I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
They say she had a heart attack
I think the preacher's coming back
And I'm frying 'cause all my love's electrifying
And I'm comfy like a cesspool
Want to be with you
And it's my premonition
I better give my heart a listen
And my preacher say
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
All of my demons have withered away
They said he shook himself to death
I want to dance 'til my last breath
But mister disco only parties hard in Frisco
Comfy like a cesspool
Want to be with you, want to be with you
And it's my premonition
I better give my heart a listen
And my preacher say
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
I think the preacher's coming back
And I'm frying 'cause all my love's electrifying
And I'm comfy like a cesspool
Want to be with you
And it's my premonition
I better give my heart a listen
And my preacher say
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
All of my demons have withered away
They said he shook himself to death
I want to dance 'til my last breath
But mister disco only parties hard in Frisco
Comfy like a cesspool
Want to be with you, want to be with you
And it's my premonition
I better give my heart a listen
And my preacher say
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
All of your demons will wither away
Ecstasy comes and they cannot stay
You'll understand when you come my way
'Cause all of my demons have withered away
Lyrics submitted by MistaTwista, edited by wolfgang11
Demons Lyrics as written by Bill Withers Natalie Mcintyre
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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One correction: It's "I think the creature's coming back." Not "preacher's coming back." The creature in reference is a personal "demon." She later reflects on something her "preacher" told her about his faith, but in the first line, it's "creature."
I don't know what this song means, but when I listen to it I feel good. No matter how crappy I feel, no matter whats happened in the day, I listen to this and life is better. It's like a psychic orgasm.
This song - lyrically one of Cook's finest - seems to me to have two overlapping meanings.
The first is a drug reference. "All of your demons will wither away / Ecstasy comes and they will not stay" reflects Norman Cook's controversial claim that the drug MDMA (Ecstasy) cured his depression (i.e. banished his emotional demons).
The second meaning seems to me quite deep, spiritual and mystical (though not necessarily 'religious'). The word 'ecstasy' in its non-drug usage is derived from a Greek word meaning 'to stand outside oneself'. This refers to a state of spiritual enlightenment in which a person 'steps out' of their 'ego' (or blind 'lower self') to experience a broader perception of things in which one's 'demons' (negative perceptions leading to emotional distress) 'wither away', leaving a state of joy and bliss. Macy Gray's 'preacher' (perhaps Cook himself through his music?) sounds more like a spiritual guide than a traditional clergyman, offering a 'way' in which one could personally experience 'ecstasy' and overcome one's 'demons' - an intensely personal process in which one must look inward, or 'give one's heart a listen'.
As for the connection: Shamans and mystics have been using music, rhythm, drums, dance and psychedelics for thousands of years in order to describe the kind of ecstatic states described here. The experience in which "all my love's electrifying' is common to both mystics (e.g. Walt Whitman's 'body electric') and users of MDMA. An experience of love or connectedness is also common to both.
It is therefore not surprising to me that a spiritual dimension would enter into such drug-fuelled electronica.
Enough deep thoughts - the message here is to absorb yourself in the music, dance, experience, connect, and feel alive. (But go easy on the brain-frying!)
Correction here...it's "come feel like a cesspool" cesspool being a sewage receptacle.
No, pretty sure it's "comfy" like a cesspool. It's supposed to mean that she is "comfortable" doing what she's doing with her life. But at the end of the day, it's still a cesspool. (Cesspools are "comfy" by the way with all of the millions of nasty micro organisms overflowing on top of one another) <br /> <br /> The preacher in this song is telling her she needs to come his way (the way can be any religion, but I'm assuming it is indeed of the Christian origin considering the choice of the word "preacher.") or else her life will continue to be a cesspool full of demons. It's uncomfortable at first to step outside of your own habits and ideals whether it's drugs, sex, or lack of love for yourself or others. By trusting in something bigger than yourself, such as God, it will help force all of your personal demons out and cause them to wither. It doesn't HAVE to be religious, but I think in this case, it is. Anyone who has been told by a preacher to just give everything to God (that's the preacher's "way") has these thoughts during times of struggle.
I have always liked this song. After hearing Macy Gray sing it, I REALLY like it. That woman's voice makes my heart feel good.
You can clearly hear Macy say "creature's coming back" at the beginning, not "preacher's coming back".