Satan & St. Paul
Austin Meade Lyrics
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Once you see, I've got nothing left in turn
Except this empty bag of promises
Yeah, and second degree burns
On the tips of my fingers
Yeah, from touching certain fruits
That I never should have touched in the first place
'Til I think I'll just go to bed
′Cause there′s not much that you can do
When it pours down on your head, no
Except beg and pray for mercy
From this hell that you created
On the corner of Satan and St. Paul
Yes, and my cup it runneth over
And it runs down in my eyes, yeah
Maybe when I'm a little older, just a little older, baby
I won′t tell myself so many lies
And it took me twenty years
Just to find myself a pen
Write down all these words
Just to scratch them out again, oh
I could use another twenty
Just to fix the last fifteen
But it never seems to work to my advantage
Oh, it never does
Hey, yeah
And I'm walking here on rusted nails
Battered wings and broken sails
Told you that I′m leaving, baby
But I'm probably just telling lies
If I could only make it out
Yeah, over to Denver, Colorado
Yeah, I′d book it out of Satan and St. Paul
The song "Satan & St. Paul" by Austin Meade is about a person who is tired of being deceived by others. The person feels empty and broken due to their past experiences of being misled, leaving them with nothing but "empty bags of promises" and "second-degree burns." The person is aware that the truth has been concealed from them, and they are suffering from the consequences. The singer is aware that they have made mistakes and touched certain "fruits" which they never should have in the first place, causing the burns on their fingertips. They express their vulnerability and helplessness while feeling trapped, lamenting that even though the sky is raining fire, they can't do much because it pours down on their heads.
The person begs and prays for mercy from the situation that they created. The corner of Satan and St. Paul represents a place where they are trapped, and there is no escape route, making them feel powerless. They express their regret and acknowledge that their cup runneth over, making it hard to see the truth. However, they hope that with age, they will be able to perceive things differently and not tell themselves so many lies. The person reflects on how they spent a great deal of time finding themselves, writing down words, but ending up scratching them out again. In addition, the person feels as though they are "walking on rusted nails" and "battered wings and broken sails" indicating that they are struggling and need help. They express their desire to escape from Satan and St. Paul, wishing they could make it out to Denver, Colorado.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't tell me that you love me
I don't want to hear empty words with no action behind them
Once you see, I've got nothing left in turn
Don't try to use me or take advantage of me when you realize I have no more to give
Except this empty bag of promises
All I have to offer are unfulfilled promises
Yeah, and second degree burns
I've been hurt before and am still healing
On the tips of my fingers
The pain and scars are a part of me and still affect me
Yeah, from touching certain fruits
I made mistakes by going after things that were never meant to be mine
That I never should have touched in the first place
I regret the choices I made
Well the sky's raining fire
My world is falling apart
'Til I think I'll just go to bed
I can't handle the chaos and need to escape
'Cause there's not much that you can do
I feel powerless and helpless in this situation
When it pours down on your head, no
When life gets tough and overwhelming
Except beg and pray for mercy
I am seeking grace and forgiveness
From this hell that you created
This pain and turmoil was caused by someone else's actions
On the corner of Satan and St. Paul
This intersection represents the good and evil in life
Yes, and my cup it runneth over
I have more than I can handle
And it runs down in my eyes, yeah
The overflow of problems is affecting me emotionally
Maybe when I'm a little older, just a little older, baby
Perhaps with time and maturity, I will learn to handle things better
I won't tell myself so many lies
I won't try to hide from reality by pretending everything is okay
And it took me twenty years
It has taken me a long time to come to grips with my struggles
Just to find myself a pen
It was a hard journey to find a way to express myself
Write down all these words
To document the thoughts and feelings that I've struggled with
Just to scratch them out again, oh
Sometimes the pain and anguish is too much to bear, and I have to start over
I could use another twenty
It's a continuous process to heal and find inner peace
Just to fix the last fifteen
There's a lot of hurt from the past that I still need to work through
But it never seems to work to my advantage
Despite my best efforts, things never seem to go my way
Oh, it never does
It's a constant struggle that I continue to face
And I'm walking here on rusted nails
I feel like I'm treading on dangerous ground
Battered wings and broken sails
My spirit is damaged and I'm struggling to move forward
Told you that I'm leaving, baby
I've tried to walk away from this painful situation before
But I'm probably just telling lies
Sometimes I don't have the strength to make the hard choices and move on
If I could only make it out
I dream of escaping and starting over somewhere new
Yeah, over to Denver, Colorado
This specific location represents a place of refuge or hope
Yeah, I'd book it out of Satan and St. Paul
I want to run as far away as possible from the pain and struggle at this intersection
Writer(s): John Fullbright
Contributed by Gianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.