Grace

This strikes me as being the most overtly Christian songs of the album, although I would say the album overall has that as a central theme.

Grace is the essential concept of Christianity, and this song triumphantly shouts it over and over again. It also shouts "High road warning!" The high road is an idiom meaning the easy path, the way of least resistance. In Christian philosophy, the easy, sinful, way of life is the one that followers of the faith should do all that is necessary to avoid. It is a continual struggle for the Christian to avoid the easy way, the high road. Likewise, this song continually proclaims this message.

"My child tells me We are the fallen men" It's arguable that the woman singing this represents mother Mary.

"I know the way and you know the way We all fall down if we fear love" Again, in Christianity, it is believed that there is only a single way. If one doesn't follow the way, we all 'fall down', perhaps a euphemism for damnation?

The song ends on 'warning!' -- it is clearly important to the singer that we do take warning to the high road.

Anyways, I've personally never listened to Devin Townsend before my friends told me about this album. I really enjoyed it before looking over the lyrics, but I find the use of Christian ideology interesting. Seeing as this sort of take wasn't conceived of by friends, I figured I'd share.

--A currently agnostic, yet former Christian

@aer0 It's clear that this is something you want to see in the lyrics and that's fine, people interpret songs in their own ways. But, you have inserted "Christian ideology" where there is none. Furhtermore, you've interpreted the "High Road Warning" as the exact opposite of what is intended. The song wants you to take the high road in all cases, not avoid it.

To explain further, your interpretation is flawed because you aren't defining the idiom 'take the high road' correctly in this particular case. It doesn't meant to take the easy path here, it means to take the morally superior path. Taking the high road means to summon up the grace to be a good person even if it's hard. You have a choice, take the high road and be above the bullshit in life or take the low road and become part of the bullshit.

It has ZERO to do with Christianity and everything to do with being a good, graceful person. This song is about an ethical position, not a religious one.

The warning is directed toward horrible people, it means this: "I'm going to take the high road, I'm going to choose love no matter what, even if you try to get me to do otherwise."

I would add that taking the morally superior path is also taking the easy path, because any other choice would make a person's mental state hellish, unless they are a sociopath. When we choose love & kindness, life is beautiful and our mind is at ease If you choose otherwise, you fall. And you're on to something, it is a kind of self-damnation to choose the low road. It's like bringing a kind of hell to your life, but not a supernatural one. It's a self-imposed one.

This song is about ignoring the haters and being a good dude regardless. It's about holding your head up even when the bad guys are trying to wear you down because really, your only other choice is to succumb to their darkness.