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.
Time to put the ear covers on?
No!
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
(Born to) Born to multiply
Born to gaze into night skies
All you want's one more Saturday
Well, look here, until then
They're gonna buy your life's time
So keep your wick in the air and your feet in the fetters
'Til the day
We come in doing cartwheels
We all crawl out by ourselves
And your shape on the dance floor
Will have me thinking such filth I'll gouge my eyes
You'd be damned to be one of us, girl
Faced with a dodo's conundrum
I felt like I could just fly
But nothing happened every time I tried
Ooh, ooh
A duotone on the wall
Selfless fool who hoped he'd save us all
Never dreamt of such sterile hands
You keep 'em folded in your lap
Or raise them up to beg for scraps
You know he's holding you down
With the tips of his fingers just the same
Will you be pulled from the ocean
A-just a minute too late
Or changed by a potion
To find a handsome young mate for you to love
You'll be damned to pining through the windowpanes
You know you'd trade your life for any ordinary Joe
Well, do it now or grow old
Your nightmares only need a year or two to unfold
Been alone since you were twenty-one
You haven't laughed since January
You try and make like this is so much fun
But we know it to be quite contrary
La-la-la-la, la-la-la
Dare to be one of us, girl
Faced with the android's conundrum
I felt like I should just cry
But nothing happens every time I take one on the chin
You're Himmler in your coat, you don't know how long I've been
Watching the lantern dim, starved of oxygen
So give me your hand and let's jump out the window
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
No!
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
(Born to) Born to multiply
Born to gaze into night skies
All you want's one more Saturday
Well, look here, until then
They're gonna buy your life's time
So keep your wick in the air and your feet in the fetters
'Til the day
We come in doing cartwheels
We all crawl out by ourselves
And your shape on the dance floor
Will have me thinking such filth I'll gouge my eyes
You'd be damned to be one of us, girl
Faced with a dodo's conundrum
I felt like I could just fly
But nothing happened every time I tried
Ooh, ooh
A duotone on the wall
Selfless fool who hoped he'd save us all
Never dreamt of such sterile hands
You keep 'em folded in your lap
Or raise them up to beg for scraps
You know he's holding you down
With the tips of his fingers just the same
Will you be pulled from the ocean
A-just a minute too late
Or changed by a potion
To find a handsome young mate for you to love
You'll be damned to pining through the windowpanes
You know you'd trade your life for any ordinary Joe
Well, do it now or grow old
Your nightmares only need a year or two to unfold
Been alone since you were twenty-one
You haven't laughed since January
You try and make like this is so much fun
But we know it to be quite contrary
La-la-la-la, la-la-la
Dare to be one of us, girl
Faced with the android's conundrum
I felt like I should just cry
But nothing happens every time I take one on the chin
You're Himmler in your coat, you don't know how long I've been
Watching the lantern dim, starved of oxygen
So give me your hand and let's jump out the window
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
Lyrics submitted by heyheyhey111, edited by honeybee13, yaiir, Gryphoning, SoWhy, pinkredrabbits, lekawa, ydepth, pavelkomarov, boywithdreams
Australia Lyrics as written by James Mercer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this song is kinda about like WW2 and the killing of so many jews. like, if you think about it...it seems like it could be. lol let me explain:
Well first the silly part at the beginning sounds like a german man forcing someone to do something. Starts out the girl is in a camp ..and she just wants to live to the next week. They (the nazis) are gonna buy your life's time (take your life). So keep your feet in the fetters (those are like..foot cuffs..) till the day you're saved. We'll (whoever freed the prisoners of that particular place) come in doing cartwheels (come in and valiantly save everyone).
you'd be damned to be one of us (a jew). faced with the dodo's conundrum (extinction..hitler wanted all of the jews dead). I felt like I could fly (get away from the nazis) but nothing happened everytime i tried (the nazis wouldn't let them go).
The selfless fool who hoped he'd save us all (america? lol). he never dreamt of such sterile hands (such cold-blooded, heartless killing). ...beg for scraps (of food). He's holding you down by the tips of his fingers (hitler was killing and opressing the Jews without much effort HIMSELF..i.e. other people doing it, he didn't have to use a huuuge amount of effort).
will you be pulled from the ocean (saved from your fate) but just a minute too late (not soon enough) or be changed by a potion and find a handsome young mate...(will you get out, be changed, but go on living your life? ..it went along with the uncertainty of whether the people would live or not).
You'll be damned to pining through window panes you know you'd trade your life ..(you'll be damned to looking through the bars of the camp gates/windows? and you'd trade anything to get out). Well do it now or grow old, etc. (well get out now because your nightmares, the camps, can develop and entrap you quickly)
Haven't laughed since january. try to think of this as so much fun...etc (the camps aren't good at all, but she tries to look on the bright side of things)
you see i felt like i should just cry (very sad thing that happened, perhaps this could be from an american's point of view). ...(but nothing happened when others tried to fight the nazis). you don't know how long i've been watching (the US didn't come into the war until Pearl Harbor). The lantern dim starved of oxygen (a jewish person, dimmed from the war and tired, etc.)
so see, it kinda makes sense that way....lol.