Devils + Dust rounds off perfectly Springsteen's previous album, the Rising, which appeared right in the aftermath of 9/11. At its core, the message of the Rising was about healing the American national mind and maintaining some Christian virtues - notably love and faith - in the face of terror. But with the war in Iraq and the re-election of Bush things have turned out the opposite of what Springsteen was hoping. So it now seems to be the logical continuation of his thoughts to warn against an imminent corruption of America's soul.
Off course, Devils + Dust is a politically provocative song, and it obviously spurns the advice given Springsteen by some Conservatives: "Shut up and sing!". But considering Springsteen's recent commitment to partisan politics, something like this was really only to be expected. In fact, what is truly remarkable, is the unique place occupied by the title track on the album: None of the other songs deal with the current political situation, and taken as a whole Devils & Dust appears to be Springsteen's least political studio album since Lucky Town (1992).
The general meaning of the album has a lot more to do with Christianity than it has to do with politics. Or, to put it less pretentiously, it has to do with individual existences and with souls caught up in their own peculiar life dramas. The title track must also be seen in this connection. Its significance may be primarily political, but it would be an odd opener of the album if it didn't contribute something to the overall concept.
The central question posed by the title track is: "What if what you do to survive kills the things you love?". Given the current world situation, these words must be taken to refer primarily to the war against terror. But they may apply to other critical situations as well. For instance, they could suggest something about the men visiting prostitutes in Reno and Maria's Bed. And in the unbearably sad Black Cowboys they apply perfectly well to the mother deserting her son, as well as to the son eventually leaving her.