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.
That's how it starts
We go back to your house
You check the charts
And start to figure it out
And if it's crowded, then all the better
Because we know we're gonna be up late
But if you're worried about the weather
Then you picked the wrong place to stay
You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan
And the next five years trying to be with your friends again
You're talking forty-five turns just as fast as you can
Yeah, I know it gets tired, but where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
And so it starts
You switch the engine on
We set controls for the heart of the sun
One of the ways we show our age
And if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up
And if the sun comes up
And I still don't wanna stagger home
Then it's the memory of our betters
That's keeping us on our feet
You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan
And the next five years trying to be with your friends again
You're talking forty-five turns just as fast as you can
Yeah, I know it gets tired, only where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
It comes apart
The way it does in bad films
Except the parts
Where the moral kicks in
Alhough when we're running out of the drugs
And the conversation's winding away
I wouldn't trade one stupid decision
For another five years of life
You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan
And the next five years trying to be with your friends again
You're talking 45 turns just as fast as you can
Yeah, I know it gets tired, but where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
We go back to your house
You check the charts
And start to figure it out
And if it's crowded, then all the better
Because we know we're gonna be up late
But if you're worried about the weather
Then you picked the wrong place to stay
You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan
And the next five years trying to be with your friends again
You're talking forty-five turns just as fast as you can
Yeah, I know it gets tired, but where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
And so it starts
You switch the engine on
We set controls for the heart of the sun
One of the ways we show our age
And if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up
And if the sun comes up
And I still don't wanna stagger home
Then it's the memory of our betters
That's keeping us on our feet
You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan
And the next five years trying to be with your friends again
You're talking forty-five turns just as fast as you can
Yeah, I know it gets tired, only where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
It comes apart
The way it does in bad films
Except the parts
Where the moral kicks in
Alhough when we're running out of the drugs
And the conversation's winding away
I wouldn't trade one stupid decision
For another five years of life
You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan
And the next five years trying to be with your friends again
You're talking 45 turns just as fast as you can
Yeah, I know it gets tired, but where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
Where are your friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
If I could be with my friends tonight
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He certainly did earn that reputation.
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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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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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Hayalperest
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
I definitely think that they are one of the only bands that could cover this song so well. They put a nice spin on it