Skillet’s “Dominion” Lyrics Meaning
Lyrically, “Dominion” sounds a lot like something we’d probably expect to hear from a band like Rage Against the Machine as opposed to a Christian outfit, such as Skillet is advertised. That is to say that the vocalist is spazzing on the system, i.e. those who exercise “dominion” over the masses. For as presented, the powers-that-be demand conformity.
So what John Cooper and co. are espousing instead is a type of mass rebellion against the machine. And no, Skillet is not calling for an actual “revolution” or anything like that. Instead what they are encouraging is an internal, personal resistance which, presumably if enough people embrace it, will change the system itself.
As described by Cooper, what he is actually speaking to is us possessing the bravery to “be who we want… say what we want [and] believe what we want”.
And that too may sound like sort of a weird disposition coming from a group of Christians. But John has further explained that what these sentiments are premised on is the world currently being in sort of a fear-induced state, and as such we have to do what we have to do in order to overcome the dread in the name of personal development.
What “Dominion” is all About
So putting all of this together, it can be said that in this song the world system is presented as the enemy. In other words, our leaders’ “dominion”-oriented ways are such that an intrinsic part of the game is keeping us in a fearful state.
And at the end of the day, there are those like Skillet who are not only able to perceive what’s going on but more to the point refuse to give in to “the empire”, rather choosing to do their own thing despite the consequences.
Skillet
Skillet is a band of Christian rockers from Memphis. The crew has actually been around since the mid-1990s. They released 10 studio albums between 1996 and 2019. Their most successful project thus far has been 2009’s Awake. Awake was so successful it actually peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200. It has also been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA. These are honestly very impressive accomplishments for an album classified under the Christian metal category.
As of the writing of this post and since the early-2010s, Skillet has consisted of vocalist and co-founder John Cooper, his wife and rhythm guitarist Korey Cooper, lead guitarist Seth Morrison and drummer Jen Ledger.
“Dominion”
Meanwhile “Dominion” was released Atlantic Records on 7 January 2022. It is the title track from Skillet’s 11th studio album.
