Track 01
Devil's Gonna Set Me Free
Behind the song · In Esme’s words
Devil’s Gonna Set Me Free is about realising that sometimes the thing you’ve been warned will destroy you is actually the thing that lets you breathe. The devil is metaphor again. He’s every choice, thought or part of myself I was told belonged on the wrong side of the line. I spent enough time trying to be ‘good’ and still feeling locked in, so eventually I had to question whether the cage was ever protecting me in the first place.
For me, the heart of it is making peace with my shadow instead of trying to cleanse it away. I shake hands with the pieces I was supposed to hide and realise I was never actually lost. That last line matters: I was just locked in. Freedom doesn’t come from somebody arriving to save me. It comes from finally letting myself out.
Lyrics
Momma said pray when the night gets loud Knees on the floor, head hanging down I did the math, I read the signs Heaven been silent a real long time
I tried being good, tried walking straight Every lock still knew my name If salvation's locked behind a door Why does freedom feel like a sin to want more
They told me light don't live in flames But fire's the only thing that ever caught my name That devil's gonna cut my chains loose That devil's gonna let me be
Yeah, the devil's gonna break my shackles That devil's gonna set me free Gold halos crack under borrowed lights Saints get scared when I speak my mind
They sell forgiveness by the pound But guilt's the only thing that's free in this town I made peace with my shadow self Shook hands with the parts I hid from Hell
If law's a war and truth's a crime I take my chances on the other side If I gotta burn to finally breathe Then strike the mesh and watch me leave
That devil's gonna cut my chains loose That devil's gonna let me be Yeah, the devil's gonna break my shackles That devil's gonna set me free
That devil's gonna cut my chains No savior ever came for me Damnation feels like freedom And damn life set me free
That devil's gonna cut my chains loose That devil's gonna let me be Yeah, the devil's gonna break my shackles That devil's gonna set me free
Set me free Set me free Set me free Set me free
That devil's gonna set me free I was never lost I was just locked in
