The band existed for almost a decade before mainstream success. The members met and played in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School under the name Pezz and remained underground in Toronto's indie music scene until 2001. The band renamed itself Billy Talent after running into legal trouble with the old name. It was then that Kowalewicz's connection with an employee of Warner Music Canada's A&R department landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream success. Since then, Billy Talent has made three multi-platinum records in Canada and continues to expand their success overseas; this included touring for 20 months supporting their second album. They released their third album, Billy Talent III, in 2009, and their fourth album, Dead Silence, in 2012. Dead Silence was followed up by a full UK tour throughout October and November 2012. To commemorate the longevity since the release of their first studio album, the band has released a greatest hits album entitled Hits in 2014. In 2015, they began to prepare material for their fifth studio album. Just before entering the studio, drummer Aaron Solowoniuk decided to sit out the recording sessions while he continued his longstanding battle with multiple sclerosis. Fellow Canadian Jordan Hastings was quickly recruited to play as Solowoniuk's studio stand-in, and, in early 2016, the group completed work on Afraid of Heights, which was released in July of that year. The band's most recent album is Crisis of Faith, released in January 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Talent
Studio albums
Billy Talent (2003)
Billy Talent II (2006)
Billy Talent III (2009)
Dead Silence (2012)
Afraid of Heights (2016)
Crisis of Faith (2022)
Devil On My Shoulder
Billy Talent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I climb the ladder, but you kick it over
Thirsty for water, you give me vinegar
When I drink your medicine, it just makes me sicker
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
And I just can't sink any lower, lower and lower
The hounds of hell are getting closer, closer and closer
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
Follow the rainbow, my lucky omen
There ain't no pot of gold, just copper tokens
I found the key to life, but the lock was broken
All my accomplishments are best left unspoken
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
'Cause it ain't worth shit to take
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
And I just can't sink any lower, lower and lower
The hounds of hell are getting closer, closer and closer
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
My horror story is nearly over
I said I'm sorry, but I was sober
I beg for mercy from my infernal friend
The one that drives the nails into my coffin
I've got the devil on my shoulder
I've got the devil on my shoulder
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
And I just can't sink any lower, lower and lower
They've come to take me, take me over, over and over
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
The song "Devil On My Shoulder" by Billy Talent is about a person's experiences with their inner demons or negative thoughts. The lyrics describe how the person is trying to achieve their dreams, but they feel like they are getting farther away. They are climbing a ladder, but someone is kicking it over, stopping their progress. The person could be referring to negative people influencing them or their own self-doubt holding them back.
The chorus describes how the person feels like they are sinking lower and lower as if they are falling deeper into a hole of their own making. They can’t even sell their soul to the devil because it is not worth anything. The person feels like they are being followed by the hounds of hell and that the devil is always with them, making them feel low and keeping them from achieving their goals.
Towards the end of the song, the person reflects on their situation and realizes that their horror story is almost over. They express regret for their past mistakes and beg for mercy from their inner demons. Billy Talent's "Devil On My Shoulder" is a powerful song that reflects the struggles of many individuals who face negative thinking or destructive behaviors.
Line by Line Meaning
As I get closer, my dreams get farther
Despite trying to achieve my dreams, they seem to slip away even as I get closer to them.
I climb the ladder, but you kick it over
Despite my efforts to succeed, someone else is making it difficult for me by deliberately sabotaging my progress.
Thirsty for water, you give me vinegar
I am in need of something beneficial, but what is being offered to me is actually harmful.
When I drink your medicine, it just makes me sicker
Even when I try to take advice from others, it ends up hurting me further instead of helping me.
I dug a hole so deep, I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
I have made a lot of bad decisions that have led me down a pathway of no return, and I will suffer the consequences of them.
Can't even sell my soul, 'cause it ain't worth shit to take
Even if I were to try and bargain with the devil, I have nothing left to offer that would be of any value to anyone else.
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
I am constantly being tempted by negative influences in my life.
And I just can't sink any lower, lower and lower
Things have gotten so bad that I feel like I have hit rock bottom and can't fall any further.
The hounds of hell are getting closer, closer and closer
The problems and negative consequences of my actions are quickly closing in on me, and I can feel the weight of the consequences looming near.
Follow the rainbow, my lucky omen
I am searching for something that will bring me good fortune and success.
There ain't no pot of gold, just copper tokens
Despite my search for something valuable, all I've found is something worthless and disappointing.
I found the key to life, but the lock was broken
I thought I had discovered something that would unlock the secrets to a better life, but it ended up being useless or ineffective.
All my accomplishments are best left unspoken
Even if I have achieved something, it's not worth bragging about or even mentioning because it doesn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things.
My horror story is nearly over
The negative events in my life are reaching their conclusion or climax.
I said I'm sorry, but I was sober
I regret my past mistakes, but I can't blame them on being intoxicated or under the influence.
I beg for mercy from my infernal friend
I am pleading for forgiveness or escape from a situation that feels hellish or tormenting.
The one that drives the nails into my coffin
The person or people causing my suffering are essentially killing me or burying me alive, causing me to feel trapped and powerless.
They've come to take me, take me over, over and over
The negative forces or people in my life are closing in on me and I feel powerless to stop them from taking over my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AARON SOLOWONIUK, BEN KOWALEWICZ, IAN D'SA, JON GALLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sabakopernik7637
"Devil On My Shoulder"
As I get closer, my dreams get farther
I climb that ladder, but you kick it over
Thirsty for water, you give me vinegar
When I drink your medicine, it just makes me sicker
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
'Cause it ain't worth shit to take
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
And I just can't sink any lower (lower and lower)
The hounds of hell are getting closer (closer and closer)
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
Follow the rainbow, my lucky omen
There ain't no pot of gold, just copper tokens
I found the key to life, the lock was broken
All my accomplishments, are best left unspoken
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
'Cause it ain't worth shit to take
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
And I just can't sink any lower (lower and lower)
The hounds of hell are getting closer (closer and closer)
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
My horror story is nearly over
I said I'm sorry, but I was sober
I beg for mercy from my infernal friend
The one that drops the nails into my coffin
I got the devil on my shoulder
I got the devil on my shoulder
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
And I just can't sink any lower (lower and lower)
They got to take me, take me over (closer and closer)
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
@kiluise
As I get closer, my dreams get farther
I climb the ladder, but you kick it over
Thirsty for water, you give me vinegar
When I drink your medicine, it just makes me sicker
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
'Cause it ain't worth shit to take
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
And I just can't sink any lower, lower and lower
The hounds of hell are getting closer, closer and closer
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
Follow the rainbow, my lucky omen
There ain't no pot of gold, just copper tokens
I found the key to life, but the lock was broken
All my accomplishments are best left unspoken
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
'Cause it ain't worth shit to take
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
And I just can't sink any lower, lower and lower
The hounds of hell are getting closer, closer and closer
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
My horror story is nearly over
I said I'm sorry, but I was sober
I beg for mercy from my infernal friend
The one that drives the nails into my coffin
I've got the devil on my shoulder
I've got the devil on my shoulder
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
And I just can't sink any lower, lower and lower
They've come to take me, take me over, over and over
I've got the devil on my shoulder, over and over
@niceguywillis9711
This is one of my favorite billy talent songs lyrically. The lyrics are just fantastic. "Cant even sell my soul 'cause it aint worth shit to take" "I found the key to life, the lock was broken" They are gold.
@christophhofer303
i think tears into wine is better lyrically
@codygale8254
I thought for the longest time the lyrics for the second verse were, "Follow the rainbow, my lucky OLD MAN. There ain't no pot of gold, jus' COUPLE tokens." hahahahaha
@diogocerqueira9964
The "couple" mistake I did too, but "old man" is just weird af LOL
@robertoceolin6164
one of my fav songs to play on guitar aswell, Ian makes sick riffs
@ShadowKiller_Chumbu
What about Viking Death March?
@EdSpooky
this band will still be rocking in 20 years ,like Iron maden or metallica , this type of bands will never break apart.
@louislamoureux1784
Hard to tell, sadly, the drummer have multiple sclerosis..
@DeityDestroyer
Dont see that being true, 2 years later and they dont have much going on.
@Formwandla
typical fanboy comment who thinks his random 1 hit wonder underground band is so legendary and will rock forever xD