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.
She said
"I was seven, and you were nine
I looked at you like the stars that shined
In the sky, the pretty lights"
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
Growing up and fallin' in love
And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes
And said, "Oh, my, my, my"
Take me back to the house in the backyard tree
Said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me
You never did, you never did
Take me back when our world was one block wide
I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried
Just two kids, you and I
Oh, my, my, my, my
Well, I was sixteen when suddenly
I wasn't that little girl you used to see
But your eyes still shined, like pretty lights
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
They never believed we'd really fall in love
And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes
And said, "Oh, my, my, my"
Take me back to the creek beds we turned up
Two AM, ridin' in your truck
And all I need is you next to me
Take me back to the time we had our very first fight
Slammin' of doors 'stead of kissin' goodnight
You stayed outside 'til the morning light
Oh, my, my, my, my
A few years had gone and come around
We were sittin' at our favorite spot in town
And you looked at me, got down on one knee
Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle
Our whole town came and our mamas cried
You said, "I do," and I did too
Take me home where we met so many years before
We'll rock our babies on the very front porch
After all this time, you and I
And I'll be eighty-seven, you'll be eighty-nine
I'll still look at you like the stars that shine in the sky
Oh, my, my, my
"I was seven, and you were nine
I looked at you like the stars that shined
In the sky, the pretty lights"
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
Growing up and fallin' in love
And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes
And said, "Oh, my, my, my"
Take me back to the house in the backyard tree
Said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me
You never did, you never did
Take me back when our world was one block wide
I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried
Just two kids, you and I
Oh, my, my, my, my
Well, I was sixteen when suddenly
I wasn't that little girl you used to see
But your eyes still shined, like pretty lights
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us
They never believed we'd really fall in love
And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes
And said, "Oh, my, my, my"
Take me back to the creek beds we turned up
Two AM, ridin' in your truck
And all I need is you next to me
Take me back to the time we had our very first fight
Slammin' of doors 'stead of kissin' goodnight
You stayed outside 'til the morning light
Oh, my, my, my, my
A few years had gone and come around
We were sittin' at our favorite spot in town
And you looked at me, got down on one knee
Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle
Our whole town came and our mamas cried
You said, "I do," and I did too
Take me home where we met so many years before
We'll rock our babies on the very front porch
After all this time, you and I
And I'll be eighty-seven, you'll be eighty-nine
I'll still look at you like the stars that shine in the sky
Oh, my, my, my
Lyrics submitted by pinkrocker9
Mary's Song (Oh My My My) Lyrics as written by Elisabeth Wagner Rose Brian Dean Maher
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I just listened to this song for the first time and the "She said" at the beginning threw me off--I thought it was a story about a relationship between two women. By the end of the song I figured that it was probably a woman and a man. Then I came to this site to see if anyone else had had the same issue, but apparently not.
I like the imagery she uses here and in other songs to describe childhood.