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.
A cherry sunset blossoms,
But we're not there to watch it fall,
On the vacant canvas, we should be waiting,
With our face down on the grass,
Staring till our eyes give way,
Let's paint this city black,
While the night's still young,
You,
This cherry sunset withers,
Our words as frail as paper,
A dawn I thought we'd never see,
Alone on this silent beach,
Nothing we can do,
There is nothing we can do,
The sky, it burns itself,
The sky, it burns itself,
The sky, it burns itself out,
The sky, it burns itself,
The trees rot down to nothing,
Throats dry out and corpses fill the sidewalks,
These promenades our graveyards,
The sky, it burns itself out,
The sky, it burns itself out,
There is nothing we can do,
The sky, it burns itself,
And I think we're all about to fucking die,
The trees rot down to nothing,
Throats dry out, corpses fill these sidewalks,
These promenades our graveyards,
Kneeling down on what's left,
Sacrificed upon doom's day,
Oh, if we could take it back, and see one last twilight,
Take a picture, take a picture,
Take a picture, take a picture,
Take a picture,
Take a picture, take a picture,
Take a picture, take a picture,
It will last longer,
Our hands in prayer formation,
Our elbows on the bed,
One last try for Heaven,
Thinking who wants flowers when you're dead?
You're dead,
When you're dead,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry,
A cherry sunset
But we're not there to watch it fall,
On the vacant canvas, we should be waiting,
With our face down on the grass,
Staring till our eyes give way,
Let's paint this city black,
While the night's still young,
You,
This cherry sunset withers,
Our words as frail as paper,
A dawn I thought we'd never see,
Alone on this silent beach,
Nothing we can do,
There is nothing we can do,
The sky, it burns itself,
The sky, it burns itself,
The sky, it burns itself out,
The sky, it burns itself,
The trees rot down to nothing,
Throats dry out and corpses fill the sidewalks,
These promenades our graveyards,
The sky, it burns itself out,
The sky, it burns itself out,
There is nothing we can do,
The sky, it burns itself,
And I think we're all about to fucking die,
The trees rot down to nothing,
Throats dry out, corpses fill these sidewalks,
These promenades our graveyards,
Kneeling down on what's left,
Sacrificed upon doom's day,
Oh, if we could take it back, and see one last twilight,
Take a picture, take a picture,
Take a picture, take a picture,
Take a picture,
Take a picture, take a picture,
Take a picture, take a picture,
It will last longer,
Our hands in prayer formation,
Our elbows on the bed,
One last try for Heaven,
Thinking who wants flowers when you're dead?
You're dead,
When you're dead,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry, cherry,
Cherry,
A cherry sunset
Lyrics submitted by impediment
Who Wants Flowers When You're Dead? Nobody Lyrics as written by Malia Lee David Kean Matthew
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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favorite song off the album right there!