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Off Screen Lyrics

The lighting is set, are we ready to play out the scene?
Discarding direction, instinctively playing the leads
Cast in dangerous roles, cameos of us in our lives
Try to outshine the spotlights, lines we've improvised

Precious lies, words that we say to ease our minds
Hide our face behind a mask contrived
To lose ourselves a thousand times inside
This is where we draw the line
There's nothing else to give but what you see
Only sacrifice in blood and tears

Silver flickering lights, impressions unfold on the screen
Silhouetted in half-truths, bathe in the glow of a silver dream
Living life off the stage, tragedy to victory
Shadows of past lives in the final scenes

Precious lies, words that we say to ease our minds
Hide our face behind a mask contrived
To lose ourselves a thousand times inside
This is where we draw the line
There's nothing else to give but what you see
Only sacrifice in blood and tears

Precious lies, words that we say to ease our minds
Hide our face behind a mask contrived
To lose ourselves a thousand times inside
This is where we draw the line
There's nothing else to give but what you see
Only sacrifice and tears

Precious lies, words that we say to ease our minds
Hide our face behind a mask contrived
To lose ourselves a thousand times inside
This is where we draw the line
There's nothing else to give but what you see
Only sacrifice in blood and tears
Song Info
Submitted by
nonny On Oct 06, 2014
1 Meaning

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Cover art for Off Screen lyrics by VNV Nation

The meaning of this track is fairly clear, despite being baked in the "movie making" metaphor. I feel this song is multi-faceted but overall about a relationship that is about to end, not necessarily through some incident but because it has decayed and destroyed its inhabitants.

The scene being described is both an indignation of the way this relationship has turned out and a lament for how things were, how the couple have resorted to "precious lies" to keep going despite both knowing they should "draw the line" as "there's nothing else to give".

The relationship is on its deathbed, the "lighting is set" for it to end despite the "shadows of past lives" haunting them, the "cameos" being "dangerous roles" to play at the precipice of destruction.

I probably interpret it this way as this song reminds me a lot of myself when I first heard it, and the friend who first played it to me. We were both different people, we kinda fell for each other briefly and then she just disappeared.

Anyway, my two cents. I hope I don't sound too "know-it-all", this is very much an interpretation but that's just how I write.

My Interpretation
 
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