, from a corrupted faith to personal destruction, is bleak but powerfully rendered through its unflinching depiction of spiritual and physical violation, as well as the narrator's own, demise.