The entire song seems to me to describe emotional pain. Not specific, just pain. The chorus is how (whoever) dealt with this pain:
"Create this man - To make my stand" = To take the pain he was going through, he became a different person. He went away into the back of his mind and let his 'shell' take all of the pain to, "Escape this, all the hell inside."
"And break this hardened shell in time" = So, when the worst of the pain went away, he'd work away the shell and eventually come out. Maybe not too damaged after all the pain.
The first paragraph seems to be (whoever) starting to look back into the past at himself over the time of his pain, and after he's escaped his shell:
"Look inside and try and find - The part of me that's whole - I wish I knew - But I got through behind" = And he's damaged, but he made it out, and with an outlook:
"Angels cry and devils lie - The world is our stage" = This person is suggesting that our lives are like a play and we are all just characters in the play. Performers. And that life can be very good and very bad.
The third paragraph, after the first chorus, seems to state that you can tell a person is suffering by their appearance:
"I see a mirror to me - The lines along my face are drawn in - I believe reflections bleed - The sorrows of our souls" = I think this is literal.
"Cause now you'll see - Why the pain and me - Collide" Whoever this was just looked bad because of the emotional pain. Maybe cutting themselves. Making sure people see that he was in pain.
The fourth paragraph, seems to state, to me, that this persons shell/emotional defense has gotten stronger. More effective:
"I see the walls around me - Fall around me - And everything is alright" = More drama was happening but it wasn't effecting (whoever) as much because of the stronger shell.
And then, there's the part: "I see those walls surround you - Tie and bound you - You'll drown cause you're so - Cold - Cold - Cold - Cold" = I'm not completely sure if (whoever) was referring to looking upon them self in the past from the future, or if this person just happened to see somebody who looked to be feeling the same pain, just didn't seem to be dealing with it the same way and figured that person would fall apart. I think the latter.
The entire song seems to me to describe emotional pain. Not specific, just pain. The chorus is how (whoever) dealt with this pain:
"Create this man - To make my stand" = To take the pain he was going through, he became a different person. He went away into the back of his mind and let his 'shell' take all of the pain to, "Escape this, all the hell inside."
"And break this hardened shell in time" = So, when the worst of the pain went away, he'd work away the shell and eventually come out. Maybe not too damaged after all the pain.
The first paragraph seems to be (whoever) starting to look back into the past at himself over the time of his pain, and after he's escaped his shell:
"Look inside and try and find - The part of me that's whole - I wish I knew - But I got through behind" = And he's damaged, but he made it out, and with an outlook:
"Angels cry and devils lie - The world is our stage" = This person is suggesting that our lives are like a play and we are all just characters in the play. Performers. And that life can be very good and very bad.
The third paragraph, after the first chorus, seems to state that you can tell a person is suffering by their appearance:
"I see a mirror to me - The lines along my face are drawn in - I believe reflections bleed - The sorrows of our souls" = I think this is literal.
"Cause now you'll see - Why the pain and me - Collide" Whoever this was just looked bad because of the emotional pain. Maybe cutting themselves. Making sure people see that he was in pain.
The fourth paragraph, seems to state, to me, that this persons shell/emotional defense has gotten stronger. More effective:
"I see the walls around me - Fall around me - And everything is alright" = More drama was happening but it wasn't effecting (whoever) as much because of the stronger shell.
And then, there's the part: "I see those walls surround you - Tie and bound you - You'll drown cause you're so - Cold - Cold - Cold - Cold" = I'm not completely sure if (whoever) was referring to looking upon them self in the past from the future, or if this person just happened to see somebody who looked to be feeling the same pain, just didn't seem to be dealing with it the same way and figured that person would fall apart. I think the latter.