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.
Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
There's a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
We won't hesitate break down the garden gate
There's not much time left today
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Through all these cities and all these towns
It's in my blood and it's all around
I love you now like I loved you then
This is the road and these are the hands
From Mozambique to the Memphis nights
The Khyber pass to Vancouver's lights
Knock me down get back up again
You're in my blood I'm not a lonely man
There's no load I can't hold
Road so rough this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
You're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
There was a distance between you and I
A misunderstanding once but now
We look it in the eye
Oh
Ooh
There ain't no load that I can't hold
Road so rough this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
There's a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
We won't hesitate break down the garden gate
There's not much time left today
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Through all these cities and all these towns
It's in my blood and it's all around
I love you now like I loved you then
This is the road and these are the hands
From Mozambique to the Memphis nights
The Khyber pass to Vancouver's lights
Knock me down get back up again
You're in my blood I'm not a lonely man
There's no load I can't hold
Road so rough this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
You're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
There was a distance between you and I
A misunderstanding once but now
We look it in the eye
Oh
Ooh
There ain't no load that I can't hold
Road so rough this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long
Gimme-gimme-gimme-gimme yeah
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@paigepeach See, normally I'd agree with you, but I didn't know before now where Tom Cochraine was actually from, so I just have a different mental association for this song... and it comes from an old tabletop RPG my friends and I played for a small stretch of time before the group grew tired of it and we switched to something else.