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.
In the seconds between the safety unlocks and the shot,
The story is clear of distortions and tears and you'll know why
we're on mulholland drive
Can you survive a look inside?
like a bomb in reverse, fragments of truth return:
The money's been paid out, the key's on the table
You've killed someone you used to love
yes I agree now, her story's a hoax
Recorded impulses laid, dubbed and cross faded,
It's just light replayed
still I ended on mulholland drive
Can you survive a look inside?
yes I can see now, they had nothing to do with a role refused
And sometimes a cowboy's just a man in a cowboy suit
The story is clear of distortions and tears and you'll know why
we're on mulholland drive
Can you survive a look inside?
like a bomb in reverse, fragments of truth return:
The money's been paid out, the key's on the table
You've killed someone you used to love
yes I agree now, her story's a hoax
Recorded impulses laid, dubbed and cross faded,
It's just light replayed
still I ended on mulholland drive
Can you survive a look inside?
yes I can see now, they had nothing to do with a role refused
And sometimes a cowboy's just a man in a cowboy suit
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Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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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.
yes, every line is a reference to "mulholland drive," and diehard fans of the movie will appreciate the lyrics much more, but perhaps JV is also using it to describe an event in his life...?
"and sometimes a cowboy is just a man in a cowboy suit" is possibly the best line ever written.