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 messed up again when I tried
You spend all your money and I
And, oh! By the way.
With all you did nothing has changed
So lie like a waste by the side
As everything just falls apart
'Cause everything just fell apart for me
I cracked my head and broke my
I correct my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
And I don't feel the need to go on
I was happier singing along the way
I had things, I need to say
But now its like a swallowed tape
That holds up my face from inside
'As everything just falls apart
'Cause everything just fell apart for me
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
So woe is me
Oh woe is me, yeah
Woe is me
It all fell apart
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my...heart
And the hell of it is what we are
We finish and wish we could start again
Our skin tears away as our memories fade with age
And we don't even know 'til its gone...
But everything just fell apart
'Cause everything just falls apart for me
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
So woe is me
It all falls apart you see
So woe is me
It all fell apart
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
Everything just comes down
It falls around me cause, well
Everything just falls uhhhh
So woe is me
It all falls apart you see
So woe is me
It all fell apart
But I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
Everything just falls a
You spend all your money and I
And, oh! By the way.
With all you did nothing has changed
So lie like a waste by the side
As everything just falls apart
'Cause everything just fell apart for me
I cracked my head and broke my
I correct my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
And I don't feel the need to go on
I was happier singing along the way
I had things, I need to say
But now its like a swallowed tape
That holds up my face from inside
'As everything just falls apart
'Cause everything just fell apart for me
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
So woe is me
Oh woe is me, yeah
Woe is me
It all fell apart
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my...heart
And the hell of it is what we are
We finish and wish we could start again
Our skin tears away as our memories fade with age
And we don't even know 'til its gone...
But everything just fell apart
'Cause everything just falls apart for me
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
So woe is me
It all falls apart you see
So woe is me
It all fell apart
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my heart
Everything just comes down
It falls around me cause, well
Everything just falls uhhhh
So woe is me
It all falls apart you see
So woe is me
It all fell apart
But I cracked my head and broke my
I cracked my head and broke my
Everything just falls a
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
i believe the girl he might be talking about came from the song "Shallow" because in that talked about getting a 2nd chance with her and the next time he tried to get it right but messed up again and everything just fell apart completely
Bingo! That is my thought as well. The first verse is a giveaway. <br /> <br /> "And oh! By the way, with all you did nothing has changed, so lie like a waste by the side" <br /> <br /> Now, this doesn't mean that it is DEFINITELY tied to Shallow, but it is possible. <br /> <br /> The song in whole says that he tried to fix the problems in his relationship. The "spend all your money then died" line is where the girl starts speaking (which makes sense, given the next couple lines after it and the explanation I gave earlier in this post). He is broke, and because of that, dead to her (which, again, is where the Shallow connection is for me). <br /> <br /> He cracked his head by thinking he could fix it. He beat his head against the proverbial wall trying to make this relationship work. Because of that, and the hope he had, and for the fact that he feels like he could have done something different somewhere to keep her, he feels like he broke his own heart. Could also be as simple as saying "I made myself vulnerable, she doesn't care about me, and due to this, I am heartbroken."<br /> <br /> "And the hell of it is what we are<br /> We finish and wish we could start again<br /> Our skin tears away as our memories fade with age<br /> And we don't even know 'til its gone...<br /> But everything just fell apart<br /> 'Cause everything just falls apart for me"<br /> <br /> He's reminiscing. He knows who they both are, as individuals, and knowing how they went from being happy to being miserable. They "finish" by breaking up, and wish they could start over again and do some things different. The skin tearing away is metaphorical for aging, as old skin cells die, and that ties to the memories also dying with age (memories fade with age...). The rest of the verse is self-explanatory. <br /> <br /> Awesome song. Honestly, and I saw a comment on another song by Hurt, but I feel like some of the songs are coming true in my own life...it's a bit creepy. Shallow and this one both. I guess knowing J. went through it is helping me some.