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.
In a river the color of lead
Immerse the baby's head
Wrap her up in the news of the world
Dump her on a doorstep, girl
This night has opened my eyes
And I will never sleep again
You kicked and cried like a bullied child
A grown man of twenty five
Oh, he said he'd cure your ills
But he didn't and he never will
Oh, save your life
Because you've only got one
The dream has gone but the baby is real
Oh, you did a good thing
She could have been a poet or she could have been a fool
Oh, you did a bad thing
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
A shoeless child on a swing
Reminds you of your own again
She took away your troubles
Oh, but then again
She left pain
Oh, please save your life
Because you've only got one
The dream has gone but the baby is real
Oh, you did a good thing
She could have been a poet or she could have been a fool
Oh, you did a bad thing
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
Oh la la la, ooh la la
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
Oh la la la, ooh la la
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
Immerse the baby's head
Wrap her up in the news of the world
Dump her on a doorstep, girl
This night has opened my eyes
And I will never sleep again
You kicked and cried like a bullied child
A grown man of twenty five
Oh, he said he'd cure your ills
But he didn't and he never will
Oh, save your life
Because you've only got one
The dream has gone but the baby is real
Oh, you did a good thing
She could have been a poet or she could have been a fool
Oh, you did a bad thing
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
A shoeless child on a swing
Reminds you of your own again
She took away your troubles
Oh, but then again
She left pain
Oh, please save your life
Because you've only got one
The dream has gone but the baby is real
Oh, you did a good thing
She could have been a poet or she could have been a fool
Oh, you did a bad thing
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
Oh la la la, ooh la la
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
Oh la la la, ooh la la
And I'm not happy and I'm not sad
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My general thoughts of what the song means:
"in a river the colour of lead immerse the baby's head" - Child birth
"Wrap her up in the News Of The World, dump her on a doorstep, girl" - maybe the people who are the baby's parent didn't want the baby, they are maybe 'dumping' the baby, on the doorstep of an orphanage.
"Oh, he said he'd cure your ills, but he didn't and he never will" - the father of this newborn child could have promised the baby at birth that he will look after her, care for her and 'cure your ills', but because the parents couldn't keep the child and gave her up, he never did get the chance to care for her, or to cure her ills.
"The dream has gone but the baby is real, Oh, you did a good thing" - This could be the parents of the child realising that if the child were to grow up with them it could have a miserable unhappy life, so if they did give her away, they could think that they 'did a good thing'.
"She could have been a poet, Or, she could have been a fool, Oh, you did a bad thing" - Once they have given the child away, they realise that they will never be able to see, what they created, grow and mature, they will never be able to see what this child will grow up to be, a poet, a fool? they then realise 'they did a bad thing'.
"A shoeless child on a swing, reminds you of your own again" - they realise that they have done a bad thing and it eats away at them, every were they go they look at children and they remind them of their own again.
"She took away your troubles, Oh, but then again she left pain" - this could suggest that the person who took their child at the orphanage could have 'took away their troubles' by taking the huge responsibility of a child away from them, but 'then again she left pain' because they regret giving their child up they will always live with the pain of knowing their child is out there on there own.
(This could also suggest that giving up the baby took away their troubles but at the same to brought them pain, making a huge void in their life that may never be fulfilled.)
This is just my thoughts on the song and I could be wrong.
( I also read somewhere that this song was based on a film that Morrissey liked quite a lot.)