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.
crushing strawberries one by one
watching the juice drip down
two and a half months ahead of schedule
the leaves on the trees are turning brown
we got ready for winter, as the sun rose up in the sky
there was something almost soothing in the hard to define
note of terror in your eye
watching the strawberries lose their shape
as the wind blew through the elm tree
the wind was far too cold for the middle of april
and you reached out your hand to me
it was good to feel your hand in mine
it was good to know you felt the pull too
I scooped up a palmful of strawberry pulp
and smeared it all over you
the wild strawberries drove me on, as I lapped them up off of your skin
and I could feel your basal body temperature rise as the cold came in
hey hey
watching the juice drip down
two and a half months ahead of schedule
the leaves on the trees are turning brown
we got ready for winter, as the sun rose up in the sky
there was something almost soothing in the hard to define
note of terror in your eye
watching the strawberries lose their shape
as the wind blew through the elm tree
the wind was far too cold for the middle of april
and you reached out your hand to me
it was good to feel your hand in mine
it was good to know you felt the pull too
I scooped up a palmful of strawberry pulp
and smeared it all over you
the wild strawberries drove me on, as I lapped them up off of your skin
and I could feel your basal body temperature rise as the cold came in
hey hey
Lyrics submitted by Howiemaan
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