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.
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Your gentile rainbow is choking on your tongue
And your bankers vain plazas never nurture no one
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your concrete expanses lay fallow in the sun
And your cities all collapsing while your corrupt mayors shrug
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your grownups all gone bankrupt and their children all on drugs
And your doe-eyed policeman demanding more guns
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your disdained farmers waiting on the flood
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Overfed and easy led and twisted in the wind
Your senators in diapers, all stinking of gin
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I have always been your son
Shop and save
Beneath the western Sun
Bought and paid for with
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Your gentile rainbow is choking on your tongue
And your bankers vain plazas never nurture no one
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your concrete expanses lay fallow in the sun
And your cities all collapsing while your corrupt mayors shrug
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your grownups all gone bankrupt and their children all on drugs
And your doe-eyed policeman demanding more guns
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
And your disdained farmers waiting on the flood
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Overfed and easy led and twisted in the wind
Your senators in diapers, all stinking of gin
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son
Kanada, oh, Kanada, I have always been your son
Shop and save
Beneath the western Sun
Bought and paid for with
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
Teddy Roosevelt's guns
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Whether Teddy carried a gun or fought a war doesn't matter as much as the fact that to many people, Teddy is the traditional figurehead of modern Western imperialism. This song critiques Canada for riding the wave of imperialism to a over-indulgent, corrupt, lazy, greedy, loveless future.
i'm confused. is this a mockery of the united states.. "canada i ain't ever been your son" ............ "canada i have always been your son"
is he basically stating how canada is superior to the US, or is he actually degrading canada?
I don't see him mentioning the U.S. at all.
I don't see him mentioning the U.S. at all.
teddy roosevelt was a former US president, so he did kind of mention the US.
i don't think the song is really for or against one side, the teddy roosevelt thing is probably a reference to the strong US influence on canada. i find the song title kind of ironic, though, because teddy roosevelt wasn't a gun toater, he was actually the first american to win a novel peace prize for ending the russio-japanese war. not a very violent guy.
canada's not perfect at all though. they've got terrible drug use percentages, one of their provinces is thinking about declaring independence, etc etc. since gy!be/silver mt. zion are from canada, it's probly an ode to their hometown instead of focusing on the US as much as they have before
Actually, I couldn't find this quote, but I recall reading a statement of Roosevelt's to the effect of "My only regret of my presidency is that I wasn't president during a war."
Also, he was heavily involved with the Spanish-American War, which ultimately elevated him to the Presidency, though this was really do to his attempts to reform the government of NYC.
In addition to all of this, Roosevelt was a hunter, and in his hunting, he disregarded quite a few ecological issues, though he was ultimately more of a benefit to environmentalism. For example, from the back of his train out West, Roosevelt would often shoot the Buffalo that he saw, without using the body in any way, and this could be the reason for his reference to Teddy Roosevelt.
Also, this does not appear to favor Canada at all. It seems to be a critique of Canada, without comparing it with the United States.
Teddy Roosevelt did actually tote guns if you look to his "gunboat diplomacy" outlook. He scared other nations into doing his bidding by showing off his big navy, etc., similar to what the USA does today with its nuclear weapons.
Also, ASMTZ probably wouldnt praise Canada. I am guessing ASMTZ actually hates Canada nearly as much as the USA. Go them!
"This song is a love song from our prime minister to the prime minister of canada."
Definitely not praise for Canada. Nobody in their right mind would praise the government of either nation. Or, to be perfectly honest, the government of any nation.
"Kanada, oh, Kanada, I ain't ever been your son... Kanada, oh, Kanada, I have always been your son"
He's trying to say that, no matter how much he disowns his country and the awful things that happen in it, Canada has still made an indelible impression on him. It's how I feel about America, too...