I think Autopilot Off often talk about topics like religion or faith, but rather then speaking of them directly, they use hidden clues and you have to search for them inside the lyrics. Maybe the band was inspired by Bad Religion a bit, after all, they've done a pretty good cover of Generator :-)
To me, this song is about life and being surrounded by uncertainty. The motive of ocean is very important here. When you turn the "autopilot off", it's like sailing into great wide open - you don't know what to expect, what to do, where to go. You can be destroyed by waves at any moment, and you'll never have the chance to call for help - because "you won't even make a sound".
"I'm losing track of all the days
Lost inside a lifeboat, drifting out with all the waves, the waves!"
I think this is about living in stereotype. Everyday's the same, repetition's taking over, and you can't escape it, because you have no other choice, as you are alone in the middle of the ocean of your problems.
Here comes the "faith" part;
"And some will find their way by looking towards the sky
And some will leave their fate up to these ocean tides"
"looking towards the sky" - faith. Religious faith, to be accurate. For many people, it's the universal solution, it gives their life a purpose, a meaning. They need to believe there's someone watching over them, that there's a better place to be, or that better days will come. I'm not against it, though I'm not a believer, I'm agnostic, and I think (and also appreciate) that the songwriter doesn't put himself into a position of some kind of judge, he just states the fact.
However, there are also people who don't have the will to fight and they rather choose to remain passive and leave their fates up to the circumstances.
"The water gets so heavy" living under pressure, it's getting worse and you are close to drowning.
In the end, the message of this song could be that whatever happens, you have to fight against the pressure - you should make a sound, you shouldn't give up, there's no solution in waiting for some "divine intervention" (which is another great song, heh) or giving up to determination, because no one really cares, when you drown. Take control. Or try, at least.
MatZon December 24, 2007 Link
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