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.
Grasping like a child
To fears of being left behind
Scratching in the sand for the lost things
Pouring water on dead flowers
Hoping they might grow again
Might grow again, might grow again
Woken up at night by an empty heart
We'll cry ourselves to sleep
It was a false start, a false start
I, I wonder if you could ever stop
I, I wonder if you just let this go
I, I wonder if you could ever stop
I, I wonder if you
Just let it go, let it go, let it go
It's alright
Oh, oh, oh
It's alright
Oh, oh, oh
It'll be alright
Walking around these
Halls for two long years
Been looking for
The door I came in
But now there's something that I'm waiting for
There's something that I'm waiting for
Or maybe I've been chasing it
I don't know but I have to go, I have to go
If I try, tell me, will you try?
Hold on
It's alright
Oh, oh, oh
It's alright
Oh, oh
It'll be alright
Oh, oh, oh
There's a way out
We can take it if you like
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
Turning into something new
Whatever we may need
I want to try
I want to try
I have to try
I have to try
To hold on
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
To fears of being left behind
Scratching in the sand for the lost things
Pouring water on dead flowers
Hoping they might grow again
Might grow again, might grow again
Woken up at night by an empty heart
We'll cry ourselves to sleep
It was a false start, a false start
I, I wonder if you could ever stop
I, I wonder if you just let this go
I, I wonder if you could ever stop
I, I wonder if you
Just let it go, let it go, let it go
It's alright
Oh, oh, oh
It's alright
Oh, oh, oh
It'll be alright
Walking around these
Halls for two long years
Been looking for
The door I came in
But now there's something that I'm waiting for
There's something that I'm waiting for
Or maybe I've been chasing it
I don't know but I have to go, I have to go
If I try, tell me, will you try?
Hold on
It's alright
Oh, oh, oh
It's alright
Oh, oh
It'll be alright
Oh, oh, oh
There's a way out
We can take it if you like
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
Turning into something new
Whatever we may need
I want to try
I want to try
I have to try
I have to try
To hold on
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
Lyrics submitted by justagame, edited by IfYouSaySo
Human Lyrics as written by Adam Goemans Ross Bonney
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Very Interpolish sound on thsi one. Its an "eh" song I dont skip it but I kinda tune out whenever I put the album on