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.
See the people walking down the street
Fall in line just watching all their feet
They don't know where they want to go
But they're walking in time
They got the beat
They got the beat
They got the beat
Yeah, they got the beat
All the kids just getting out of school
They can't wait to hang out and be cool
Hang around 'til quarter after twelve
That's when they fall in line
They got the beat
They got the beat
Kids got the beat
Yeah, kids got the beat
Go-go music really makes us dance
Doing the pony puts us in a trance
The Watusi, just give us a chance
That's when we fall in line
'Cause we got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
Yeah, we got it!
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
Everybody get on your feet
We got the beat
We know you can dance to the beat
We got the beat
Jump back, get down
We got the beat
Round and round and round
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
Fall in line just watching all their feet
They don't know where they want to go
But they're walking in time
They got the beat
They got the beat
They got the beat
Yeah, they got the beat
All the kids just getting out of school
They can't wait to hang out and be cool
Hang around 'til quarter after twelve
That's when they fall in line
They got the beat
They got the beat
Kids got the beat
Yeah, kids got the beat
Go-go music really makes us dance
Doing the pony puts us in a trance
The Watusi, just give us a chance
That's when we fall in line
'Cause we got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
Yeah, we got it!
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
Everybody get on your feet
We got the beat
We know you can dance to the beat
We got the beat
Jump back, get down
We got the beat
Round and round and round
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
We got the beat
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WHY?! seriously, why?