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.
A single grain can tip the scale
Amidst the burden, the scale will prevail
Showing what's worth being here
Storyteller by a hearth of stone
A white little creature purring me
My childhood kingdom gone in time
The islands filling my mind with blue
The one in special, heaven's court
All the joy unforgiven by this task
An errant soul, homeless and foul
All gone but the will to live to tell the tale
The days are filled with anxiety
Frustration, one right note a day
Where to find a perfect tune
Just do the work and take a step back
All the joy unforgiven by this task
An errant soul, homeless and foul
All gone but the will to live to tell the tale
Dark chambers of my mind
Locked around the neck of my love
None of you understand and it doesn't matter
To a broken marionette like me
(Me)
An errant soul, homeless and foul
An errant soul, homeless and foul
All gone but the will to live to tell the, to tell the tale
Amidst the burden, the scale will prevail
Showing what's worth being here
Storyteller by a hearth of stone
A white little creature purring me
My childhood kingdom gone in time
The islands filling my mind with blue
The one in special, heaven's court
All the joy unforgiven by this task
An errant soul, homeless and foul
All gone but the will to live to tell the tale
The days are filled with anxiety
Frustration, one right note a day
Where to find a perfect tune
Just do the work and take a step back
All the joy unforgiven by this task
An errant soul, homeless and foul
All gone but the will to live to tell the tale
Dark chambers of my mind
Locked around the neck of my love
None of you understand and it doesn't matter
To a broken marionette like me
(Me)
An errant soul, homeless and foul
An errant soul, homeless and foul
All gone but the will to live to tell the, to tell the tale
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I think the scale is whoever the first person is. The smallest thing can set her (I'm assuming her) over the edge, but she's going to struggle and win out. She's doing a hard job, which is why it's a good thing, and "worth being here".
On the second stanza, your guess is as good as mine. White typically represents purity, and whether that's meant literally or ironically escapes me. The second line of the second stanza's pretty obvious. All her childhood hopes and aspirations are crumbling under reality.
The islands filling my mind with blue is one of the weirdest phrases I've seen. Islands might mean seclusion? Maybe she's a pariah or a castaway? Filling my mind with blue could mean going crazy, but blue is a calming color. shrug