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.
These hospital walls are the palest of white
Here in this desert they're reciting my last rights
The smell of these halls brings temporary comfort
As oxygen flows through my blood
El Corazón was poisoned tonight
She's on her 8 of 9
When half of all your prayers are insincere
The other half are lies
Here is this watermark under this bridge
The point where it crested
Rolled back and drifted into the sea
I climb from this wreckage
As the smoke begins to clear from my lungs
The closest of close calls has happened tonight
It's time that I made things right
for the first time since the last time
Let this moment of clarity
lift this curse that has been cast upon me
So appreciate the good times,
but don't take the worst for granted
Because you only get so many second chances
Here in this desert they're reciting my last rights
The smell of these halls brings temporary comfort
As oxygen flows through my blood
El Corazón was poisoned tonight
She's on her 8 of 9
When half of all your prayers are insincere
The other half are lies
Here is this watermark under this bridge
The point where it crested
Rolled back and drifted into the sea
I climb from this wreckage
As the smoke begins to clear from my lungs
The closest of close calls has happened tonight
It's time that I made things right
for the first time since the last time
Let this moment of clarity
lift this curse that has been cast upon me
So appreciate the good times,
but don't take the worst for granted
Because you only get so many second chances
Lyrics submitted by ADimeADexter
Eight Of Nine Lyrics as written by Kris Roe
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
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The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
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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.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I believe it may be a Fear and Loathing in LV reference when he talks about the wave rolling back after the crest. It's possibly one of the most climactic parts of the movie/book