So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new.
This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus.
Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness".
The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1.
All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy.
And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns)
There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
Slow is the memory
And I can picture her standing right in front of me
I said that I'm behaving badly
Kinda driving her crazy
But I know she wants me
I remember everything
Her sweat, it tastes like sugar cane
And sit on top of me, yelling out my fucking name
Until I'm empty
But I know she wants me
But I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
I'm sick of all these wasted years
Drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
Whoa, whoa, yeah yeah yeah yeah
And I'll see you when I get back
Maybe we can get ourselves back on the right track
You touch me there because you know how much I like that
I think that we both need to relax
You know you want me
All the time and everywhere
A happy surface but the underbelly isn't there
And the worst thing is that I don't even really care
And the emptiness is too much to bear
But I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
I'm sick of all these wasted years
Drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
'Cause sometimes I don't know what to do
I'm standing, standing right in front of you
And pray our pain subsides
Can't bare the stare of your teary eyes
I know you feel like it's hard to stay
In fact you may just wanna run away
Now all that I can really say is baby, oh
Deep down you know that
I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
Sick of all these wasted years
I drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
Sick of all these wasted years
I drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
Oh no no no
Oh no no no
(We tried, yeah, hey)
And I can picture her standing right in front of me
I said that I'm behaving badly
Kinda driving her crazy
But I know she wants me
I remember everything
Her sweat, it tastes like sugar cane
And sit on top of me, yelling out my fucking name
Until I'm empty
But I know she wants me
But I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
I'm sick of all these wasted years
Drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
Whoa, whoa, yeah yeah yeah yeah
And I'll see you when I get back
Maybe we can get ourselves back on the right track
You touch me there because you know how much I like that
I think that we both need to relax
You know you want me
All the time and everywhere
A happy surface but the underbelly isn't there
And the worst thing is that I don't even really care
And the emptiness is too much to bear
But I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
I'm sick of all these wasted years
Drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
'Cause sometimes I don't know what to do
I'm standing, standing right in front of you
And pray our pain subsides
Can't bare the stare of your teary eyes
I know you feel like it's hard to stay
In fact you may just wanna run away
Now all that I can really say is baby, oh
Deep down you know that
I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
Sick of all these wasted years
I drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
I have already tried to explain myself
It's not that I love someone else
But I can't bear to listen to you cry
Sick of all these wasted years
I drown in someone else's tears
You let me down, now I'm hanging you out to dry
Oh no no no
Oh no no no
(We tried, yeah, hey)
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