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.
Your heartbeat is pulsing at night in your chest
It's gold and it's glowing with all the life you have left
I received your words from hospitals
Where you felt alone
Your words like smoke, they made me sick
But they kept me warm
Run where you'll be safe
Through the garden gates
To the shelter of magnolias
Eyes like sea glass, so weathered and worn
From all they've seen of adolescence torn
The lovers who have tainted you
They pulled you into the night
They touched your skin with velvet gloves
And made you feel alive
Run where you'll be safe
Through the garden gates
To the shelter of magnolias
There's not much time
The blush in the sky begins to fade
You were weathered and worn
Your petals soft and torn
The fading color
You have bent your shoulders
To hold the weight of the world
You will surely shatter
Run where you'll be safe
Through the garden gates
To the shelter of magnolias
There's not much time
The blush in the sky begins to fade
It's gold and it's glowing with all the life you have left
I received your words from hospitals
Where you felt alone
Your words like smoke, they made me sick
But they kept me warm
Run where you'll be safe
Through the garden gates
To the shelter of magnolias
Eyes like sea glass, so weathered and worn
From all they've seen of adolescence torn
The lovers who have tainted you
They pulled you into the night
They touched your skin with velvet gloves
And made you feel alive
Run where you'll be safe
Through the garden gates
To the shelter of magnolias
There's not much time
The blush in the sky begins to fade
You were weathered and worn
Your petals soft and torn
The fading color
You have bent your shoulders
To hold the weight of the world
You will surely shatter
Run where you'll be safe
Through the garden gates
To the shelter of magnolias
There's not much time
The blush in the sky begins to fade
Lyrics submitted by kasandra
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
My aunt is a florist, and when I asked her what magnolias stood for, she said perserverence and nobility.
I think the song is about someone who has just gone through chemo, and feels like they have aged decades over the last few months. They were once young and strong, but now they feel "weathered and worn" and it shows. The patient took a turn for the worst, and got sick enough to land them in the hospital. The narrator is trying to comfort him/her, telling the patient that it is okay to feel like you need to run away, to feel like you need to be cared for.
I played this for a woman in my mom's office who is going through chemo, and she loved it.
On a side note, does anyone else hear how angry Greta sounds when she sings this?? That confuses me, and is one of the few reasons I half-agree with GuiltyxGirl.