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.
He wears his heart
safety pinned to his backpack
His backpack is all that he knows
Shot down by strangers
whose glances can cripple
the heart and devour the soul
All alone he turns to stone
while holding his breath half to death
Terrified of whats inside
to save his life he crawls
like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
Out of his mind away
pushes him whispering
must have been out of his mind
mid-day delusions of pushing this out of his head
maybe out of his mind
All alone he turns to stone
while holding his breath half to death
Terrified of whats inside
to save his life he
crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird
All he knows
If he can't relieve it it grows
and so it goes
he crawls like a worm
crawls like a worm from the bird
Out of his mind away
pushes him whispering
must have been out of his mind
All alone he turns to stone
while holding his breath half to death
Terrified of whats inside
to save his life
he crawls like a worm from a bird
All alone he
Holding his breath half to death
Terrified to save his life
he crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm
crawls like a worm from a bird
safety pinned to his backpack
His backpack is all that he knows
Shot down by strangers
whose glances can cripple
the heart and devour the soul
All alone he turns to stone
while holding his breath half to death
Terrified of whats inside
to save his life he crawls
like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
Out of his mind away
pushes him whispering
must have been out of his mind
mid-day delusions of pushing this out of his head
maybe out of his mind
All alone he turns to stone
while holding his breath half to death
Terrified of whats inside
to save his life he
crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird
All he knows
If he can't relieve it it grows
and so it goes
he crawls like a worm
crawls like a worm from the bird
Out of his mind away
pushes him whispering
must have been out of his mind
All alone he turns to stone
while holding his breath half to death
Terrified of whats inside
to save his life
he crawls like a worm from a bird
All alone he
Holding his breath half to death
Terrified to save his life
he crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm from a bird
crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm
crawls like a worm from a bird
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