1. Captives is a hardco… Read Full Bio ↴There are three artists named Captives.
1. Captives is a hardcore punk band from Cincinnati, Ohio.
2. Captives are an alternative, garage rock band from the United Kingdom.
3. Captives is an alternative rock band from Eagle Mountain, Utah. On Captives' debut EP these homegrown boys from Utah successfully meld post-hardcore with alternative rock while even throwing in a little old school Brand New era emo. While listening it’s easy to pick up on their rock roots, but the further into a track you get the more layers start to unfold. A lulling baseline might kickstart a song, but by its end emotionally draining vocals are being shouted, eclipsing your first impression and morphing it into an almost transcendental experience of pain and whirling guitar riffs.
For the Post-Hardcore band from Leads, please see Caskets
Forsaken
Captives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can tell a stranger dwells within.
These walls grow numb for a moments bliss, false truths that only you will miss.
While you waste away, I won't waste away.
I am the shepard leading your lost way.
I am the Charon who's debt you must pay.
Black and blue I see right through your weightless words.
Use me now, take your bow, cast me with lepers.
While you waste away, I won't waste.
I am the shepard leading your lost way.
I am the Charon who's debt you must pay, black and blue I see right through your weightless words.
Use me now, take your bow, cast me with lepers.
I am an imposter, she is all I can offer.
You lay claim to rule it all, but I will rise and you will fall.
These lyrics from Captives's song Forsaken seem to be about someone who is living in a state of denial, choosing to hide their true self from the world while living behind walls of lies and false truths. The singer seems to be someone who sees through this facade and is trying to lead the other person out of their misguided state- like a shepherd guiding his flock. The line "be no sheep, hiding in your own skin" could be interpreted as a call to action for the person to stop hiding and start living authentically.
The singer compares themselves to Charon, the ferryman of Hades, as if they are leading the other person through some kind of underworld, or out of their own personal hell. They see through the other person's "weightless words" and will not be fooled by their lies. The line "use me now, take your bow, cast me with lepers" seems to suggest that the other person is manipulative and only using the singer for their own gain.
The final line "I am an imposter, she is all I can offer... you lay claim to rule it all, but I will rise and you will fall" adds an interesting twist to the interpretation. The singer acknowledges that they are not who they appear to be, and perhaps they are also living behind walls of their own. The reference to "she" could be a romantic partner or a metaphorical representation of something else. The final line suggests that the other person may think they have control, but the singer will ultimately prevail and the other person will "fall".
Line by Line Meaning
Be no sheep, hiding in your own skin.
Don't blindly follow others and be true to yourself.
I can tell a stranger dwells within.
You are not being your true self and hiding behind a facade.
These walls grow numb for a moments bliss, false truths that only you will miss.
You are living in a world of lies and temporary pleasures, which will ultimately lead to regret.
While you waste away, I won't waste away.
I won't succumb to the same mistakes as you.
I am the shepard leading your lost way.
I am here to guide you towards the right path.
I am the Charon who's debt you must pay.
I am the ferryman who will make you pay for your sins.
Black and blue I see right through your weightless words.
I see your lies and they don't fool me.
Use me now, take your bow, cast me with lepers.
You are using me for your own gain and will later discard me.
When you wake in your cold damp sweat, writhing in all of your regret I know you'll turn for comforting, to your poison bedside remedy.
You will regret your actions and seek comfort in unhealthy habits.
I am an imposter, she is all I can offer.
I am not who I appear to be and have nothing to offer except for deception.
You lay claim to rule it all, but I will rise and you will fall.
You are arrogant and think you are invincible, but I will surpass you and bring you down.
Contributed by Eli N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.