There has been some debate over whether Miseration is a Christian band. "Most of the music and lyrics were written by guitarist Jani Stefanovic (Divinefire, Essence of Sorrow) for a band called Renascent, which he co-founded, then quit early on, taking his songs with him to Miseration. Stefanovic is a big-time Christian, along with everybody else in the band except vocalist Alvestam. So, in deference to the singer’s absence of faith, songwriter Stefanovic toned down what might have otherwise been mega-Christian lyrics to thinly veiled Christian lyrics. But they’re technically in the realm of religio-neutrality. Technically."
Band Members
Christian Älvestam – lead vocals
Jani Stefanovic – lead guitar, bass guitar, drums
Marcus "Skägget" Bertilsson – guitar
Oscar Nilsson - drums
Christian Lundgren - bass guitar
Chain
Miseration Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The great deceiver known to all men
Life consumer, the one unseen
Poison running through my veins
A static mind, no control
Rules my every move
Nothing feels right
Have I lost it all
I am about to break
Living a constant lie
My emotions have me paralysed
I need a remedy
Make me whom I supposed to be
Is it too late for regrets
Look in the mirror
Don't recognise what I see
The life in me is gone
Fear tormenting me
Guilt won't left me be
Feeling useless, invisible to the world
The undecided truth
I am the pretender
Living the lie concealing the truth
The great deceiver know to all men
Life consumer, the one unseen
The lyrics to Miseration's song Chain are a raw and emotional depiction of feeling trapped and consumed by the pressures of life. The opening lines describe the great deceiver, a metaphor for the negative aspects of life that can drag one down, such as guilt and fear. The singer feels as if poison is running through their veins and that they have no control over their life, being ruled by their every move.
The chorus expresses the overwhelming feeling of despair and the sense of being pushed to the edge, wondering if they have lost it all and if it's too late for regrets. They are living a constant lie and are paralyzed by their negative emotions. They long for a remedy to help them become who they are supposed to be.
The second verse describes the singer's appearance as unrecognizable in the mirror. They feel as if the life in them is gone and are tormented by fear and guilt. They feel useless and invisible to the world. The final lines reiterate the idea of living a lie as the great deceiver, the one unseen, continues to consume their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Chain-Work Soul
My soul is imprisoned, shackled by the chains of hard labor
The great deceiver known to all men
My mind is constantly tricking me, deceiving me
Life consumer, the one unseen
Something is slowly taking away my life force, my vitality
Poison running through my veins
A harmful substance is flowing through my body, infecting me
A static mind, no control
My mind is stuck, unable to move or think freely
Rules my every move
My actions are dictated by someone or something else, I have no autonomy
Nothing feels right
I'm lost and nothing in my life makes sense or brings me happiness
Pushed to the edge
I'm teetering on the brink of a breakdown, I'm being pushed to my limits
Have I lost it all
I have nothing left, everything that mattered to me is gone
I am about to break
I'm close to snapping, I can't take it anymore
Living a constant lie
I'm pretending to be someone I'm not, all the time
My emotions have me paralysed
I'm so overwhelmed by my emotions that I can't take any action
I need a remedy
I need something to cure me of this, something to make me better
Make me whom I supposed to be
I want to become the person I was meant to be, the person I'm supposed to be
Is it too late for regrets
I'm wondering if it's too late to change anything, if I missed my chance to make things right
Look in the mirror
I see myself reflected back at me
Don't recognise what I see
I don't see myself in the mirror, I don't recognize myself
The life in me is gone
I feel like I've lost my spark, my vitality
Fear tormenting me
I'm constantly afraid, it's causing me pain
Guilt won't left me be
I'm burdened by feelings of guilt, I can't shake it off
Feeling useless, invisible to the world
I feel like I'm nothing, like I don't matter to anyone
The undecided truth
The truth is unclear, it's not yet settled
I am the pretender
I'm pretending to be someone I'm not, I'm living a lie
Living the lie concealing the truth
I'm hiding the truth with my lies, I'm afraid of what will happen if people find out
The great deceiver know to all men
My mind is tricking me, deceiving me, just like it does to everyone else
Life consumer, the one unseen
Something is slowly taking away my life force, my vitality, and I can't see or stop it
Contributed by Brody T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.