Deliverance - Temporary Insanity Lyrics
Lyrics
Insanity is filling me with unreality
My mind is a pit of morbid fantasy
The more my mind wanders
The more I indulge of a fantasy so un-utterable
The more real it becomes
Imagine I am the king and you are the queen
You lied and said you would set me free
Of this temporary insanity
I look in the mirror and what do I see
That I have become an image of Thee
To take your own life is what you have schemed
But for some reason unseen
The victim is me
The ultimate selfishness
To not care for no one else
Because all I think of is me
In my temporary insanity
I look in the mirror and what do I see
That I am you and you are me
Insanity is filling me with unreality
My mind is the pit of a morbid fantasy
The more my mind wanders
The more I indulge of the fantasy that was so un-utterable
The more real it has become
I have fulfilled my fantasy
I learned it was I who lied to me
Now I burn eternally
in my temporary insanity
Video
Temporary Insanity
Meaning & Inspiration
Deliverance’s "Temporary Insanity," released on November 6, 2014, plunges into the disorienting abyss of self-deception and its devastating consequences, offering a potent spiritual reflection rather than just a musical exploration. The song's narrative centers on a profound internal struggle, where the protagonist finds themselves trapped in a "pit of morbid fantasy," an unutterable indulgence that blurs the lines between imagination and reality. This descent is characterized by a deep-seated selfishness, a complete lack of consideration for others, where the self becomes the sole object of thought and desire. The chilling realization that the perpetrator of this self-imposed delusion is none other than oneself, uttering lies even to oneself, brings about an eternal burning within this state of "temporary insanity."
This powerful lyrical journey resonates deeply with biblical truths concerning the nature of sin and its deceptive power. The initial embrace of fantasy and the subsequent indulgence mirrors the temptation described in James 1:14-15: "But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." The protagonist's mind becoming a place of "unreality" and "morbid fantasy" speaks to the spiritual blindness that can occur when we turn away from God's truth, as the Apostle Paul warns in Romans 1:21, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." The lyrics vividly capture the essence of delusion, where what feels intensely real is, in fact, a distortion of divine truth.
The recurring imagery of looking in the mirror and seeing oneself as the deceiver, the one who "lied to me," underscores the concept of being our own worst enemy, a theme echoed in Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death." The "ultimate selfishness" described, where all thoughts are consumed by the self, directly confronts the egocentricity that stands in stark opposition to the teachings of Christ, who commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39) and to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The phrase, "I have fulfilled my fantasy; I learned it was I who lied to me," is a stark admission of personal culpability, a painful awakening to the fact that our own desires can lead us astray from righteous paths. This is reminiscent of the prodigal son’s journey, who, in his selfish pursuit, ultimately found himself in a state of desperate need (Luke 15:11-32). The final declaration of burning "eternally in my temporary insanity" is a profound, albeit stark, depiction of the spiritual consequences of persistent self-deception and the rejection of God's grace, a sobering reminder of the eternal implications of our choices. Deliverance, through this song, presents a compelling, faith-informed exploration of the human condition's susceptibility to internal corruption, urging listeners towards self-examination and a reliance on truth that transcends fleeting fantasies.