By Demons Be Driven

The lyrics portray a disturbing cycle in which religious authority harms the young and those who try to protect them. The speaker seems to reach out to a vulnerable child, only to become trapped in the same violence. The repeated refrain, “By demons be driven,” gives the song a feeling of force and helplessness: people appear pushed toward destruction rather than acting freely.

Several images make this harm vivid. “Purity withers and dies” suggests that innocence is lost, while “children draining parents of will” implies that the damage spreads through families and weakens those who care for them. The speaker’s outstretched hand is an image of attempted rescue, but being “taken by the one I was saving” reverses the expected outcome. Later, broken bones, burial, and “shelled children” evoke severe physical suffering and death.

The lyrics do not explain exactly who “he” is, or whether the demons are literal, religious, or a metaphor for destructive beliefs and power. The repeated command to “beckon the call” may suggest being summoned into a dangerous cause, or the pressure to answer an authority. The images are intentionally extreme, so the song can be read as an expression of anger and horror at exploitation, without assuming a single precise story.