In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I know I'll never be free
Change doesn't come easy
And if I'll never be free
You'll live in hell with me
Me
Fear
A Contradiction
Co-exist as darkness brought to life
My own skin don't seem to fit me right
Pain is my way of self-expression
A Fatal choice that always hangs above
Love what I kill Kill what I love
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it from me
The one whose giant steps ahead of where you've been
What you don't see
I know I'll never save myself
Dying from this immortality
[Chorus]
This is not an exit
I can't never change it
This is not an exit
There's now way out
Add a touch of
Who'd thought humanity's a dream
Things are not what they seem
Hungry for you but not to hurt you
Hunger for the secret of your life
I'm a timeless clock
And you kill time
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it from me
[Chorus]
I know I'll never be free
Change doesn't come easy
And if I'll never be free
You'll live in hell with me
This is not an exit
I can't ever change it
You stop and then you take it
I stop but I can't fake it
Cause this is not an exit
Pain is my way of self-expression
A fatal choice hangs above
Love what I kill kill what I love
Love
This is not an exit
I can't ever change it
Cause this is not an exit
Hand over fist come and taste my dark trick
Hand over fist I'll kill you when I give it
This is not an exit
I can't ever change it
Cause this is not an exit
Be dangerous and unpredictable
And make a lot of noise
Change doesn't come easy
And if I'll never be free
You'll live in hell with me
Me
Fear
A Contradiction
Co-exist as darkness brought to life
My own skin don't seem to fit me right
Pain is my way of self-expression
A Fatal choice that always hangs above
Love what I kill Kill what I love
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it from me
The one whose giant steps ahead of where you've been
What you don't see
I know I'll never save myself
Dying from this immortality
[Chorus]
This is not an exit
I can't never change it
This is not an exit
There's now way out
Add a touch of
Who'd thought humanity's a dream
Things are not what they seem
Hungry for you but not to hurt you
Hunger for the secret of your life
I'm a timeless clock
And you kill time
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it
I run you run you stop and then you take it
I run you run you stop and then you get it from me
[Chorus]
I know I'll never be free
Change doesn't come easy
And if I'll never be free
You'll live in hell with me
This is not an exit
I can't ever change it
You stop and then you take it
I stop but I can't fake it
Cause this is not an exit
Pain is my way of self-expression
A fatal choice hangs above
Love what I kill kill what I love
Love
This is not an exit
I can't ever change it
Cause this is not an exit
Hand over fist come and taste my dark trick
Hand over fist I'll kill you when I give it
This is not an exit
I can't ever change it
Cause this is not an exit
Be dangerous and unpredictable
And make a lot of noise
Lyrics submitted by BobbyjointRitual
This Is Not an Exit Lyrics as written by Daniel Alan Spitz Charlie L. Benante
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Pretty sure this was inspired by Anne Rice's first five Vampire Chronicle's books, particularly "Interview With The Vampire" and "The Vampire Lestat". Without breaking it down completely (although I suppose I could if I wasn't so lazy), the lyrics point to the torment of being forcibly turned into a vampire to be released from the sorrow of a life not worth living (Louis), but then struggling with the fact that humanity is gone, and the love/hate relationship with the vampire's maker. "Dark trick" is even a term mentioned throughout The Vampire Lestat in reference to the turning, and "kill you when I give it" is exactly what happens when one is turned. There are numerous other lines that point to it as well: "Mortal thoughts, humanity's a dream", "Dying from this immortality", "My own skin don't seem to fit me right", "a fatal choice that always hangs above", etc.
I suppose it could serve as an analogy for any sort of love/hate relationship, but I'm fairly confident it's a more direct reference to Anne Rice's writings.
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