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.
One two three four
Wakey wakey
Rise and shine
It's on again, off again, on again
Watch me fall
Like domino's
In pretty patterns
Fingers in the blackbird pie
I'm tingling tingling tingling
It's what you feel now
What you ought to, what you ought to
Reasonable and sensible
Dead from the neck up
Because I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But no, no, no
For no real reason
Squeeze the tubes and empty bottles
Take a bow take a bow take a bow
It's what you feel now
What you ought to
What you ought to
An elephant thats in the room is
Tumbling tumbling tumbling
In duplicate and duplicate
Plastic bags and
Duplicate and triplicate
Dead from the neck up
Guess I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But no, no, no
Exactly where do you get off
Is enough is enough is enough
I love you but enough is enough, enough
A last stop
There's no real reason
Wakey wakey
Rise and shine
It's on again, off again, on again
Watch me fall
Like domino's
In pretty patterns
Fingers in the blackbird pie
I'm tingling tingling tingling
It's what you feel now
What you ought to, what you ought to
Reasonable and sensible
Dead from the neck up
Because I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But no, no, no
For no real reason
Squeeze the tubes and empty bottles
Take a bow take a bow take a bow
It's what you feel now
What you ought to
What you ought to
An elephant thats in the room is
Tumbling tumbling tumbling
In duplicate and duplicate
Plastic bags and
Duplicate and triplicate
Dead from the neck up
Guess I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But no, no, no
Exactly where do you get off
Is enough is enough is enough
I love you but enough is enough, enough
A last stop
There's no real reason
Lyrics submitted by life_aint_chess, edited by George0312, Planet, Paymaan, Joshoewaa
Faust Arp Lyrics as written by Edward John O'brien Colin Charles Greenwood
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Thanks for the clarification of what the title is. This is my favorite song on the album and it's an amazing album. It's pretty different from most of RAdiohead's other stuff... it's really pensive and beautiful. Someone's comment that Arp comes form the last name of the founder of the Dadaist movement was interesting, because I just looked up the song I Zimbra by Talking Heads to find out what language it's in and turns out it's from a poem by Hugo Ball, who was part of the Dada movement (sorry but the word Dada sort of makes me laugh). it's just exploring various sounds and consciousnesses.