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.
The fragile keep secrets
Gathered in pockets
And they'll sell them for nothing
A cheap watch or locket
That kind of gold just washes off
And the sad act like lepers
They stick to the shadows
They long to ring bells of warning
To tell of their coming
So that the pure can shut their doors
And the angry are animals
Senseless and savage
They act without order
In logical lapses
They stain their mouths with blood
So take my hand
This barren land is alive tonight
Oh, the corn has grown stalks
That form a wall to hide
But the wind carries sounds
That I can't see from beyond that line
Then the stalks begin to sway
Oh, so stay with me, Arienette
'Til the wolves are away
Yup
Well, the wicked are vultures
And they bake in the canyons
They circle in sunlight
And wait for their victims
To collapse and call to them
And the desperate are water
They'll run down forever
And they soak into silence
And end up together
In a dark and distant, dark and distant place
So don't leave me here with only mirrors watching me
This house, it holds nothing but the memories
And the moon, it leaves silver but never sleep
Then the silver turns to gray
Oh, you stay with me, Arienette
Until the wolves are away
Gathered in pockets
And they'll sell them for nothing
A cheap watch or locket
That kind of gold just washes off
And the sad act like lepers
They stick to the shadows
They long to ring bells of warning
To tell of their coming
So that the pure can shut their doors
And the angry are animals
Senseless and savage
They act without order
In logical lapses
They stain their mouths with blood
So take my hand
This barren land is alive tonight
Oh, the corn has grown stalks
That form a wall to hide
But the wind carries sounds
That I can't see from beyond that line
Then the stalks begin to sway
Oh, so stay with me, Arienette
'Til the wolves are away
Yup
Well, the wicked are vultures
And they bake in the canyons
They circle in sunlight
And wait for their victims
To collapse and call to them
And the desperate are water
They'll run down forever
And they soak into silence
And end up together
In a dark and distant, dark and distant place
So don't leave me here with only mirrors watching me
This house, it holds nothing but the memories
And the moon, it leaves silver but never sleep
Then the silver turns to gray
Oh, you stay with me, Arienette
Until the wolves are away
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Like wanderingwonderland, I also thought that "stay with me Arienette until the wolves are away" meant that Conan wanted to protect Arienette from the wolves and not the other way around. But still, the line "So don’t leave me here with only mirrors watching me" would make it seem more like it is Arienette who should be his protection and stay with him. I also get that association of werewolves, considering all the references like "the moon it leaves silver", "stick to the shadows", "They will run down forever as they soak into silence and end up together in a dark and distant, dark and distant place".
I think the song is basically about trying to escape from all the different kinds of people (the werewolves/the wolves). In the verses he categorizes people into different kinds of categories (the fragile, the sad, the pure etc.), I don't know if it's all kinds of people or if it's just girls ("potential lovers"). He doesn't really like anybody so that's why he made this perfect girl Arienette up...
About the name, Arienette, is it something that he made up himself, or is it an existing name? Because I hadn't heard it before, but it's a nice name, sound so lovely when Conan sings it, too bad it doesn't sound that good in Swedish...