Fear Inoculum

In the open lines, something has finally been overcome, moved on from or healed from. Immunity from this "contagion" is long overdue. The contagion is exhaled; it is released and let go of.

Immunity long overdue Contagion I exhale you Lying I opened up to you Venom in mania

"Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a state of abnormally elevated arousal, affect, and energy level, or "a state of heightened overall activation with enhanced affective expression together with lability of affect."

In the mental health world, mania is often referred to as the opposite of depression in Bi-Polar Disorder. Mania comes with drastic and impulsive life decisions that someone wouldn't otherwise make. Symptoms include rapid speech, impulsive spending and delusions of grandeur. In a crisis situation, mania is referred to as a state of mind where a person is delusional and out of control.

When I hear "venom in mania", I consider the context in the lyrics of immunity to a contagion. I believe in this case, mania is referred to as the venom and is therefore the contagion that immunity has achieved release from.

I feel that mania is more metaphoric and less direct in its meaning here. Given the varying meanings behind the word depending on use, mania could also refer to the exaggerated emotions of anger and fear. Seeing as though fear is mentioned in the song title and also the album title, fear should be on the forefront of interpretation.

Now, contagion I exhale you

Next, something or someone is referred to as "the deceiver." While it's clear that the deceiver isn't the narrator, it is my belief that the deceiver refers to the shadow side of the narrator and also the shadow side that all of us experience.

The deceiver he says you belong to me

Consider that the deceiver (the shadow) has long made the subject believe that they are its slave; that they are one in the same and cannot be separated. The deceiver doesn't want to accept the light of others; it wants to exude its dark shadow. It wants to fear the life, fear the breath and fear others forever.

The deceiver he says you belong to me You don’t want to breathe the light of the others Fear the light Fear the breathe Fear the others for eternity

If a person's shadow was to own and control a person in this way, they would see themselves as drastically separate from others. They would hide and cocoon and isolate. They would be filled with fear and darkness.

But I hear them now inhale the clarity Hear the venom the venom in what you say — inoculated Bless this immunity

Finally, the subject has grown to a point of being able to fully open up to others and inhale the clarity and truth that exists outside of their shadow self. The subject hears the venom in what the shadow has been leading them to believe for so long; fear. But that fear has acted as an inoculate; and the subject has now become immune.

"Inoculate: The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease."

Exhale, expel Recast my tale

The subject is finally able to truly breath, to see the truth and to be free of fear. They can now recast their story.

Weave my allegorical elegy

"While an allegory is a story, poem, or picture, it's used to reveal a hidden meaning or message, like the moral. Allegories are exciting because they use characters and events to convey a meaning. They don't just come right out and say it."

"An elegy is a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. Although a speech at a funeral is an eulogy, you might later compose an elegy to someone you have loved and lost to the grave. The purpose of this kind of poem is to express feelings rather than tell a story."

The subject is able to recast their story in a way that looks back poetically at the shadow self that is being let go of; much like a death. Their life story has taken on an entirely new perspective and meaning and is perhaps viewed anew for the first time.

I believe the song itself is the allegorical elegy and perhaps, this entire album as a whole. Given themes in other songs revealed such as Invincible and Descending, we are set to explore concepts of growth, letting go, moving on and breaking free.

Enumerate All that I’m to do Calculating steps away from you

Enumerating is when you mention or establish a number of things one by one. The subject is, or has, calculated the steps it will take, one by one, to finally let go of fear.

My own mitosis Growing through delusion from mania

Mitosis is a cell division where a cell divides into two new cells that are identical. In this case, I believe that the subject is able to divide oneself to create a clear separation and destination between the self and its shadow.

Mania is again mentioned as the source of delusion that the subject has finally grown through. Again, I feel that mania is being referenced along side the fear and the shadow that is being expelled.

Exhale, expel Recast my tale with my allegorical elegy

Forfeit all control You poison You spectacle

In these lines and the lines that follow, it is much like a chant, an incantation, to rid oneself of fear. Asking or demanding that the fear, the shadow, forfeit its control, its poison and its spectacle. It is no coincidence that this section of lyrics is sung the way it is.

Exorcise the spectacle Exorcise the malady Exorcise the disparate Poison for eternity Purge me and evacuate The venom and the fear that binds me

Exorcise is a process of exorcising to drive out an evil spirit from a person or place. This term makes sense due to the chant and incantation nature of those lyrics and the way they are sung.

And here we also see the subject refer specifically to fear as the poison, the spectacle, the malady and the disparate that is being purged.

Unveil now Lift away I see you running Deceiver chased away A long time coming

The truth and clarity can finally be unveiled and lifted away. The deceiver, the shadow, the fear has finally been chased away. It has been a long time coming.