This song explores themes of love, desire, and the complexities of human connection through combining various Elvis Presley song titles and lyrics to create a story about a passionate but tumultuous relationship. The use of referring to iconic Elvis songs helps evoke feelings of nostalgia and longing, while also being a tribute to one of the band's many Western influences. The track paints a picture that love is passionate, chaotic, and filled with conflicting emotions. Despite its difficulties and uncertainties, an underlying desire for the relationship to endure is buried deep within. The songs referenced throughout are "Sweet Caroline," a famous Neil Diamond song, "How Great Thou Art," "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck," "A Big Hunk o' Love," "Suspicious Minds," "Such a Night," "Devil in Disguise," "Midnight," "Rubberneckin'," "Heartbreak Hotel," Eddy Arnold's song "Make the World Go Away," "If You Talk in Your Sleep," "That's the Way It Is" and the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha," and "Stranger in My Own Hometown."

Code Of Silence was basically a Cyndi Lauper penned-song that Billy Joel performed. He was on a writers block and needed to complete a few more tracks so he could cut The Bridge and had Cyndi Lauper assist him on completing the song. She also sang some vocals on the song, but it was essentially a Cyndi Lauper song in DNA with some Billy Joel lyrics. The story of the song in terms of lyrics are about someone who is bottling in their secrets or aspects of their life, when it may be better to live truthfully. The song has often been described as "labored" but I personally have always enjoyed it, even if it is more than likely a filler track on an 80s Joel album.

Frontwoman Emmy Mack had this to say about the track; "I wanted to write a song that felt like Nine Inch Nails meets ‘WAP’. An empowering metal anthem that would help me smash some of the stigma and shame around sex that I felt for a long time after surviving SA. Consensual sex is one of the most awesome things in the world! And we’re beyond grateful to the legends in Alpha Wolf for backing this vision, for helping us inject more sexual liberation into the world of heavy music, and above all, for conspiring with us to create a horny metal song about oral sex that people can fuck to."

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.

He certainly did earn that reputation.