Much to our amazement, the album does flow from concept to concept and is in a logical order for telling a larger story. Jessica remembers very little of the recording process, presumably dissociated the entire time, but what they put together is logically coherent and makes sense.

In this post we discuss the third and fourth tracks on Salvation. Tracks affectionately referred to as “horrific” by Venya and others. Content warnings apply.

SHADOWS BENEATH THE SKIN

Victim of His image
Reflection of His damage
With a smile and a wink
In flesh do our fangs sink

Shadows beneath the skin
Our shadows beneath the skin

Victim of His desires
Reflection of His fire
With cloak and knives
We live our lives

Shadows beneath the skin
Our shadows beneath the skin

Victim of his wishes
Reflection of perdition
In search of truth
We poison our youth 

Shadows beneath the skin
Our shadows beneath the skin

What appears to be a simple rendition of the old “as above, so below” adage is actually much more than that. While Jessica laments that strife on earth is the result of strife above, it’s also clear that there is a double meaning that is evident if we lowercase all the divine nouns. This is a song about trauma suffered at the hands of their father, both heavenly and earthly. In fact, the spoken word section that is not documented above makes it quite clear and hints at the subject matter of the following song, Respect by Choice II.

RESPECT BY CHOICE II

All I wanted was family
Loved ones to accept me
All I got was disdain
And ultimately hate
You accepted me at my worst
When my heart did not yet thirst
And now cast me aside 
When from ashes I rise

Cocksucker
Motherfucker
Postpartum abortion
And divine extortion
These words you say to me
Fuel the fires of self industry
In the end there’ll be no mercy 
No, no, no mercy from me

All I wanted was love
Before becoming a bloodied dove
All I got was spite 
As if that’d make things right
I sang songs of peace
Having found release
But all you could see 
Was the new form before thee

Cocksucker
Motherfucker
Postpartum abortion
And divine extortion
These words you say to me
Fuel the fires of self industry
In the end there’ll be no mercy 
No, no, no mercy from me

All I wanted was for naught 
Your hearts are lost
All I got was vitriol
As I watched you fall
You killed your child
Praising God all the while
It was never happenstance 
Respect by choice, blood by chance

Cocksucker
Motherfucker
Postpartum abortion
And divine extortion
These words you say to me
Fuel the fires of self industry
In the end there’ll be no mercy 
No, no, no mercy from me

Cocksucker
Motherfucker
Postpartum abortion
And divine extortion
These words you say to me
Fuel the fires of self industry
In the end there’ll be no mercy 
No, no, no mercy from me

No, no, no, no, no!

The most horrific track on the album, this details Jessica’s coming out process before she fragmented in a violent display of dissociation. The meaning is self-evident. Always cherish the relationships you choose, and do not elevate those by Chance’s hand without a clear respect governing so.