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.
Thus now he knelt before the ruins,
Cold of sweat, heat of flame
To vow the severed heads
Of those who brought the village, the village to its shame.
Those who plundered,pilfered, pillaged lives
Would now accept the blame.
He would find them all
With a mighty vengeance paid for in their pain
Shah-jan, the king of kings
Wore seven rings and 60 feathers
Plucked from sparrow's wings
Growing fat on the throne,
He sat like a stone.
A man who had never known
No hunger, shown no mercy with
In promises broke like a bone.
And there he sat like a stone,
With promises broke like a bone
Dispersed about the people
Rostam calls out for his equals
In third to rise and cast curse
Is that the worst of vengeance
Enemies they roam the tree's
Is that the worst of vengeance
The royalty must die x3
The royalty must die like common beggars and petty thieves x2
Tomorrow they will find us
Oh God x3
Heads of children will roll
Thus know he knelt before the ruins
Cold of sweat, heat of flame
He found the severed heads x2
Of those who brought the village, the village to its shame.
3:16
The king of kings wore
Seven rings and 60 feathers
Plucked from sparrows' wings.
He's growing fat, growing fat on the throne
Where he sat like a stone
A man who has never known no hunger
Shown no mercy
Those who ride against us
Will be murdered where they stand
Let our arrows rain from sky
To drain the blood into the land
If a mortal stands before us
Strike him down with sleight of hand
And if heaven rides against us the
God himself then must be damned.
Cold of sweat, heat of flame
To vow the severed heads
Of those who brought the village, the village to its shame.
Those who plundered,pilfered, pillaged lives
Would now accept the blame.
He would find them all
With a mighty vengeance paid for in their pain
Shah-jan, the king of kings
Wore seven rings and 60 feathers
Plucked from sparrow's wings
Growing fat on the throne,
He sat like a stone.
A man who had never known
No hunger, shown no mercy with
In promises broke like a bone.
And there he sat like a stone,
With promises broke like a bone
Dispersed about the people
Rostam calls out for his equals
In third to rise and cast curse
Is that the worst of vengeance
Enemies they roam the tree's
Is that the worst of vengeance
The royalty must die x3
The royalty must die like common beggars and petty thieves x2
Tomorrow they will find us
Oh God x3
Heads of children will roll
Thus know he knelt before the ruins
Cold of sweat, heat of flame
He found the severed heads x2
Of those who brought the village, the village to its shame.
3:16
The king of kings wore
Seven rings and 60 feathers
Plucked from sparrows' wings.
He's growing fat, growing fat on the throne
Where he sat like a stone
A man who has never known no hunger
Shown no mercy
Those who ride against us
Will be murdered where they stand
Let our arrows rain from sky
To drain the blood into the land
If a mortal stands before us
Strike him down with sleight of hand
And if heaven rides against us the
God himself then must be damned.
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I think Rody actually does the low growls on this song, and the rest of the songs on the album. His vocal range has even improved since Kezia, which is definitely incredible.