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.
When your heart is black and broken
And you need a helping hand
When you're so much in love
You don't know just how much you can stand
When your questions go unanswered
And the silence is killing you
Take my hand, baby, I'm your man
I got loving enough for two
Ten story love song
I built this thing for you
Who can take you higher than twin peak mountain blue?
Oh well, I built this thing for you
And I love you true
There's no sure-fire set solutions
No shortcut through the trees
No breaching the wall that they put there to keep you from me
As you're lying awake in this darkness
This everlasting night
Some day soon don't know where or when
You're gonna wake up and see the light
Ten story love song
I built this thing for you
Who can take you higher than twin peak mountain blue?
Oh well, I built this thing for you
And I love you true
Ten story love song
I built this thing for you
Who can take you higher than twin peak mountain blue?
Oh well, I built this thing for you
And I love you true
And you need a helping hand
When you're so much in love
You don't know just how much you can stand
When your questions go unanswered
And the silence is killing you
Take my hand, baby, I'm your man
I got loving enough for two
Ten story love song
I built this thing for you
Who can take you higher than twin peak mountain blue?
Oh well, I built this thing for you
And I love you true
There's no sure-fire set solutions
No shortcut through the trees
No breaching the wall that they put there to keep you from me
As you're lying awake in this darkness
This everlasting night
Some day soon don't know where or when
You're gonna wake up and see the light
Ten story love song
I built this thing for you
Who can take you higher than twin peak mountain blue?
Oh well, I built this thing for you
And I love you true
Ten story love song
I built this thing for you
Who can take you higher than twin peak mountain blue?
Oh well, I built this thing for you
And I love you true
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To me "Ten Storey Love Song" speaks to the healing, comforting power of music in times of distress. How a song can be grand and sweeping, big and high enough to envelope you and elevate you ten stories above the fray. One of the Roses' most poignant, direct songs. Features as always some incredible ensemble playing. The groove created by Mani's rollicking, uncannily melodic bass and Reni's incomparable drumming is a gift from heaven, I can't praise it enough. The rhythm is just so delicate and sublime, it really makes this track something special!
The second verse for me really comes alive. The groove really sets in, and the line "no shortcut through the trees" I find really evocative for some reason. So is "as you're lyin' awake in this darkness".