I can’t believe I was so busy playing Grace that I didn’t even know how HARD the songs are??? Holy crap no wonder I feel so strong and inspired when I play Grace the songs are FIRE
BLOODY DEVASTATION by Phill C.! Also, Grace on Roblox!
I know Roblox games have a reputation. However, if you spend time looking around on the platform, you'll come across some real gems. Grace is one of those. In fact, it's my favorite game right now, on any platform.
This isn't about Grace as a whole (even though this game is one of the main reasons I still play Roblox at all and it should totally be recognized outside of the platform), but rather one small part of it.
If you don't care to read a whole ramble about this song (or read a ramble about a game with a heck of a lot of religious references [seriously, this game is inspired by the Bible and the Mandela Catalogue]), just know that my favorite part starts at 2:14 and ends at 2:52.
A quick disclosure. I love Grace, but have unfortunately been unable to play the most recent update (Soul Over Body). I'm missing out on some stuff and probably lore. I don't believe I'm missing any pieces of lore from before Soul Over Body, but I'm not entirely sure. With that being said, let's continue.
The basic lore of this game is that you're playing as John Grace, a sinner who is running away from his sins. These sins take the form of entities that attack you on your way to the next saferoom. You're given encouragement from God, and left to run for your life.
This song is about Sorrow, an entity that manifests as bloody rain. To avoid dying to it, you must get under an object. Any object works. The most I knew about this entity lore-wise is that it was probably grief of some kind. Its document in-game references Matthew 12:30-31, but I've never figured out how it tied into the lore of the entity.
In Soul Over Body, Sorrow received a unique area in the game called a domain, which (in this case) is a blood ocean with huge snake/slug monsters trying to kill the player. This song is what plays when you're going through the domain.
Now onto the song itself. It's one of the few (if not only) songs to not only have lyrics along with a music video. In my opinion, it's one of the most straightforward pieces of story/lore we've gotten so far.
The first section of lyrics (0:50-1:05) is pretty hard to hear, but the video gives them to us!
The entire section is someone (or multiple people) calling out to God while God responds to them. We can presume that at least one of the people calling out is John Grace himself. These people want God to hear their prayers and help them. God wants them to know that He hears their prayers and to have peace.
The next important section isn't in the music, but rather in the video (2:16). The video shows us this:
It appears to be John Grace and a woman (who I've already seen be called Jane Grace at least once) talking about meeting up again the next day. Pretty sweet.
Then the next lyric section (2:19-2:52) hits. I can't explain how much I love this part. It's so fucking good.
Anyway, the video cuts from John and the woman to this:
John is now alone with these lyrics above him. Now, these lyrics could be pointing to the other sins that John has committed, but, in the context of the song, I present another option. John may be directly at fault for causing a loved one's death or falling out. Sorrow may not just be grief, but guilt as well. The other lyrics in this section imply that he misses his "love."
My interpretation of Sorrow as guilt really takes hold when looking at the references to rain within the song. Earlier in the lyrics, God says the lines, "Find your own faith, let that/rain inside wash away," and John himself references rain in this section of lyrics as well ("I can not bear the thought of losing you in this rain"). The way God refers to the rain (which...is definitely Sorrow) sounds like washing away guilt. John talks about it like it's something weighing him down. Both grief and guilt do that to a person.
When the third section of lyrics (2:55-3:32) starts to play, the visuals change again. This time, the Goobers appear.
The Goobers are another being in this game I have yet to mention. I'd recommend checking out the Grace Wiki for more information on the little guys. There's a lot of depth to them, but most of it seems to be pretty vague. My personal interpretation on them is that they're meant to represent either souls who made it to heaven or angels. Most likely the former (This mainly comes from some in-game lines like "a clean slate to build up from... not down! that's what helped me!" and the general purgatory vibes this game gives. I know the game isn't purgatory because John is alive, but it still feels that way).
Even if my interpretation of them is incorrect, the Goobers are without a doubt meant to be encouraging John in some way. This explains why he is able to pick himself back up so quickly after they show up. It also explains the change in the tone of the music.
There are couple of ways to interpret the lines in the last picture. The way I choose to interpret it: John wants to honor and worship God through his suffering and pain, or overcome the anger he feels about losing his loved one. It's a part of Christianity, and would kind of fit the inspiration for this game. It also fits the more upbeat feeling the song carries at this point. John is trying to power through the pain and guilt he's feeling. It also makes sense with later lines! John directly states that letting this loss weigh him down is a bad idea.
By the end of this song, John has overcome Sorrow (or guilt and grief), which lines up with the idea that the domains seem to be pushing. By finishing a domain, you have conquered the entity it holds. At the end of the song and domain, John has defeated Sorrow. It's truly a beautiful message about growing through grief and pain.
Granted, I could be misinterpreting this entire thing, which would be really awkward. I'm open to hearing other thoughts on Sorrow and this song. I just love it so much! I had to write something about it. I think I've listened to it at least 20 times in the past few days, and I nearly cried at least 5 of those times. This song is just That Good. Everyone should listen to it.
