Song Description

"Angels & Devils" considers the striking complexity of choices where any direction provides for differing degrees of both positive and negative consequences. The verses tell the story of a young woman, Maria, who has to deal with the fallout of having just committed adultery. The first verse describes her trying to find spiritual, mental and emotional footing on solid ground with a sense of hope while peering into the night sky. She smokes cigarette after cigarette in a futile attempt at shedding the adrenaline rush from her recent actions as she begins to consider the consequences in the second stanza. She wonders if it's a better idea to keep her secret hidden or to tell her lover, and if it's an act she'd commit again, describing its violent emotional consequences. She pauses to reflect in thought, picturing herself telling her lover. As she continues her thought in the chorus, Maria ponders her inner struggle, bringing to mind old cartoon skits that pit the animated, halo-framed angel against its contrastingly evil-minded devil. She acknowledges to herself, "All our lies can't save us / from fires we can't escape / or delay our fall from grace," playing off the hellish imagery of fire and an angel becoming a devil when it falls from grace. In the second verse, the story moves forward with Maria attempting to explain herself to her lover, claiming, "Darlin', it ain't that easy / you see, there's good love in bad company" ? exposing the contradiction in that her short-lived, superficial "good love" has now beleaguered her once-steady relationship. Finally, her nameless lover appears in the song, offering his stout reply. This time in the pre-chorus, he vocalizes her thoughts from the first pre-chorus and chorus. The instrumental bridge combines parts of the chord structure of the pre-chorus to re-emphasize its reflective nature, while also introducing a minor chord at the end of the second phrase to add a moment of tension before resolving.

Lyrics

Maria stumbles down West 59th
she's painting hope on a black August sky
she's coming down off a shot of adrenaline
with a line of cigarettes she can't stop smokin'

she ponders love and all that it means
she wonders what it's like to come clean
hell, you've gotta pull out the knife, before you push it back in
if it happened twice, would i do it again?

she thought ? darlin', if i knew what to do now... i'd try...

'cause all these angels and devils,
they hang on the choices we have to make
all our lies can't save us
from fires we can't escape
or delay our fall from grace

Maria says, well, darlin' it ain't that easy
you see, there's good love in bad company
he says, if you had half a conscience and an ounce of will power
i wouldn't be breaking your fall, while we're breaking each other

he says ? darlin', if i knew what to do now... i'd try...

but all these angels and devils,
they hang on the choices we have to make
all our lies can't save us
from fires we can't escape
or delay our fall from grace

BRIDGE

'cause all these angels and devils,
they hang on the choices we have to make
all our lies can't save us
from fires we can't escape
that take us to the grave
at the point we hesitate
and spark our fall from grace