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.
I miss you most on winter mornings
As we drift we slip through evenings, whoa-oh
We drive into the cold and dark with fingers crossed
I follow your lies to avoid from getting lost
And all I had was the memory of what was
So let's pretend it never mattered to us
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
Just to survive we do what we can
We read the maps and signs, and we make the plans
By our design I write it down to get me by
The worst time in my life
And all I had was the memory of what was
So lets pretend it never mattered to us
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
What's a dream and what is real, the way I really feel
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
What's a dream and what is real?
So let's pretend this is the ending (ending...ending)
To the message I've been sending (sending...sending)
And all I had was the memory of what was
So lets pretend it never mattered to us
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
What's a dream and what is real, the way I really feel
As we drift we slip through evenings, whoa-oh
We drive into the cold and dark with fingers crossed
I follow your lies to avoid from getting lost
And all I had was the memory of what was
So let's pretend it never mattered to us
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
Just to survive we do what we can
We read the maps and signs, and we make the plans
By our design I write it down to get me by
The worst time in my life
And all I had was the memory of what was
So lets pretend it never mattered to us
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
What's a dream and what is real, the way I really feel
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
What's a dream and what is real?
So let's pretend this is the ending (ending...ending)
To the message I've been sending (sending...sending)
And all I had was the memory of what was
So lets pretend it never mattered to us
I hope this message finds you well
I never thought I'd live to tell
What's a dream and what is real, the way I really feel
Lyrics submitted by HomeDog6976
Pens and Needles Lyrics as written by Eron Bucciarelli-tieger Casey Calvert
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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im not in any way saything that this is why HH wrote these lyrics...
this is just a way i interpreted and applied it to my situation.
basically, ive kind of had an unconventional/fucked up relationship with most of my family. i felt that it wasnt healthy for me to stay in an environment in which what little we had was being torn up even more. I just needed, and sometimes still do, a new beginning. This song to me describes how I feel towards the situation:
"And all I had was the memory of what was so lets pretend it never mattered to us I hope this message finds you well I never thought I'd live to tell what's a dream and what is real, the way I really feel "
i dont hate my family nor wish anything bad upon them. its like a new start. whats happeneds happened, and in all honesty, i do hope theyre all doing okay.
also, this song brought new meaning to somebody very close to me that recently passed away. Like i stated before, we never had the best relationship, but I feel that before the end I really got to know and understand who they really were, which was what was so hard about them dying.