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.
You worry on
Hurting anybody anymore
You worry on
Small comfort
One of us seems not to tremble
You make a rift inside me
Every day
Then you choose to stay
I walk the edge and
Push it wider
You are forgiven
I open all my doors
You are forgiven
What a heart is for
I am no martyr
You give me reason
I try harder
And I wait
For a warmer season
Meanwhile,
You are
Forgiven
I hear a soft noise like a sigh,
A singing
Like a lullaby
It is my heart
It is this wind
That blows through,
Where you held me closer,
Where we whisper
This is
This is true
You are forgiven
I open all my doors
You are forgiven
What a heart is for
I am no martyr
You give me reason
I try harder
And I wait
For a warmer season
Meanwhile,
You are
Forgiven
And it's time
To go
I cannot stay
You cannot know
My love
So dear
Will it be faith
Or fear?
You are forgiven
Open all my doors
You are forgiven
What a heart is for
I am no martyr
You give me reason
I try harder
And I wait
For a warmer season
Meanwhile,
You are
Forgiven
You are
Forgiven
Hurting anybody anymore
You worry on
Small comfort
One of us seems not to tremble
You make a rift inside me
Every day
Then you choose to stay
I walk the edge and
Push it wider
You are forgiven
I open all my doors
You are forgiven
What a heart is for
I am no martyr
You give me reason
I try harder
And I wait
For a warmer season
Meanwhile,
You are
Forgiven
I hear a soft noise like a sigh,
A singing
Like a lullaby
It is my heart
It is this wind
That blows through,
Where you held me closer,
Where we whisper
This is
This is true
You are forgiven
I open all my doors
You are forgiven
What a heart is for
I am no martyr
You give me reason
I try harder
And I wait
For a warmer season
Meanwhile,
You are
Forgiven
And it's time
To go
I cannot stay
You cannot know
My love
So dear
Will it be faith
Or fear?
You are forgiven
Open all my doors
You are forgiven
What a heart is for
I am no martyr
You give me reason
I try harder
And I wait
For a warmer season
Meanwhile,
You are
Forgiven
You are
Forgiven
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He certainly did earn that reputation.
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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”
i guess it's similar to having a problem occur in a friendship/relationship, and the person angry/upset finally forgives the other and everything gets better.
"you make a rift inside me everyday"
I think its about a person who knows they will die soon and is forgiving someone they love.
"I am no martyr..."
"wait for a warmer season..."
"and it's time to go, I cannot stay, you cannot know, my love, so dear, will it be faith or fear"
They have accepted death and are letting go.
This morning I cried as I was driving to work listening to this song.
There is this personal situation with somebody close to me who is passive aggressive and closed off. I can see the hurt but without communication, there is nothing else to do but "wait for a warmer season..."
I might be transferring my situation onto this song but then again isn't that what music does best.
So in the meantime, I can only wait for the person to work through where their path leads. "I am no martyr.." but "I open up my doors".
To me, this song is the decision to show love in a difficult situation. To wish somebody well because they are important to you (you give me reason).
The "I hear a soft noise like a sigh.." verse. Although this seems specific to an intimate relationship, to me it is the ways in which we all hold those dear to us close and we whisper this is true (authentic, family).
I hope that in any way you are affected by this song you know that you are loved by somebody.
All the best.