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.
Woman is the nigger of the world
Yes she is, think about it
Woman is the nigger of the world
Think about it, do something about it
We make her paint her face and dance
If she won't be aslave, we say that she don't love us
If she's real, we say she's trying to be a man
While putting her down we pretend that she is above us
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Woman is the slave to the slaves
Ah yeah, better scream about it
We make her bear and raise our children
And then we leave her flat for being a fat old mother hen
We tell her home is the only place she should be
Then we complain that she's too unworldly to be our friend
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Oh woman is the slave to the slaves
Yeah, alright
We insult her everyday on TV
And wonder why she has no guts or confidence
When she's young we kill her will to be free
While telling her not to be so smart we put her down for being so dumb
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Woman is the slave to the slaves
Yes she is, if you believe me, you better scream about it
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
Yes she is, think about it
Woman is the nigger of the world
Think about it, do something about it
We make her paint her face and dance
If she won't be aslave, we say that she don't love us
If she's real, we say she's trying to be a man
While putting her down we pretend that she is above us
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Woman is the slave to the slaves
Ah yeah, better scream about it
We make her bear and raise our children
And then we leave her flat for being a fat old mother hen
We tell her home is the only place she should be
Then we complain that she's too unworldly to be our friend
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Oh woman is the slave to the slaves
Yeah, alright
We insult her everyday on TV
And wonder why she has no guts or confidence
When she's young we kill her will to be free
While telling her not to be so smart we put her down for being so dumb
Woman is the nigger of the world, yes she is
If you don't believe me take a look to the one you're with
Woman is the slave to the slaves
Yes she is, if you believe me, you better scream about it
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
Lyrics submitted by dollerspark
Woman Is the Nigger of the World Lyrics as written by Yoko Ono John Lennon
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"He could not write a song and use the word nigger now a days"? What, it was perfectly acceptable for use in 1972?
All of these long explanations. Let's keep it simple, shall we?
"Woman is the slave to the slaves"
What's worse than being black in the US before the civil rights movements of the 60's? Being a black woman. No matter how bad the men have it, the women have it just as bad and worse.
Are things getter better? Well, I've got to admit it's getting better, a little better, all the time. Can't get no worse.
Enjoyed this on multiple levels. (Getting Better is McCartney's tune, as are the majority of the weaker songs from Peppers, but nevertheless). While your finely tuned explanation may be correct in itself, it's not necessarily the most compact explanation of the song (IMO) Lennon isn't directly saying "Woman is the slave to the slaves", it's just, well, I believe the simplest way to put it would be that Woman is the nigger of the world. Segregation, although not necessarily dead in terms of race, at least gave a voice to blacks, whereas women are the, if you will, 'silent' nigger of the world. If you don't believe me take a look at the one you're with. My original thought wasn't me being facetious, I did actually enjoy it, you're right, and for the record, hmm I wonder if I've heard the word nigger in a modern song. It's implications, however, at the time were much more substantial (such as Dylan's use of the word in Hurricane), as a force to draw attention where attention need be driven.