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.
Never twenty-one when everyone's a sailor
Coming up strong at the animal bar
Ever loving mug of Mr. Norman Mailer
Turn another page at the animal bar
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
I-I-I, the cry of isolation
I-I-I, the high of meditation
I-I-I, for sweet precipitation
I-I-I, the high of deprivation
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
Rain on my frustration
Stake my claim, now break this
Wash me down, my station
Makes more rain forsaken
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
Runnin' through the mud, I gotta feeling of worth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
All aboard the ship
'Cause you're gonna need an ark
When the wet comes down
You'll be swimming like a shark
Mopping up the pain and I'm a little older
Right as rain at the animal bar
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
I-I-I, the cry of isolation
I-I-I, the high of meditation
I-I-I, for mild precipitation
I-I-I, the high of deprivation
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
Rain on my frustration
Stake my claim, now break this
Wash me down, my station
Makes more rain forsaken
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
Runnin' through the mud, I gotta feeling of worth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
Raindrops will fall from the sky
Stealing their shape from your eye
Now we can all get some sleep
The water, the water, the water
Saving us from the heat
Some things will die in their place
Others will leave little trace
And fire will come find its day
The water, the water, the water
Washing it all away
Rain on my frustration
Stake my claim, now break this
Wash me down, my station
Makes more rain forsaken
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
Coming up strong at the animal bar
Ever loving mug of Mr. Norman Mailer
Turn another page at the animal bar
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
I-I-I, the cry of isolation
I-I-I, the high of meditation
I-I-I, for sweet precipitation
I-I-I, the high of deprivation
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
Rain on my frustration
Stake my claim, now break this
Wash me down, my station
Makes more rain forsaken
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
Runnin' through the mud, I gotta feeling of worth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
All aboard the ship
'Cause you're gonna need an ark
When the wet comes down
You'll be swimming like a shark
Mopping up the pain and I'm a little older
Right as rain at the animal bar
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
I-I-I, the cry of isolation
I-I-I, the high of meditation
I-I-I, for mild precipitation
I-I-I, the high of deprivation
And it won't be long
No, it won't be long
No, it won't be long
Because it can't be long
Rain on my frustration
Stake my claim, now break this
Wash me down, my station
Makes more rain forsaken
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
Runnin' through the mud, I gotta feeling of worth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
Raindrops will fall from the sky
Stealing their shape from your eye
Now we can all get some sleep
The water, the water, the water
Saving us from the heat
Some things will die in their place
Others will leave little trace
And fire will come find its day
The water, the water, the water
Washing it all away
Rain on my frustration
Stake my claim, now break this
Wash me down, my station
Makes more rain forsaken
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, let's make this)
In between the sky and every piece of the earth
(One, two, three, forsake this)
Lyrics submitted by x0_ju1cy, edited by Bregendahl
Animal Bar Lyrics as written by John Anthony Frusciante Michael Balzary
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song refers to a bar in a place called Karumba in the Gulf of Carpenteria in Australia. I used to be a barman there for years it is in the middle of no where the closest city is 1000 km away it only rains in december/january the heat has been known to climb over 118 degrees f and humidity at 99% so the rain is a reason for celebration as u can finally sleep at night. It is a fishing town where alot of boats still fish for shark some cattle stations around it are the size of a small european country only reached by dirt roads which r impassable with too much rain. Definatly song about this place don't know how they came across it though
This is about a little place called the Animal Bar in Australia.
For a certain part of the year they get NO RAIN and almost die.
Man I really love this song and yes the animal bar is a part of australia where it never rains. I think it's about being isolated and afraid of change.
magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0411/feature5/index.html
its about the actual animal bar in australia and it says your going to need an arc because at one point in the year theere it rains so much its almost like in the bible
God damn it, people, the fact that it uses a biblical metaphor doesn't automatically make it a gospel song. I'd say it's pretty obvious that it's ABOUT the Animal Bar, but it likens it to the deluge from biblical legend. Stop being such touchy pricks and enjoy the song.
Man, i wish people read this far... Everyone who mentioned that this song is about a bar in Australia is absolutely right, but thats just a lead in for the metaphor of starting anew, having all your negativity and frustration washed away by that cool, refreshing, and renewing rainfall. It's much to the theme of the entire album.
Anthony said that it was about a bar in Australia where they literally get NO rain for almost all of the year except for a week or something when they nearly drown because it is raining so hard.
theres a video on this!
youtube it! "SA commentary"
he says "its about animals with no fucking rain" or atleast something similar to that.
From SA commentary:
Flea: Is it about animals and water? Anthony: If animals are people, yes. What I meant more was just life itself. There really is a bar called Animal Bar. It's in the Northern Australia, in a very small town. After 10 months of drought, every single creature in that town is close to death. When the first raindrops start falling down, there's some kind of rebirth, purification. Water washes off everything it meets on its way. Flea: It's a great use of symbols. I'm not just talking about water, but about the birth and rebirth, about expansive construction of the world's.
(It's not an exact transcript.)
Plenty of people got it right, here's a link to the commentary
m.youtube.com/watch