A house of cards
The supple heart
Is not a place to dwell
Now you have your cake
Don't hesitate
Come on and just do it
Come on, just do it
Put it in your mouth
There is only now
Tomorrow has to wait
But know there's no backing out
This is gonna be reality
You can never dream it down

I have no way of telling the two apart

Well, I made amends
In the general sense
But the devil's in the details
And I know the cost
And I wanna stop
But I can't do it
I just can't do it
There was love I meant
There were accidents
So tell me which is which
Because I just can't work it out
But for memory and clarity
We had better write it down

I have no way of knowing the truth with time dissolves

I put the past into the ground
I saw the future as a cloud
If there's still time to turn around
I'm going to
It's just, one day I fell asleep
And all day, all night I dream
I am the first one I deceive
If I can make myself believe the rest is easy



Lyrics submitted by apocalypse84

Track duration: 04:06


Devil in the Details song meanings
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  • +1
    Song Meaning:Sometimes, it's not obvious what his songs are about until he does that Conor-thing where he warbles a quick sentence about what the next song is about, during live performances. During the Digital Ash Tour, he'd say, before this song, "This song's about our good friend, Temptation." And, then, of course... It all comes together...

    He talks about giving into temptation during the first verse, and not thinking so much about it or dwelling...
    Just do it, just do it, and don't think about tomorrow.
    The rest of the song continues the idea that, with choices comes thoughts of/and consequence.
    In this case, the decisions/consequences have to do with, love & accidental love, or leading someone on, or sex.
    All is summed up in the final line, which is a very deep feeling, just knowing from personal experience...
    There are things that you know you should not do... Things that will have consequence... Things that hold the devil inside...
    And, sometimes, you may have already made the mistake once or twice, so you bury it in the past/ground.
    And, if, for a second, you make yourself believe otherwise... You give in, again.

    Goddamn, love you, Conor AND Mogis.
    That incredibly-delicious, addictive riff that is played after the second chorus, chills my bones.
    <3
    Flag killabees4evaon February 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is hoping for yourself to change. I think it's about wanting to go back and start over or fix things. At the end, he almost seems hopeful, but reverts back to his old habit and accepts to the fact that he'll mess it up. A pessimist, I suppose.
    And i also think he is saying that the loves he's had and "accidents" are impossible to tell the difference between them when none of them lasted.
    Also, the opening verse I feel is him referring to himself, that he is no place to build a home with someone, and it almost seems like he's speaking to someone, "you got what you wanted, so just take everything and this is how it will be."
    The song is probably drug or alcohol related considering Conor, but I don't think it's about those things specifically. I think it's about the effect those things or his sort of depressive personality can have on things.
    Flag heyheythereon May 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:"Put it in your mouth" is not about lsd, its about the cake a few sentences up - "Now you have your cake
    Don't hesitate
    Come on and just do it"

    he'll eat his cake now and tomorrow he wont have it anymore ("Tomorrow has to wait") - meaning - live however you want, knowing the costs of it, and pay for it in the future.

    (have your cake and eat it too..)

    it is, as said before, all about not living up to your promises (to yourself and others), and if you have to pin it down to alcohol i guess you can, i don't think its that specific though. its generally, i think, about not being the person you know you can simply because its too hard
    Flag albertulon May 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Its about the bible
    he doesn't know what to believe
    The Old Testament and the New
    Dreaming heaven was hell...Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Messiah or tool, Jesus Christ in a cloud
    Flag Cwhatimloston November 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've been listening to this song for years and I'm starting to hear a lot of symbolism revolving around ecstasy, does anyone get that? I understand there is a lot of indication of drug and alcohol abuse but the first verse really screams ecstasy abuse, to me. Thoughts?
    Flag erikmsimson May 07, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't think it's about acid b/c I read an interview in Rolling Stone last year and they asked Conor what's the one drug you'd never try again and he said, 'acid' and I think he went on to describe how it didn't vibe well with him.

    Sorry if I have the details mixed up. But I know the drug was acid -- only b/c I used to be a big fan of acid myself.
    Flag mytwohandson August 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I feel like this song is about Conor's -- or rather, the narrator's -- tendency towards manipulation, both of himself and of others. I think the narrator is influence a lot of people in toxic ways and you see it throughout the stazas. For instance, in the first stanza when he's coaxing someone to eat the cake, he sounds like that bad influence, that negative voice inside your head that pushes you the wrong way when you're on the fence.

    But then he says,

    "This is gonna be reality
    You can never dream it down

    I have no way of telling the two apart"

    And I think he's referring to his own manipulation (both of himself and others) and reality. I guess I view person in this song as having a lot of additive behaviors, someone who lies, breaks promises, twists the truth -- so it's hard to separate their lies and self-seeking motives from reality.

    But the part of the song I love is when he says,

    "Well, I made amends
    In the general sense
    But the devil's in the details"

    It reminds me of the 9th step in AA -- an alcoholic makes an in-depth ammends to all those he/she has harmed in their alcohlism. But this narrator is kind of saying he skimmed over it, and the real pain -- and real growth -- are in the harder things to admit.

    And then I think what the song essentially gets to, what the narrator comes around to -- because he starts out very malicious, is really recognizing that he's his own worst enemy, that his life is completely unmanageable (repeating that he can't stop but he wants to, etc) and that he's so good manipulating, he doesn't even realize he's doing it to himself:

    I am the first one I deceive
    If I can make myself believe the rest is easy
    Flag mytwohandson August 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i read a book once called "lights out tonight" about a sociopath. there was a screenplay written by the sociopath's husband that she stole called "devil in the details." that was my first thought, though i'm sure they aren't connected.
    Flag heartseaseon July 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Oh and the
    "come on just do it,
    come on just do it."
    chilling.
    Flag ashsayscellardooron July 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:if you've heard the song "decipher reflections from reality" i think that this song can relate quite well.
    if it is conor talking about personal experience, i do think he is referring to drugs,
    you can't deny that it has reference to use just because you think it is cliche or without meaning, conor uses reference to drugs because it has been a significant part of his life and experiences.

    i think what conor is trying to say here is that whats come of this addiction and dependency with drugs is that his life has blurred, what he lives could be but a dream and what he dreams could be what is real.
    he has lost truth because he cant distinguish between the two anymore.

    an incredibly sad song,
    as being able to realise what has happened but for it to still be ongoing, is a tragedy.
    i'm a fan.
    Flag ashsayscellardooron July 07, 2008   Link

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