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'll be sitting on the left side,
You'll be sitting on the right
Dying to share our problems,
Make everything alright
Then I see a darkness,
You see the blinding light
Will Oldham's in the corner moaning
"Can't you write your own lines"
[Chorus]
If we don't know where we belong
It'll make no difference from where we started
Look out kid because here it comes
You're not the lucky ones
There's a dozen corpses on the left side,
I swear one's smiling at me
Compliments on your confessions baby,
Wow you really showed me
You think that you're full of conviction,
Really you're just trying to survive
Tie them up then spit them out
It's good to help the boy shine
[Chorus]
You'll be sitting on the right
Dying to share our problems,
Make everything alright
Then I see a darkness,
You see the blinding light
Will Oldham's in the corner moaning
"Can't you write your own lines"
[Chorus]
If we don't know where we belong
It'll make no difference from where we started
Look out kid because here it comes
You're not the lucky ones
There's a dozen corpses on the left side,
I swear one's smiling at me
Compliments on your confessions baby,
Wow you really showed me
You think that you're full of conviction,
Really you're just trying to survive
Tie them up then spit them out
It's good to help the boy shine
[Chorus]
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A mash up? What are you on about? Their old stuff is some of the most amazing pieces of music ever created. Vertigo of Bliss IS a perfect album, mixing intricate riffs, beautiful harmonies and moments of utter madness to create brilliance.
Puzzle, by contrast, is Biffy sounding like the Foo Fighters. They still sound good, and the songs are ok (better live), but it's just not what Biffy are.
The lyrics too sadly, seemed to have been dumbed down slightly, with not a lot left to the imagination. At least Simon's literary influences still come through though.