Most secular and even Christian sources interpret this as simply meaning "everyone has a dark side to themselves, I've got one too, I'd like to shelter you from it but it's difficult and I can't help hurting you sometimes" or that sort of thing. And theoretically that could be all it is. But if taken more literally it is far, far deeper.
In my opinion:
This doesn't sound like it has been dictated by a demon. Rather it sounds like the cries of a possessed person, trying to make sense of visions that have been revealed to them, with a demon cutting in with a few phrases here and there.
The writer has seen a vision of the final judgement. It is at least the end of the writer's life, probably the end of all earthly lives:
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold ...
When your dreams all fail ...
At the curtain’s call
It's the last of all
When the lights fade out ...
So they dug your grave ...
The vision is amazingly deep and accurate, biblically.
The most evil have taken charge yet are hailed, in other words welcomed enthusiastically:
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
People are fundamentally sinful, even from birth:
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
But the Saints have been refined by fire, and the only ones remaining to be seen are those that are pure, as gold. Compare:
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
Zechariah 13:9: And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Job 23:10: But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
1 Peter 1:6-7: In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
While:
And their sins are even revealed, and judged, after their death:
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you made
Which should be enough to make you choose to be a saint rather than a sinner! However here the deception begins. Because the Judge is shifted out, and replaced by a "masquerade". So although the writer has seen a possibly accurate vision of righteous judgement, he is told that this is unfair and false. And nowhere is he shown how to escape that judgement.
The vision is a terrifying nightmare. But the writer sees it as inevitable, unavoidable. The demon has full authority over him, displacing Christ and putting Satan instead as his ruler, and adding in to the song a repetitive chant affirming Satan's authority in the exact place of Christ:
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
The vision is written to another person, who the writer would like to protect in some way, but sees no way he can, so can only warn:
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide ...
Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
"Hell bound" has a clear double meaning. It can mean the author is determined to share this vision. But it can also mean the author is actually destined for hell, and knows it.
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
The person this is written to is not demon possessed. Note the difference in the eyes:
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
The author is dark, the subject is light. The author is possessed, the subject is not. The author sees hell as his inevitable destination, but the subject is NOT going to hell, because the author says "I need to let you go" - they are going to different places. The subject appears to be a Christian, or at least someone who will become a Christian.
Amazingly, the author even cries out for their help.
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
I find it incredible how bold this entire song is. It speaks very clearly of the final judgement. It talks about this being a terrible thing to avoid. It even mentions saints who are avoiding it. It even cries out for help to avoid it! Yet ultimately it presents it as an inevitability, simply fate, that you can't escape at all.
And people accept this, listen to it, sing it, without even considering the words.
And in the music video, sing it in a crowd with their hands in the air exactly like a modern megachurch worship service.
Which just shows that the church has changed so much to fit in to popular culture,
that it could now be easily displaced by a satanic substitute that looks exactly the same. This song could be sung with exactly the same fervour as any worship song. But to a very different person and purpose. Note that I'm certainly not an "only-sing-hymns" sort of person, but the parallel here is just so strong it is very concerning.
