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.
Write these words back down inside
We have burned their villages and all the people in them died
And we adopt their customs and everything they say we steal
All the dreams they had we kill
Still we all sleep sound tonight
Is this what you wanted to hear?
We erased all their images and dance
And replaced them with borders and flags
At the top of this timeline you'll remember
This is the lipstick on the collar
and in my own life I've seen it in the mirror
sometimes at the cost of others hopes
Write these words back down inside
That's where you need it the most and without conviction of heart
You will never feel it at all
Yeah, we all dance to the same beat when we're marching
Yeah, the TV tells us everything we need
And this scene is painting in all the fashions
Of the moment and history is all the same
Everything you say you stole
Every dream you dream you bought
We have burned their villages and all the people in them died
And we adopt their customs and everything they say we steal
All the dreams they had we kill
Still we all sleep sound tonight
Is this what you wanted to hear?
We erased all their images and dance
And replaced them with borders and flags
At the top of this timeline you'll remember
This is the lipstick on the collar
and in my own life I've seen it in the mirror
sometimes at the cost of others hopes
Write these words back down inside
That's where you need it the most and without conviction of heart
You will never feel it at all
Yeah, we all dance to the same beat when we're marching
Yeah, the TV tells us everything we need
And this scene is painting in all the fashions
Of the moment and history is all the same
Everything you say you stole
Every dream you dream you bought
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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
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.
Napoleon Solo -
The United States, especially in the de-centralized government of the colonies most definitely did practice certain policies of genocide. It was very openly discussed too, as certain intellectuals within the colonies wrote books about how to destroy indian culture. they even gave 4 or 5 main points, including how to disrupt birth within the indian community and stealing women to be impregnated by white settlers and forced to conform in the European colonies. Also there is compelling historical evidence to suggest that European settlers knowingly gave Indians diseased blankets, and that should constitute biological warfare (they weren't the first to use such techniques, Genghis Kahn would catapult the bodies of those who died of the plague over the walls of cities he attacked). All of this, and more (such as the attitude of Christopher Colombus and other prominent figures, the outright killing of thousands of Indians, etc), should lead us to believe that we never had much interest in co-existing with American Indians. Even it is as you suggest, that we wanted them to be integrated into our society, attempting to coerce them into European power structure, which held their traditional beliefs as "savage" and "ungodly", is hardly a kind gesture. And to suggest that many American Indian tribes held similar violent tendencies is hardly a justification for our own crimes. Also, I would suggest California should be apart of Mexico (unless we could have LAWFULLY acquired it), as should the plains be the Sioux's (for the same reason). While this things are far in the past and nothing can really be done to rectify the situations, we should remember these things and realize that as a nation of this world, especially being America (the most powerful and influential nation), we have a great responsibility to act in a lawful, humane manner.