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.
tonight there isn't any light under your door
I guess you must be somewhere breathing
where skin and everything still know what they are for
and blood remembers where to go
I fell in love with you no matter what you say
but you were right about the reasons
to turn a magdeline into the month of May
I shoulda known the magdeline was me
so I'm turning on the stereo
and I'm lining up the names
on the mixes I made before you
and I'm turning into fairytales
with glitter and some glue
everything we ever planned to ever do
tonight there isn't any light under your door
I guess you must be somewhere breathing
in patterns unfamiliar to the one you're underneath
I pinned those patterns in my coat
so I'm turning on the stereo
and I'm turning into fairytales
yes I'm turning on the stereo
and I'm turning into you
I guess you must be somewhere breathing
where skin and everything still know what they are for
and blood remembers where to go
I fell in love with you no matter what you say
but you were right about the reasons
to turn a magdeline into the month of May
I shoulda known the magdeline was me
so I'm turning on the stereo
and I'm lining up the names
on the mixes I made before you
and I'm turning into fairytales
with glitter and some glue
everything we ever planned to ever do
tonight there isn't any light under your door
I guess you must be somewhere breathing
in patterns unfamiliar to the one you're underneath
I pinned those patterns in my coat
so I'm turning on the stereo
and I'm turning into fairytales
yes I'm turning on the stereo
and I'm turning into you
Lyrics submitted by SomethingClever, edited by smallwonderrobot
Patterns of Fairytales Lyrics as written by Matthew Berninger Aaron Dessner
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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ah hmm i think its about a couple who couldnt make it work.. and all their plans turns to his fairytales. he sees her lights are out, and shes doing other things and moving on.. and hes listening to all the mixtapes he made for her and realizing in her mind he is just a fairytale that is disappearing. the magdeline reference is obviously religious but im not sure how it fits.. :-/ i like this song.. it seems theres always one of the two people in a breakup that have a more difficult time moving on.. and thats how i kinda see this song.