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 hand above the water
An angel reaching for the sky
Is it raining in heaven
Do you want us to cry?
And everywhere the broken-hearted
On every lonely avenue
No one could reach them
No one but you
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
And life goes on
Without you
Another tricky situation
I get to drownin' in the blues
And I find myself thinkin'
Well, what would you do?
Yes, it was such an operation
Forever paying every due
Hell, you made a sensation (sensation)
You found a way through (found a way through)
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
We'll remember
Forever
And now the party must be over
I guess we'll never understand
The sense of your leaving
Was it the way it was planned?
And so we grace another table
And raise our glasses one more time
There's a face at the window
And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
Cryin' for nothing
Cryin' for no one
No one but you
An angel reaching for the sky
Is it raining in heaven
Do you want us to cry?
And everywhere the broken-hearted
On every lonely avenue
No one could reach them
No one but you
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
And life goes on
Without you
Another tricky situation
I get to drownin' in the blues
And I find myself thinkin'
Well, what would you do?
Yes, it was such an operation
Forever paying every due
Hell, you made a sensation (sensation)
You found a way through (found a way through)
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
We'll remember
Forever
And now the party must be over
I guess we'll never understand
The sense of your leaving
Was it the way it was planned?
And so we grace another table
And raise our glasses one more time
There's a face at the window
And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
Cryin' for nothing
Cryin' for no one
No one but you
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
agreed, beautiful song for a beautiful person, simle as that.
I now apologise for saying that, it sounded really poetic in my head now it seems kinda cheesy, ah well...