The opening track of the album The Agent Intellect introduces the devil. Not the familiar image of a devil with a red tail and pitchfork, but a seemingly average suburban boy who turns on those around him despite his supportive upbringing. (It’s also confirmed by Joe Casey in this interview to be a...
Before recorded time
In some suburban room, see
The devil in his youth
He grew up pale and healthy
With the blessings of his father
The devil in his youth
His privilege came before him
The promise of adoring
The devil in his youth
But it all changed when he came of age
It was nothing like the simulated game
The women didn't love him
The races all ignored him
His proclamations failed
So he screamed
"Now you bend!"
The devil in his youth
I will make them feel the way I do
I'll corrupt them till they think the way I do
The devil in his youth
You will feel the way I do
You'll hurt the way I do
He was easily abused
The devil in his youth
The Devil in His Youth was written by Protomartyr.
Protomartyr released The Devil in His Youth on Fri Oct 09 2015.
In an interview, Casey explains some of the impetus for the song:
That started from thinking about how bad, oppressive, evil things usually come from a very mundane point. My original thought was about growing up in Detroit, which is 80% or more an African American city. I was a minority, but I was...