Looking over their last couple of albums, Anberlin's album closers (not counting any of their bonus tracks, of course) have had the slow-building formula we know and love, but have also been about God or faith in some fashion. *fin was about Stephen's struggles with God throughout his life, and Miserabile Visu was about the End of the World and the book of Revelation.
If I look at this from a religious perspective, I get the feeling he's speaking of somebody who's using their religion to do harm, rather than spread love and the word of God, or somebody who believes in a false doctrine. I'm leaning toward the former, but the song could be about either.
"Are you depraved, or are you deceived?" He's asking whether or not this person is wicked and depraved, using God as a means to some despicable end, or if they're simply deceived. We see this all the time, these days. People claiming God and the Bible to hate race, sexual orientation, or whatever else. Muslim extremists, too, use God to justify what they do. Really, he's talking to anybody from any religion who's using it to only do harm, when God's all about love. He wants to know why they do what they do, and if they know or not what they're doing is wrong.
"Excuses aside, stop saying please." This person is asking them to please leave them alone. This is their religion. This possibly all they've known. They feel as though this is the right way, so they don't want to deviate from it. They're attached to the belief, and just want to be left alone to believe it in peace. But their beliefs aside, they're doing nothing but perpetuating pain and hatred. He wants them to stop saying 'Please leave me alone' and listen for a minute, to realize that they're not glorifying God, but spitting on all he stands for.
"You're not a slave, so get off your knees." If they were deceived, then they're praising God and using his name for all the wrong things. They're not a slave to this hateful doctrine they were fed and believed in, so they should get off their knees and stand on their own to feet to find their way. They need to stop being a slave to the hatred they've contributed to for so long.
"Are you ashamed that you were deceived?" He's asking whether they're ashamed of what they've done, now that they know the truth. Are they ashamed of everything they did, or are they vile and depraved, and knew all along but simply wanted an excuse for their hatred, and to get others to help perpetuate it.
"Someone tell me I'm wrong about you." He's come to the conclusion that they knew and they are simply depraved, but he was friends with or related to this person, and wants desperately for someone to tell him he's wrong about them. He wants somebody to tell him that his friend or loved one was deceived, and that they didn't know, even if the evidence points otherwise.
"Don't feel chained up" goes back to "You're not a slave, so get off your knees." This person isn't a slave to what they believe in, and they shouldn't feel as though they're chained up. They don't have to feel as though they have no choice because it's what God wants, because it's not. He wants to believe that this person was deceived, not depraved.
That's my interpretation, anyway. I could be wrong, but if the last couple of closers are any indication, this song is religious in some way, so who knows?
Looking over their last couple of albums, Anberlin's album closers (not counting any of their bonus tracks, of course) have had the slow-building formula we know and love, but have also been about God or faith in some fashion. *fin was about Stephen's struggles with God throughout his life, and Miserabile Visu was about the End of the World and the book of Revelation.
If I look at this from a religious perspective, I get the feeling he's speaking of somebody who's using their religion to do harm, rather than spread love and the word of God, or somebody who believes in a false doctrine. I'm leaning toward the former, but the song could be about either.
"Are you depraved, or are you deceived?" He's asking whether or not this person is wicked and depraved, using God as a means to some despicable end, or if they're simply deceived. We see this all the time, these days. People claiming God and the Bible to hate race, sexual orientation, or whatever else. Muslim extremists, too, use God to justify what they do. Really, he's talking to anybody from any religion who's using it to only do harm, when God's all about love. He wants to know why they do what they do, and if they know or not what they're doing is wrong.
"Excuses aside, stop saying please." This person is asking them to please leave them alone. This is their religion. This possibly all they've known. They feel as though this is the right way, so they don't want to deviate from it. They're attached to the belief, and just want to be left alone to believe it in peace. But their beliefs aside, they're doing nothing but perpetuating pain and hatred. He wants them to stop saying 'Please leave me alone' and listen for a minute, to realize that they're not glorifying God, but spitting on all he stands for.
"You're not a slave, so get off your knees." If they were deceived, then they're praising God and using his name for all the wrong things. They're not a slave to this hateful doctrine they were fed and believed in, so they should get off their knees and stand on their own to feet to find their way. They need to stop being a slave to the hatred they've contributed to for so long.
"Are you ashamed that you were deceived?" He's asking whether they're ashamed of what they've done, now that they know the truth. Are they ashamed of everything they did, or are they vile and depraved, and knew all along but simply wanted an excuse for their hatred, and to get others to help perpetuate it.
"Someone tell me I'm wrong about you." He's come to the conclusion that they knew and they are simply depraved, but he was friends with or related to this person, and wants desperately for someone to tell him he's wrong about them. He wants somebody to tell him that his friend or loved one was deceived, and that they didn't know, even if the evidence points otherwise.
"Don't feel chained up" goes back to "You're not a slave, so get off your knees." This person isn't a slave to what they believe in, and they shouldn't feel as though they're chained up. They don't have to feel as though they have no choice because it's what God wants, because it's not. He wants to believe that this person was deceived, not depraved.
That's my interpretation, anyway. I could be wrong, but if the last couple of closers are any indication, this song is religious in some way, so who knows?