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.
If I could tell you something, I would tell you it all
But I don't know anything anymore
I let the dirt and the rain and the cold come in
They were outside just poundin' on the door
Ladies in the corner want to borrow your smokes
As if returning 'em would do any good
Procrastinating what I know I'm just gonna do
That for everyone eventually comes
I know I got a long way to go
I'm hanging on the side of a road
I see the words but I don't know
I'm slipping through the cracks
I'm slipping through the cracks . . . the cracks in a photograph
I got a letter in my pocket and a pain in my tooth
And there's money in the bank up the street
I got a jacket that would fit you
And a couple of old guitars that I'd like for you to keep
If you run into my sister tell her "Elvis is cool
but the Rolling Stones will sweep her away"
And money's always worth it on a Monday night
Cause on Friday she should get it for free
I know I got a long way to go
I'm hanging on the side of a road
I see the words but I don't know
I'm slipping through the cracks
I'm slipping through the cracks . . .
And everybody's dancing as the ship's going down
Why is it taking so long [???]
If I could tell you something, I would tell you it all
But I don't know anything anymore
I let the dirt and the rain and the cold come in
And I don't know what for
Ladies in the corner want to borrow your smokes
As if returning 'em would do any good
Procrastinating what I know I'm just gonna do
And everybody knows it too
I know I got a long way to go
I'm hanging on the side of a road
I see the words but I don't know
I'm slipping through the cracks
I'm slipping through the cracks . . . the cracks in a photograph
But I don't know anything anymore
I let the dirt and the rain and the cold come in
They were outside just poundin' on the door
Ladies in the corner want to borrow your smokes
As if returning 'em would do any good
Procrastinating what I know I'm just gonna do
That for everyone eventually comes
I know I got a long way to go
I'm hanging on the side of a road
I see the words but I don't know
I'm slipping through the cracks
I'm slipping through the cracks . . . the cracks in a photograph
I got a letter in my pocket and a pain in my tooth
And there's money in the bank up the street
I got a jacket that would fit you
And a couple of old guitars that I'd like for you to keep
If you run into my sister tell her "Elvis is cool
but the Rolling Stones will sweep her away"
And money's always worth it on a Monday night
Cause on Friday she should get it for free
I know I got a long way to go
I'm hanging on the side of a road
I see the words but I don't know
I'm slipping through the cracks
I'm slipping through the cracks . . .
And everybody's dancing as the ship's going down
Why is it taking so long [???]
If I could tell you something, I would tell you it all
But I don't know anything anymore
I let the dirt and the rain and the cold come in
And I don't know what for
Ladies in the corner want to borrow your smokes
As if returning 'em would do any good
Procrastinating what I know I'm just gonna do
And everybody knows it too
I know I got a long way to go
I'm hanging on the side of a road
I see the words but I don't know
I'm slipping through the cracks
I'm slipping through the cracks . . . the cracks in a photograph
Lyrics submitted by Beazer
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If anything, this song is about committing suicide or its about taking a hit of a drug (ryan adams did speedballs). I think the suicide hypothesis makes sense though. Especially the paragraph about
I got a letter in my pocket and a pain in my tooth And there's money in the bank up the street I got a jacket that would fit you And a couple of old guitars that I'd like for you to keep
If you run into my sister tell her "Elvis is cool but the Rolling Stones will sweep her away" And money's always worth it on a Monday night Cause on Friday she should get it for free
it makes sense because the first paragraph he is talking about giving his shit away, like his guitars and his jacket which is typically pretty common with those who plan to commit suicide. The paragraph about his sister is phrased in a way that if somebody were to run into her, they could use that little piece of personal information. Anyways, thats my take on it