Lyric discussion by DrGregHouse 

Cover art for Shackled lyrics by Vertical Horizon

you guys are all nuts. it obviously about the devil. For his betrayal god cut him off at the knees, banishing him to earth, and he turns his anger at humans, introducing us to "the end". it's a self-serving diatribe, in which the devil attempts to garner sympathy from the weak and from other evil forces, while at the same time attacking good people, justifying it with tales of his suffering and the bitter cold gripping his "wings". His antichrist's "rapture", designed to turn weak and greedy people against god, is his last desperate attempt at payback for his "suffering"

My Interpretation

@DrGregHouse

Bingo! I agree with your interpretation completely, DrGregHouse. The tipoff was when the lyrics mention wings - then it's going to be either angels or demons. And the rest of your explanation fully parses it out. Satan is on a tear right now, smart religious people know. He's down on the earth - actually he's confined to the "vicinity of the earth." And he wants to cause lots of confusion and trouble for anyone - after all, he's toast. He will die, it is a certainty. God has deemed him dead. So, going with his selfish manner, why...