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.
Ride with the devil, hide with the lord
I got no pistol, ain't got no sword
I got no army, ain't got no land,
Ain't got nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
Ain't got nothing but the stone that's in my hand
You say you want a revolution, well get on board
We'll start a new crusade; we'll start a holy war
Don't need no orders, don't need no plan
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand
You build your fighter jets, you drop your bombs
You kill our fathers, you kill our moms
You kill our brother and our sisters, and our uncles and our aunts
Still I'm fighting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
Still I'm fighting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
All the love that's in my heart and the stone that's in my hand
Blood runs in the gutters, smoke fills the sky
Every son that suffers, every mother cries
So if you've had enough and you're ready for your stand
I'll be waiting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I'll be waiting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
All the love that's in my heart and the stone that's in my hand
I got no pistol, ain't got no sword
I got no army, ain't got no land,
Ain't got nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
Ain't got nothing but the stone that's in my hand
You say you want a revolution, well get on board
We'll start a new crusade; we'll start a holy war
Don't need no orders, don't need no plan
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I don't need nothing but the stone that's in my hand
You build your fighter jets, you drop your bombs
You kill our fathers, you kill our moms
You kill our brother and our sisters, and our uncles and our aunts
Still I'm fighting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
Still I'm fighting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
All the love that's in my heart and the stone that's in my hand
Blood runs in the gutters, smoke fills the sky
Every son that suffers, every mother cries
So if you've had enough and you're ready for your stand
I'll be waiting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
I'll be waiting with the stone that's in my hand
Stone in my hand, stone in my hand
All the love that's in my heart and the stone that's in my hand
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"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
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"I had all and then most of you"
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speaking about the TRUTH;
People are actually violent in nature, even extremely so, we are pretty much the only species that torture for our own amusement. - Except cats (the household type) but considering that they are been developed by our desire to "domesticate" (control and own living beings as we please) it's not such a big surprise since cats have more self-serving and "selfish" behavior , in opposition to other "domesticated" animals that have pack/herd-oriented behavior.
Of course, we had the thing called self-awareness and centuries to evolve socially and morally, finding ways and technique to redirect and diffuse our basic "negative" emotions and reactions accordingly.
Unfortunately it probably will take much more time until humanity in general will find the "golden road" without treading on the path of ambiguous morality, because for now, everyone just making excuses for fighting. Even those that are considered as the "weak and harmless", 'cause they not really harmless but just lacking the means to be harmful.
Now, about the "Ain't got nothing but the stone that's in my hand" concept of the song — it doesn't portray a harmless person, even if the singer probably aimed for it, it portrays a person who holds in his hand a means to do harm, and with the intention to do harm.
Here something old and biblical: Cain killed Abel with a stone. he picked a stone and hit his brother to death, since his brother's job and life looked a lot easier compared to Cain's and yet God chose Abel's offering for being better than Cain's.
So if we compare this story (no matter that religion you are or not) — Abel represent a real "harmless person" since he didn't expect to be stroked down for something that wasn't his doing (since he acted by the "rules" and god chose who's offering to receive) and didn't harbor an intent to do harm. These types of people exist in either side of a war, people that don't understand why they have to suffer for something that isn't their doing, why they have to suffer from fighter jets and bombs thrown on them or why they have to suffer from suicide-bombers blowing in their shopping mall and missiles crashing onto their houses.
A violent conflict like a war isn't about who's weak and who's strong, since both sides are on offensive and both have their weak (that can be harmed) and strong points (that can be used for hurting others), rooting for the smaller guy don't means you rooting for the right guy and so is the case with rooting for the big guy.
and this is the really sad truth — ideals and morals don't work in such cases since if switch weapons between the guy with the stone and the guy with a gun, would you start to precieve the former gun-holder as "harmless"? Would you still see the current guy holding the gun as someone with "only stone in his hand"? will you see him still as someone "harmless"? even though he will use the gun with his original intent to hurt someone?