Payable on Death (abbreviated as P.O.D.) is an American nu metal band from … Read Full Bio ↴Payable on Death (abbreviated as P.O.D.) is an American nu metal band from San Diego, California, formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. They have released six major label studio albums along with two independent albums and have sold over 12 million records worldwide. Over the course of their career, the band have also received three Grammy Award nominations, contributed to numerous motion picture soundtracks and toured internationally. With their third studio album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, they achieved their initial mainstream success; the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2000. Their following studio album, Satellite, continued the band's success with the singles, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation", pushing it to go triple platinum.

Discography:

1. Snuff the Punk (1994)
2. Brown (1996)
3. The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (1999)
4. Satellite (2001)
5. Payable on Death (2003)
6. Testify (2006)
7. When Angels & Serpents Dance (2008)
8. Murdered Love (2012)
9. The Awakening (2015)
10. Circles (2018)

Portrait
P.O.D. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're not who they say you are
They made you the enemy
(Christ-Jah flesh; Christ-Light within; Christ-Beginning and the end)
Taken something so beautiful
Painted a new picture that makes me sick
(Christ-Witness; Christ-Living one; Christ-First and the last)
Feed our minds confusion
Sweeten the taste of pollution

(Christ-Word life; Christ-Ressurect; Christ-Everlasting Jah)

[Chorus]
Some people call you Father
Maybe you should set me free
These people hate each other
But you've always been there for me

I refuse to be like you
Without life, caving in
(Christ-Jah flesh; Christ-Light within; Christ-Beginning and the end)
I surrender, giving up all that is me
Yielding to you
(Christ-Witness; Christ-Living one; Christ-First and the last)
Shape me in my brokeness
Empower me forever
(Christ-Word life; Christ-Ressurect; Christ-Everlasting Jah)

[Chorus]

I know you will complete this work started in me
I need you more than ever now that I know who you are

I know you will complete this work started in me
I need you more than ever now that I've come so far

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Portrait" by P.O.D. delve into the idea of spiritual identity and the struggle to resist conforming to the world's expectations of who one should be. The opening lines, "You're not who they say you are / They made you the enemy," suggest a disconnect between how society perceives the spiritual being and their true nature. The lyrics then refer to the different aspects of Christ, from the divine to the human, in order to emphasize his presence in the world and within oneself. The second stanza suggests that people often feed their minds with confusion and pollution instead of seeking the truth and the light of Christ.

The chorus offers a different perspective, addressing God as "Father" and pleading with him to "set [us] free" from the societal pressure to conform. The mention of people hating each other suggests that this pressure often leads to division and conflict. However, the singer asserts that God has always been there for them and provides solace in times of turmoil.

The final stanza introduces the idea of surrendering to God and allowing him to shape us in our brokenness, both empowering and completing us. The repetition of "I know you will complete this work started in me / I need you more than ever now that I know who you are" highlights the singer's newfound understanding of their spiritual identity and the necessity of God's guidance in their life.

Line by Line Meaning

You're not who they say you are
Jesus is not the enemy that some people would like us to believe

They made you the enemy
Christ has been portrayed as the enemy by those who oppose him

Taken something so beautiful
The beauty of Christ has been taken away from us by those who seek to destroy his message

Painted a new picture that makes me sick
Their new portrayal of Christ is sickening and false

Feed our minds confusion
They confuse us with false information about Christ

Sweeten the taste of pollution
They make their lies about Christ seem appealing

Some people call you Father
Some people see Jesus as a fatherly figure

Maybe you should set me free
Perhaps Jesus can free us from the lies we've been told about him

These people hate each other
People who claim to follow Christ sometimes hate each other instead of loving one another

But you've always been there for me
Despite the confusion, Christ has always been a steady presence for the singer

I refuse to be like you
The singer does not want to be like those who promote false ideas about Christ

Without life, caving in
Without Christ, the singer would feel lost and hopeless

I surrender, giving up all that is me
The singer is willing to give up their own desires and will to follow Christ

Yielding to you
The singer is submitting to Christ's will

Shape me in my brokeness
Christ can help heal the singer's brokenness and make them whole

Empower me forever
Christ can give the singer strength to face any challenge that comes their way

I know you will complete this work started in me
The singer has faith that Christ will continue to work in them and help them grow

I need you more than ever now that I know who you are
The singer realizes their need for Christ now that they truly understand who he is

I know you will complete this work started in me
The singer has faith that Christ will continue to work in them and help them grow

I need you more than ever now that I've come so far
The more the singer grows in their faith, the more they realize their need for Christ

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Cloud9
Written by: Andrew Davidson, MICHAEL ABEL-LARSEN, NOAH BERNARDO, PAUL SANDOVAL, MARK DANIELS, MARCOS CURIEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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