I believe this song is about fighting the "old man" and living the "new man," having been transformed by Christ.
This task is obviously not easy, because Schwab states that his back is "so full of scrapes." His journey to Christ seems to have been a long one ("with the miles I've walked of waste").
Verse one describes struggles with the old man. Before coming to Christ, Schwab changed only to "feed [his] ego's rage." He felt quite content just with the depraved state he was in ("I cling to my comfort," "I'm content with my sadistic wretch.") He doesn't want to put off the old man ("find every reason not to kill the halfway beast"), but realizes that it is stealing his peace and disturbing him. Eventually, it wants to convert him to naturalism ("til its home is a naturalistic nest"). Such a worldview has no place for God.
Schwab then acknowledges the everything worked out for good in his journey to Christ, and nothing happened just coincidentally ("there is no conincidence"). The next statement is a recurring theme in project 86: there are no shades of grey, just black and white ("there is no compromise"). I.e. there is nothing in between.
The next verse describes Schwab's experience once he started to put off the old man. He shut it off ("close my grip on the floodgates") and trusted only in God's covenant ("the covenant sealed in dreams"). He knew it wouldn't be easy to put it off ("anticipate the backlash") and endured severe trials trying to keep it dead ("uncountable grins fade to screams"). The next two lines outline the previously mentioned philosophy of naturalism. It is characterized by doubt ("doubt's an ocean away"), but it's consequences are always bad ("my last mistake drowned unwillingly"). He states he is not willing to embrace naturalism, stating that it would "spill him" and (implied) result in his destruction.
The word "Rise" is a call to rise to the occasion, take a stand, and fight the old man.
The next verse/bridge/whatever shows some of the things that Schwab has put off. It's pretty self explanatory. He has been changed, and has started his new life ("now it starts, and now it begins"). He has relentlessly decided to follow his new vision ("so now my vision's secured) - he is permanently fixed on Christ.
I believe this song is about fighting the "old man" and living the "new man," having been transformed by Christ.
This task is obviously not easy, because Schwab states that his back is "so full of scrapes." His journey to Christ seems to have been a long one ("with the miles I've walked of waste").
Verse one describes struggles with the old man. Before coming to Christ, Schwab changed only to "feed [his] ego's rage." He felt quite content just with the depraved state he was in ("I cling to my comfort," "I'm content with my sadistic wretch.") He doesn't want to put off the old man ("find every reason not to kill the halfway beast"), but realizes that it is stealing his peace and disturbing him. Eventually, it wants to convert him to naturalism ("til its home is a naturalistic nest"). Such a worldview has no place for God.
Schwab then acknowledges the everything worked out for good in his journey to Christ, and nothing happened just coincidentally ("there is no conincidence"). The next statement is a recurring theme in project 86: there are no shades of grey, just black and white ("there is no compromise"). I.e. there is nothing in between.
The next verse describes Schwab's experience once he started to put off the old man. He shut it off ("close my grip on the floodgates") and trusted only in God's covenant ("the covenant sealed in dreams"). He knew it wouldn't be easy to put it off ("anticipate the backlash") and endured severe trials trying to keep it dead ("uncountable grins fade to screams"). The next two lines outline the previously mentioned philosophy of naturalism. It is characterized by doubt ("doubt's an ocean away"), but it's consequences are always bad ("my last mistake drowned unwillingly"). He states he is not willing to embrace naturalism, stating that it would "spill him" and (implied) result in his destruction.
The word "Rise" is a call to rise to the occasion, take a stand, and fight the old man.
The next verse/bridge/whatever shows some of the things that Schwab has put off. It's pretty self explanatory. He has been changed, and has started his new life ("now it starts, and now it begins"). He has relentlessly decided to follow his new vision ("so now my vision's secured) - he is permanently fixed on Christ.