Vicarious Atonement

I think the last line is "And the River Ganges, 'God Damn's' my name."

"Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore" Anyone?

I'm pretty sure the line "Don't you pretend" dates all the way back to Concertina on their first EP.

"Don't you pretend Tangled in thorns, to walk unborn."

Vicarious Atonement is the theory that the atonement of Jesus Christ was legal in God's eyes. Jesus died in the place of the humans that sinned.

DON'T YOU PRETEND THAT I'M NOT ALIVE MY BONES NEVER ACHE UNLESS SHE'S NEARBY WHERE IS YOUR FACE IN A SAFE OF DEAD TONGUES I CAN SEE YOUR REFLECTION IN YOUR TOTEM FIRST BORN I SUSPECT YOU'VE BEEN CARRYIN A PACK OF WOLVES I REGRET NOT KILLING WHILE I HAD THE CHANCE

MAYBE I WILL ALWAYS HAUNT YOU MARK THE SOMNOLENCE WITH TRUTH BETTER HANG YOUR DEAD PALACE THAN HAVE A LIVING HOME TO LOSE IN THE RIVER GANGES GOD DAMNS MY NAME

DON'T LET THESE HANDS SHARPEN YOUR EYES A RASP OF TAILS

Those are the lyrics as they appear in the booklet accompanying the album. Pretty sweet intro song, I must say. Overall, I don't think this albums as good as "France" or "De-Loused", but I still think it's a great album. "Frances the Mute" is a tough act to follow. It's unbelievable that "Amputechture" debuted at #9 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts, with basically no commercial radio or MTV exposure (I heard "Viscera Eyes" one time on a local, new rock/alternative station and that was it). The following week it dropped down to #63, which goes to show you that TMV has such a great fanbase that everyone went out and bought the album as soon as it dropped. It's a shame though, that Jon Theodore quit the band right around the time the album was released (it's true!). Anyway, this entire album has a "religious" theme to it, but not necessarily a positive one. The lyrics to this particular song however, are a bit too cryptic for me to figure out right now. The only grasp I can get is from the line "I can see your reflection, in your totem first born"...I can see that meaning Christ on a cross. Cedrics lyrics are so amazing, you need to study them in order to truly understand them. I noticed that there is a reference to "She" in the first 2 songs...anyone have an idea who "She" is? I heard in an interview that this album is not necessarily one long story as their previous 2 LP's were. I don't know...I look forward to anyone elses insight on this.

ok like paleta said vicarious atonement is used in the bible as jesus dying for all peoples sins. so i try to picture this as the scene of his death. i try to interpret his lyrics one line at a time.

SHE could be mary magdalene or the virgin mary (not postitve) because they were the two that staid with him on the cross. However, this has something to do with some conflicting relationship. Also, because the toem first born (christ on the cross) is referred to as YOUR I disreguarded my intial thought of this being from christs perspective.

So i believe its form the perspective of an antagonist because he tried to kill Chris and "didn't while he had the chance" (ressurection and legacy he left behind is how he remains "alive").

ressurection= somnolence (usually means sleepwalking in this case probably means walking after death)

thats all of my incoherent thoughts.

thanks for trying to race the lyrics up here and not have any plans for correcting them. The space up there is for the correct lyrics not what you thought up when you leaked the album.

First of all, want to add how hilariously ironic it is to have google adds about worshipping God on this page. If only bots could understand context, they'd realise that "worship God" adverts weren't quite suited to this discussion hehe

The last lines, "Don't let these hands sharpen your eyes" makes me think that the person is threatening to make people see clearly in regards to the myth of Jesus, as if believers and followers are some how blurred in their faith.

It definitely sounds like a rival of Jesus, perhaps somebody that was a rival for a certain ladies misplaced affection toward him.

Am I the only one that wants to have sex to this song?

Maybe I'm just heretical.

"I can see your reflection In your totem first born"

This could also be in regards to mary the mother of jesus

I appologise for the double post but here's a more thought out explanation that I've written lol

The whole album, Amputechture, has a religious theme although not a positive one. This song sets the tone for the album.

The idea I get from the song at the start is that perhaps it's from the perspective of a rival of Jesus for the affections of a lady. The start makes it seem as if Jesus doesn't acknowledge him and then goes on to say that he doesn't hurt until he's around this woman, rather emotional than physical pain due to the wanting.

It seems as if the story takes place after the crucifiction but before the ressurection as he asks where Jesus's face is as he cannot see it. The safe of dead tongues perhaps alluding to cave in which Jesus's body was placed in death.

The line about "I can see your reflection in your totem first born" regards the woman. Jesus is the totem first born in my opinion as he is a symbol or emblem of God, to whom he was the first born son. A lot of people think that perhaps this means the author sees God's face in Jesus because of the use of "your" but I argue that he sees the woman's face when he looks at Jesus, the man the woman worships and believes is God's son.

Then he shifts back to Jesus with "I suspect you've been carrying a pack of wolves" which could refer to the people who's sins Jesus died for. Rather than being as innocent and worthwhile as Jesus thinks humans are, this person thinks that the people were using Jesus. A bunch of people ready to pounce on him at the right moment. So Jesus's self martyrdom is in vain.

The "I regret not killing you while I had the chance" seems pretty selfexplanatory as he hates himself for not killing Jesus before this. Killing Jesus before Crucifiction would have potentially prevented his legacy which carries on until this day.

Then onto his vow of vengeance to Jesus so to speak. Claiming that he will make his doubts known to everybody and try to disprove all of these claims. To replace the resurrection (somnolence = sleepwalking...as if resurrected) lie with the truth behind it all.

The next bit I'm not so sure of but "dead palace" seems to be suggesting Heaven, so "Better hang your dead palace than have a living home to lose" could suggest the author is saying similar to "It's better for you to promote Heaven as your home than to have one to physically show"...i.e. to describe a home that cannot be seen rather than one that can be verified by normal people.

The last part of that phrase definitely makes the author appear to feel that God is doing this on purpose to make him suffer.

The very last part of the song gives me the idea that the author is almost telling the woman to stop him from explaining everything and making the truth known. As if her view is blurred by her blind faith in this man that claims to be the totem of God. "Don't let me show you the truth". He wants her to see but perhaps knows that it'll hurt her so much that he's conflicted. You can then interpret the last line as "a rasp of tales" i.e. stories. The fiction that Jesus told the people.