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.
Were all born into this river without knowing how to swim
And eventually we learn how to keep this water under our chin
Some times this river is so cold to be in
Freezing my soul, solidifying my skin
Regardless of how far I see, I never see my travels in
Were carried by the current, being driven by the wind
The scenery we pass, we'll never see again
So we store it up as memories and don't let go of them
Were under a spell thinking the river should go straight
We set goals and desires to control our own fate
But all the pain we experience as a result of our expectations
Because it's the rivers nature to twist and turn
The shit can burn
And I know it
I have the same conflict
But I try to sit and flow with this rivers natural process
And sometimes when I watch myself float downstream
I see the beauty of it all, and it feels like a dream
And at that time I appreciate the rivers course
Some call it God, reality, momentum, force
I stare up at the naked moon, and she stares down at me
(I'll cite false boundaries and I'll look outward to see)?
The universe is not something separate from yourself
I know you feel alone, but that's why I'm here to help
I know you feel alone, but just look up at the stars
And everything that is out there is what you really are
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light
The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you, in the same way that you're here for me
Each person in an intricate piece of infinite
I feel that if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free
I'm here for you, not for any self centered reasons
Because existence is interdependent and all related,
Connected in its different manifestations of one single mind
You ain't isolated from the world even though it feels like that sometimes
I see the hurt when I look into your eyes
How you struggle to hold it and keep in bundled inside
It drives a dull blade deep in my heart; it makes me want to cry
So I offer you a hand to help wash away the rainy skies
I'm running out of words, but I haven't yet made my message clear
So if none of this makes sense, I just want you to know I'm here
As a musician, as a friend, as a teacher, as a student
To grow and realize everything is in constant movement
Each problem that we face is just a part of this movement
It seems helpless, but if we stick together we'll get through it
And return to the essence from which we've been uprooted
And wake humanity from these illusions
The second you can look into the sky and see your own reflection
You know your head is in the right direction
The river riding always moves, but with it I live
And everything is perfect, just the way it is
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light
The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
And eventually we learn how to keep this water under our chin
Some times this river is so cold to be in
Freezing my soul, solidifying my skin
Regardless of how far I see, I never see my travels in
Were carried by the current, being driven by the wind
The scenery we pass, we'll never see again
So we store it up as memories and don't let go of them
Were under a spell thinking the river should go straight
We set goals and desires to control our own fate
But all the pain we experience as a result of our expectations
Because it's the rivers nature to twist and turn
The shit can burn
And I know it
I have the same conflict
But I try to sit and flow with this rivers natural process
And sometimes when I watch myself float downstream
I see the beauty of it all, and it feels like a dream
And at that time I appreciate the rivers course
Some call it God, reality, momentum, force
I stare up at the naked moon, and she stares down at me
(I'll cite false boundaries and I'll look outward to see)?
The universe is not something separate from yourself
I know you feel alone, but that's why I'm here to help
I know you feel alone, but just look up at the stars
And everything that is out there is what you really are
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light
The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you, in the same way that you're here for me
Each person in an intricate piece of infinite
I feel that if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free
I'm here for you, not for any self centered reasons
Because existence is interdependent and all related,
Connected in its different manifestations of one single mind
You ain't isolated from the world even though it feels like that sometimes
I see the hurt when I look into your eyes
How you struggle to hold it and keep in bundled inside
It drives a dull blade deep in my heart; it makes me want to cry
So I offer you a hand to help wash away the rainy skies
I'm running out of words, but I haven't yet made my message clear
So if none of this makes sense, I just want you to know I'm here
As a musician, as a friend, as a teacher, as a student
To grow and realize everything is in constant movement
Each problem that we face is just a part of this movement
It seems helpless, but if we stick together we'll get through it
And return to the essence from which we've been uprooted
And wake humanity from these illusions
The second you can look into the sky and see your own reflection
You know your head is in the right direction
The river riding always moves, but with it I live
And everything is perfect, just the way it is
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light
The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
Lyrics submitted by echotech, edited by pixelcreme
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Ave Grave
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Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
music says so much more than words alone can, this song proves it.