Whispers in the Dark

You hold your truth so purely Well swerve not through the minds of man This lie is dead

To me these first few lines are reflective of Marcus questioning God's influence over people's lives. It's almost as though he is saying "if you are so pure and so mighty, why can man choose to go against you?" It almost seems that Marcus is dissapointed or even despondent about this fact, that he had the ability to question God's authority over him

And this cup of yours tastes holy But a brush with the Devil can clear your mind And strengthen your spine

This is a pretty self explanatory lyric. Marcus understands the benefits of religion, from drinking from the cup of God. Yet, by brushing with the devil (obviously not literally, this just means brushing with an alternative lifestyle to the religious one he was once leading), he now has a clear mind, free of the questions that come with being associated with religion and can now hold himself in a more firm matter (hence "strengthen your spine")

But fingers tap into what you were once And I'm worried that I blew my only chance

The first part of this block of lyrics to me is kinda like a reflective statement. Marcus acknowledges how fingers, which could represent anything really like a thought or a symbolic image (anything that could manipulate or move his stance i think), bring him back into what his life once was, religious lifestyle in tact. Upon reflecting on this, he expresses his dread that his choice to move away from the religious life will result in him blowing his only chance at eternal life and salvation.

Whispers in the dark Steal a kiss and you'll break your heart Pick up your clothes and curl your toes Learn your lesson, lead me home

This part to me reflects the idea of infidelity. Infidelity is a sin that is condemned by most religions, particularly Christianity from which Marcus' belief system originated, and i think this is being used as a symbol for defying God. This verse is written as a warning from God, it is his god speaking to him, warning him not to follow the path he is choosing... the "whispers in the dark" are that of Marcus' god. "Steal a kiss and you'll break your heart" essentially to me means that the act of stealing a kiss, which implies infidelity as it was not his to have, will break the heart, or more his connection with God. "Learn your lesson, lead me home" is God asking Marcus to repent and to lead him back into his life, where God was once at home.

Spare my sins for the ark I was too slow to depart I'm a cad but I'm not a fraud I'd set out to serve the Lord

This almost seems like a retaliating statement from Marcus. He is essentially saying that he does not wish to here about his sins and what he is doing wrong, until judgement day comes, when he will either be saved by the ark (biblical symbol), or dismiss him. However, in the second half of this, it almost seems like Marcus is reminding God that his belief in him is still real, he knows he is there and proclaims that he is not a fraud in his belief. He does though admit is behaving in a "cad" way, aka dishonest (interestingly enough, the word cad puts emphasis on this idea of being disrespectful to women, a continuance of the infidelity theme possibly). He ends by emphasising again he had always intended to serve the lord, but his wordly desires have led him in another direction.

But my heart was colder when you'd gone And I lost my head but found the one that I love Under the sun, under the sun

He felt an emptiness without God in his life, and yet, he has found wat he loves in life, again the personification of "the one that i love" may indicate he has fallen in love with a woman outside of his original faith.

Let's live while we are young While we are young, while we are young While we are young

Here, Marcus basically states that he is only young, and believes he has a long life ahead of him. He knows the presence of God, but he has decided that he no longer wishes to live that life, and rather wants to live his way, effectively postponing any decisions he will have to make about his faith in God, and the choices he has made. This works with the whole idea of asking god to "spare my sins for the ark", he does not wish to deal with his "sins", he wants to live the life he has chosen, until later on when he will come to judgement, and he will have to make the decision.

I wouldn't go as far as to say this is Marcus renouncing his Christian faith, or even the Christian lifestyle. However, wat i would say is that this is a reflection of his choice to move away from the Christian lifestyle he was brought up in, in order to explore a new way of living. He does not renounce it, he just puts it on pause, to see wat he can find in the world, and where he can find happiness "under the sun"