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.
My cell is ringing
No ID
I need to know who's calling
My garden's overgrown
I go out on my belly crawling
I got CCTV, pornography, CNBC
I got the nightly news
To get to know the enemy
All I want is a picture of you
All I want is to get right next to you
All I want is your face in a locket
Picture in my pocket
I take a pill to stop it
I know these fast cars
Will do me no good
I'm going nowhere
Where I am it is a lot of fun
There in the desert to dismantle an atomic bomb
I watch you shadow box
Check the stocks
I'm in detox
I want the lot of what you've got
What you've got can make this stop
All I want is a picture of you
All I want is to get right next to you
All I want is your picture in a locket
Your face in my pocket
Take a pill to stop it
I know these fast cars
Will do me no good
Child inside
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
You should worry 'bout the day
That the pain it goes away
You know I miss mine sometimes
The size is much too big
There is no fiction
That will truly fit the situation
I'm documenting every detail
Every conversation
Not used to talkin' to somebody in the body
Somebody in a body,
Somebody in a body
No ID
I need to know who's calling
My garden's overgrown
I go out on my belly crawling
I got CCTV, pornography, CNBC
I got the nightly news
To get to know the enemy
All I want is a picture of you
All I want is to get right next to you
All I want is your face in a locket
Picture in my pocket
I take a pill to stop it
I know these fast cars
Will do me no good
I'm going nowhere
Where I am it is a lot of fun
There in the desert to dismantle an atomic bomb
I watch you shadow box
Check the stocks
I'm in detox
I want the lot of what you've got
What you've got can make this stop
All I want is a picture of you
All I want is to get right next to you
All I want is your picture in a locket
Your face in my pocket
Take a pill to stop it
I know these fast cars
Will do me no good
Child inside
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
Don't you worry 'bout your mind
You should worry 'bout the day
That the pain it goes away
You know I miss mine sometimes
The size is much too big
There is no fiction
That will truly fit the situation
I'm documenting every detail
Every conversation
Not used to talkin' to somebody in the body
Somebody in a body,
Somebody in a body
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.
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I think the one in his pocket needs to come out and be with him. why should they not talk in the body? I wish he would say what pill he takes to make it stop because i could sure use one. the song makes me want to dance... but the fast cars do me no good.... something is on my tail...