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.
Transient jet lag
Ecto mimed bison
This is the haunt of roulette dares
Ruse of metacarpi
Caveat emptor
To all that enter here
Open wrist talk back again
In the wounds of its skin
They'll pinprick the witness
In ritual contrition
The am trinity
Fell upon asphyxia-derailed
In the rattles of
Made its way through the tracks
Of a snail slouching whisper
A half mass comute
Through umbilical blisters
Spector will lurk
Radar has gathered
Midnight nooses from boxcar cadavers
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
No-oh-aay
It's because
This is
Cranial bleeding
Leaches train the living
Cursed are they who speak its name
Ruse of metacarpi
Caveat emptor
To all that enter here
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
No-oh-yeah
It's because
This is
Ratteling the laughter
Hinges splintering inside
Bludgeoned to a saddle
Rang the cloister bell inside
Inside
Inside
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
No-oh-yeah
It's because
This is
Ecto mimed bison
This is the haunt of roulette dares
Ruse of metacarpi
Caveat emptor
To all that enter here
Open wrist talk back again
In the wounds of its skin
They'll pinprick the witness
In ritual contrition
The am trinity
Fell upon asphyxia-derailed
In the rattles of
Made its way through the tracks
Of a snail slouching whisper
A half mass comute
Through umbilical blisters
Spector will lurk
Radar has gathered
Midnight nooses from boxcar cadavers
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
No-oh-aay
It's because
This is
Cranial bleeding
Leaches train the living
Cursed are they who speak its name
Ruse of metacarpi
Caveat emptor
To all that enter here
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
No-oh-yeah
It's because
This is
Ratteling the laughter
Hinges splintering inside
Bludgeoned to a saddle
Rang the cloister bell inside
Inside
Inside
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed
No-oh-yeah
It's because
This is
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
Thee More Shallows
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
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.
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
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?
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
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.
I think BlackTippedWings has got it. "Midnight neuces from boxcar cadavears" I think "neuces" might be "nooses". And that might be talking about a stethescope on a doctor, and the boxcar could be the ambulance. I could be way off, but that's just my interpretation.
"Made its way through the tracks Of a snail slouching whisper A half mass comute through umbilical blisters "
It it is in fact talking about his ride in the ambulance, "Tracks" could be roads, "snail" could be the pace that he percieves, because morphine slows things down, and "commute" could be the ride to the hospital.
@HurrayForSchool where the hell you guys get this BS interpretations from. People who think there are some objective meaning to cedric's lyrics have completely missed the essence of mars volta.