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'm in a crisis, I need help
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on be a friend
Nina Twin is trying to help, and I
Really hope that she succeeds
Though I picked the thorny path myself
I'm afraid, afraid of where it leads
Chemicals, don't strangle my pen
Chemicals don't make me sick again
I'm always so dubious of your intent
Like I can't afford to replace what you've spent
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Nina Twin is trying to help, and I
Really hope she gets me straight
'Cause my own inner cosmology
Has become too dense to navigate
I'm in a crisis, I need help
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on be a friend
Come on be a friend
Two, three, four
Chemicals, don't flatten my mind
Chemicals, don't mess me up this time
Know you bait me way more than you should
And it's just like you to hurt me when I'm feeling good
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on be a friend
Nina Twin is trying to help, and I
Really hope that she succeeds
Though I picked the thorny path myself
I'm afraid, afraid of where it leads
Chemicals, don't strangle my pen
Chemicals don't make me sick again
I'm always so dubious of your intent
Like I can't afford to replace what you've spent
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Nina Twin is trying to help, and I
Really hope she gets me straight
'Cause my own inner cosmology
Has become too dense to navigate
I'm in a crisis, I need help
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on mood shift, shift back to good again
Come on be a friend
Come on be a friend
Two, three, four
Chemicals, don't flatten my mind
Chemicals, don't mess me up this time
Know you bait me way more than you should
And it's just like you to hurt me when I'm feeling good
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
Come on chemicals
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I think it could be about drugs, but it's probably about depression (chemical imbalance). It's so inspecific that either is highly plausible.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a god that gave fire to the mortals. As punishment he spent the rest of eternity (I think?) bound to a rock, where an eagle would come everyday to eat his liver. At night it would grow back, so the eagle could eat it the next day.
So, I think the title implies that Kevin feels like he is stuck in an endless painful cycle. And he's in Norway.
prometheus was saved by hercules though durring his 12 jobs hercules was sent to do 12 jobs becuase zues/s wife hera made him go temperarly insane and he killed his wife and kid and just after he awoke and saw what he had done so to pay back what he had done he was sent to do 10 jobs by hera but it ended up being 12 becuase hera thought he had cheated on one of them and durring these tasks hercules managed to shoot down the eagle with an arrow to save promethus if you read the intire story its pretty far fetched and kinda funny silly greeks
you've got the prometheus story right. I think your interpretation is a great sum up!