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.
This one's for every drug problem that got stopped in its tracks,
by a trip to rehab.
I'll miss railing pills with you in the park.
This one's for every friend that decided not to drop out,
and stay at their mom's house.
I'll miss you on the street corner when it starts to get dark
because tonight I'm crying about the crack house that got torn down
in the center of town.
And tonight I'm laughing about the army recruitment station lying vacant.
Here's to the rubble. A brick through every window, a casket buried six feet deep for everybody's hero.
Here's to our lives being meaningless and how beautiful it is because freedom doesn't have a purpose.
This one's for every arsonist that got locked down,
before they burnt the cities down.
I'LL MISS SEEING THE SKY SCRAPERS ON FIRE.
This one's for every friend that got taken off the streets so the upper class could sleep so the upper class could sleep.
I'll miss the spraypaint and slashed tires
because tonight I can't smell the pigs around the corner on the shortness of your breath
and tonight I can't taste the whiskey from across the room in the stumbling of your steps.
HERE'S TO THE RUBBLE. A BRICK THROUGH EVERY WINDOW, A CASKET BURIED SIX FEET DEEP FOR EVERYBODY'S HERO.
HERE'S TO OUR LIVES BEING MEANINGLESS, AND HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS BECAUSE FREEDOM DOESN'T HAVE A PURPOSE!
by a trip to rehab.
I'll miss railing pills with you in the park.
This one's for every friend that decided not to drop out,
and stay at their mom's house.
I'll miss you on the street corner when it starts to get dark
because tonight I'm crying about the crack house that got torn down
in the center of town.
And tonight I'm laughing about the army recruitment station lying vacant.
Here's to the rubble. A brick through every window, a casket buried six feet deep for everybody's hero.
Here's to our lives being meaningless and how beautiful it is because freedom doesn't have a purpose.
This one's for every arsonist that got locked down,
before they burnt the cities down.
I'LL MISS SEEING THE SKY SCRAPERS ON FIRE.
This one's for every friend that got taken off the streets so the upper class could sleep so the upper class could sleep.
I'll miss the spraypaint and slashed tires
because tonight I can't smell the pigs around the corner on the shortness of your breath
and tonight I can't taste the whiskey from across the room in the stumbling of your steps.
HERE'S TO THE RUBBLE. A BRICK THROUGH EVERY WINDOW, A CASKET BURIED SIX FEET DEEP FOR EVERYBODY'S HERO.
HERE'S TO OUR LIVES BEING MEANINGLESS, AND HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS BECAUSE FREEDOM DOESN'T HAVE A PURPOSE!
Lyrics submitted by bbq49, edited by Mathos22, PreviouslyUnre
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No, it's "Here's to the rubble" You were right about "A brick through every window" though.