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.
at ground zero
pro independence
heavier than air fumes
city of chemical
alleged
cyanide gas
on to karbala
what is the difference between israel's plight
a belief in outside influence
like scalding water
a side effect of
their faces and lungs
burn
a sudden harsh smell
2 weeks after still
coughing and choking
livid skin blisters
burn often
posters leaflets
nightly radio
and television programs
dead instructions in the use
of such basic devices
as a damp towel
lined with charcoal
to be applied to the face and mouth
when the beep beep beep gas attack
warning signal sounds
the dead were among
porcelain face
of cloud of frozen gas poison
jagged fragment
jew
iranian
iraqi bombs sun
the first cyanide gas warning
vx nerve gas
pro independence
heavier than air fumes
city of chemical
alleged
cyanide gas
on to karbala
what is the difference between israel's plight
a belief in outside influence
like scalding water
a side effect of
their faces and lungs
burn
a sudden harsh smell
2 weeks after still
coughing and choking
livid skin blisters
burn often
posters leaflets
nightly radio
and television programs
dead instructions in the use
of such basic devices
as a damp towel
lined with charcoal
to be applied to the face and mouth
when the beep beep beep gas attack
warning signal sounds
the dead were among
porcelain face
of cloud of frozen gas poison
jagged fragment
jew
iranian
iraqi bombs sun
the first cyanide gas warning
vx nerve gas
Lyrics submitted by jt
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This song is about the war between Iran and Iraq, and the effects of chemical warfare. To get more information about VX Gas go here:faculty.washington.edu/chudler/weap.html