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.
The beats yeah, they were coming out the speakers
And were winding up straight in your sneakers
And I'm dancing like every song he spins is Bis
Or like all my dance heroes would if they existed
And yeah it's sad that you think that we're all just scenesters
And even if we were its not the scene you're thinking of
Just taking props from nineties boy band fashions
All crop tops and testosterone passion
If there's one thing I could never confess
It's that I can't dance a single step
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
Not sure if you mind if I dance with you
But I don't think right now you care about anything at all
And if only there were clothes on the floor
I'd feel for certain I was bedroom dancing
And it's all flailing limbs at the front line
Every single one of us is twisted by design
And dispatches from the back of my mind
Says so long as we're here everything is alright
If there's one thing I could never confess
It's that I can't dance a single step
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
If there's one thing I could never confess
It's that I can't dance a single step
One thing I could never confess
Is that I can't dance a single step
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
And I always get confused
Because in supermarkets they turn the lights off when they want you to leave
But in discos they turn them on
And it's always sad to go, but it's never that sad
Because there's only so many places
You're guaranteed of getting a hug when you leave
And then on the way home
It always seems like a good idea to go paddling in the fountain
And that's because it is a good idea
And were just like, how Rousseau depicts man in the state of nature
We're undeveloped, we're ignorant, we're stupid, but we're happy
And were winding up straight in your sneakers
And I'm dancing like every song he spins is Bis
Or like all my dance heroes would if they existed
And yeah it's sad that you think that we're all just scenesters
And even if we were its not the scene you're thinking of
Just taking props from nineties boy band fashions
All crop tops and testosterone passion
If there's one thing I could never confess
It's that I can't dance a single step
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
Not sure if you mind if I dance with you
But I don't think right now you care about anything at all
And if only there were clothes on the floor
I'd feel for certain I was bedroom dancing
And it's all flailing limbs at the front line
Every single one of us is twisted by design
And dispatches from the back of my mind
Says so long as we're here everything is alright
If there's one thing I could never confess
It's that I can't dance a single step
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
If there's one thing I could never confess
It's that I can't dance a single step
One thing I could never confess
Is that I can't dance a single step
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
It's you, it's me
And there's dancing
And I always get confused
Because in supermarkets they turn the lights off when they want you to leave
But in discos they turn them on
And it's always sad to go, but it's never that sad
Because there's only so many places
You're guaranteed of getting a hug when you leave
And then on the way home
It always seems like a good idea to go paddling in the fountain
And that's because it is a good idea
And were just like, how Rousseau depicts man in the state of nature
We're undeveloped, we're ignorant, we're stupid, but we're happy
Lyrics submitted by theTyrant, edited by friendlymancub
You! Me! Dancing! Lyrics as written by Ellen Waddell Aleksandra Berditchevskaia
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Word Alive, The
Word Alive, The
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.
I think the "bedroom dancing" may be a reference to the Le Tigre song Eau d'Bedroom Dancing. Gareth is often seen wearing Bikini Kill t-shirts, so it's not a stretch to assume he likes Le Tigre too.