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.
Do I want this
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface hits the ground,
The masquerade has started now,
And you have faded into the crowd
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface can't be found,
There's no denial you can drown,
But nothing's final so turn around
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
I want this
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Whose influence,
Whose influence, whose influence
Are you under now?
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface hits the ground,
The masquerade has started now,
And you have faded into the crowd
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface can't be found,
There's no denial you can drown,
But nothing's final so turn around
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
I want this
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Whose influence,
Whose influence, whose influence
Are you under now?
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
At first I didn't think that much of the song, but the riff component of it grew on me extremely quickly. The "how do you know" bridge was also pretty memorable.
I really, really came to like the verse before the last bridge, where the last "Do I want this?" fades into an echo with the totally awesome riff. Genius.
It's obviously concerning the abuse of some influence, addiction, etc. It has all the signs of some substance abuse and a yearning to escape.
To think that I almost missed out on this album.