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.
when darkness drowns your bleeding heart
and tyrants tear your world apart
and none of it is making sense
it's all mistakes or accidents
we're all just players in a game
the strings are never pulled the same
and i have to make a change right now
but nothing changes anyhow
or anyways to change today
seems fucking pointless anyway
and sympathy it runs so deep
and i can't even fall asleep
i'd be abysmal to presume
solutions to stave off our doom
yes, i mean our sudden soon to end
through all these fading times we spend
and when i think away on things i pissed
i'd ask to be writ off your list
no social skills no special prize
i can only try to empathize
good memories held in my hand
through finger cracks they fall like sand
if only there were some to keep
i'd have to trade them all for sleep
and losing sleep adds so much time
the days can drag my bleeding mind
into a state of jagged shock
that twists and winds but never stops
and dreams are memories as well
and some of them read just like hell
if you could be my only friend
i'd cherish all the time we spend
and though we're so infrequent now
our hearts dance somewhere anyhow
so many make our lives seem cheap
and i can't even fall asleep
an endless flaming turning fire
the setting sun that rises higher
the beautiful bright blinding light
that never quite turns into night
our hearts can fly and freely there
our minds can breathe such precious air
to all my fine fair weather friends
good tidings are all i can send
i forgive you though you never knew
just what it was you put me through
and to all my enemies the same
your obsessions kept my in this game
and according to this life i've led
i should have lost more than my head
and on the edge that tilts so steep
i dream awake only of sleep
and tyrants tear your world apart
and none of it is making sense
it's all mistakes or accidents
we're all just players in a game
the strings are never pulled the same
and i have to make a change right now
but nothing changes anyhow
or anyways to change today
seems fucking pointless anyway
and sympathy it runs so deep
and i can't even fall asleep
i'd be abysmal to presume
solutions to stave off our doom
yes, i mean our sudden soon to end
through all these fading times we spend
and when i think away on things i pissed
i'd ask to be writ off your list
no social skills no special prize
i can only try to empathize
good memories held in my hand
through finger cracks they fall like sand
if only there were some to keep
i'd have to trade them all for sleep
and losing sleep adds so much time
the days can drag my bleeding mind
into a state of jagged shock
that twists and winds but never stops
and dreams are memories as well
and some of them read just like hell
if you could be my only friend
i'd cherish all the time we spend
and though we're so infrequent now
our hearts dance somewhere anyhow
so many make our lives seem cheap
and i can't even fall asleep
an endless flaming turning fire
the setting sun that rises higher
the beautiful bright blinding light
that never quite turns into night
our hearts can fly and freely there
our minds can breathe such precious air
to all my fine fair weather friends
good tidings are all i can send
i forgive you though you never knew
just what it was you put me through
and to all my enemies the same
your obsessions kept my in this game
and according to this life i've led
i should have lost more than my head
and on the edge that tilts so steep
i dream awake only of sleep
Lyrics submitted by lzacrack666
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
Thee More Shallows
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
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.
The Spy
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?
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
The end of the third verse it supposed to be "and in the end we all must sleep."
But this is my all time favorite Star Fucking Hispers song. it's deep, and emotional. Wanting to be in a different, sleep-like world instead of the reality of things. It always reminds me of my ex-best guy friend. haha, so ironic. especially the last verse.