Shades of Truth Lyrics
Outside in the sultry noon-time reflection
A million people scurry they are looking for advice
None willing to lend charity just exercise their
Shades of truth, and partisan convention
Shades of truth between disparate lines
Shades of truth interpret my intentions
You don't know I'm alright
Someone proclaimed creation, people listened
While children by the millions are thrown into this zoo
The so-called gift of clarity!
Oh what was god up to?
Shades of truth, between disparate lines
Shades of truth interpret my intentions
You don't know I'm alright
So few offer apology and accept others rights
And nothing absolutely can be cherished in the end
Can't we all accept that it will all happen again?
Just partisan convention
Shades of truth interpret my intentions
You don't know I'm alright

I find this song to be so down to Earth, and it takes an understanding mind to crack the meaning. Not to mention the bass at the beginning awwwyeaaa. BR doesn't always have much bass but this one is nice.
I don't think this song is about politics, I'm pretty sure it's beyond that. I think it's more about a general sense of everyone. The shades of truth he's referring too, I believe is what we all have. Our little bits of information, misinformation, everything we believe and cling to, our shades or truth.
The chorus is a bit difficult, but from what I believe I think I can break it down to this: Shades of truth. Partisan convention. - Our partisan convention is everything we believe, our biased, our emotions, ideals, what we vote on..
Shades of truth. Between disparate lines. - Blacks whites, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics (yes I quoted that) races, religions, creeds, all of the things that separate us from one another.
Shades of truth. Interpret my intentions. - Our shades of truth are deciding factors in what we do in life. Our intentions can be traced back to what we know, and therefore interpreted as well.
Shades of truth. Lenient conventions. - Our compromises, our reconciliations, the things we do to cope and be understanding and give in to coexist
Just a couple of other things, I think it's cool he mentions so many walking parallel. Referring to the same sense as the song Parallel. And the Stanza about creation and what was God up to, you just can't get more down to Earth than that. And also the, can't we just accept that it will all happen again? History repeats itself, every single day over and over again. How? Everything!

from the answer wiki:
"It's obviously a song on The Creationism movement."
and i agree.

One of my favorite BR songs and albums. Highly underrated and a million times better than Straner than Fiction

I think that the three main parts of this song are government and politicians, the religious powers, and modern society. The idea is that we rather not see "the truth" or help those in need or even accept what we know is right. It is much easier to talk and twist the truth to fit what we believe or want to believe rather than do anything.