Song Review: "Torn" from Creed's First Album My Own Prison

The first song on Creed's first album My Own Prison, "Torn," begins with a single mesmerizing guitar riff. The notes are played by a clean electric guitar, and the riff has a quality of repetition, and meditation. Everything is crystal clear, including the cymbals and the bass guitar line, which can easily be distinguished by ear. Scott Stapp's smooth baritone voice enters, singing:

Peace is what they tell me

Love am I unholy?

"Peace is what they tell me," surely refers to the preaching that Scott has heard both in church and at home from his Pentecostal parents. This is the spiritual peace of knowing Christ. In Philippians 4:7 the apostle Paul writes "Be anxious for nothing, ... and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Paul also writes in Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

But there is some doubt in Scott's mind about peace, because he says this is "what they tell me," not something he himself believes or tells himself. Also, he sees himself as unholy. This is different from the Bible's teaching that a person is forgiven through confession and grace. Scott's voice is screaming the words now, and quite a lot of distortion is added to the electric guitar.

Lies are what they tell me

Despise you that control me

Scott basically says now that religion as an institution is attempting to control his life. He suggests that religion is a tool of mind control (lies) and behavior control (you that control me).

The peace is dead in my soul I have blamed

The reasons for my intentions poor.

Yes I'm the one who, the only one who would carry on this far.

Now we get to the bottom of why Stapp is "torn." If he merely doubted what the Bible said he would not be conflicted. The conflict arises because he has a mixture of doubt and faith, struggle and peace. This is no Marilyn Manson, out to shock the religious right by refuting the Bible by turning it on its head. Nor is this exactly a piece of praise music, simply praising God with a glad heart. He is in the middle of a spiritual crisis that he will attempt to work out over the course of the My Own Prison album.

Despite his doubts about organized religion, Scott says that in the end he has blamed only himself for having no peace in his soul. He has blamed his own intentions (I have blamed the reasons for my intentions) and he has recognized his own spiritual poverty (poor).

This is essential, as one of the themes of the My Own Prison album is spiritual poverty. Spiritual poverty is really one and the same with the need for redemption. Scott seems to be saying that one cannot think they need redemption unless they recognize that they are somehow imprisoned by sin through their own actions or through the natural course of events in their life. He will expand this view profoundly in the title track "My Own Prison."

Torn, I'm filthy

Born in my own misery

This is as close as Stapp gets to expressing a basic belief in the doctrine of original sin. The self-diagnosis of "filthiness" or dirtiness is common in the grunge and post-grunge genres. It was a common theme in the 90's with Alice in Chains and Nirvana, and continues in the 2000's with Creed, Stained, and Nickelback.

Stole all that you gave me

Control, you claim you save me

He admits that he has stolen something, and that he has been given something, maybe by his parents and family, or by God. His parents gave him food and shelter and a home. God gave him his family, and his talents. He feels like he has stolen or misused his talents, maybe through drug and alcohol use, which Stapp has struggled with since his youth. (He has been particularly open with the press about his use of alcohol, ecstasy, and shrooms since his youth.)

"You claim you save me" once again expresses Scott's doubts about taking religion at face value and his struggle with the form of religion passed down to him from his parents.

Peace in my head

Love in my head

Lies in my head