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.
Oh God, God, she's really done it now,
Coked up, her body's all spun around,
Oh yeah, yeah, she's really done it,
And seein' her just isn't something I can stomach,
Back it up, back it up,
If you talkin' shit to me,
Smack it up, smack it up,
If you act a bitch to me,
Stack it up, stack it up,
If you fuckin' rich as me,
My daddy owns a dealership,
The rest is fuckin' history
This ain't a love song (oh no),
This ain't a broken heart homie singin' only 'cause he's lonely,
This ain't a love song (oh, no, no, no),
This ain't a whiskey-drowned ballad,
There ain't nothing here that's valid,
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
I can't do it alone,
I can't do it alone,
No, I can't do it alone
Oh no, no, I'm not impressed with you,
Pink drinks that seem to get the best of you,
Rock late and sleep until the sun sets,
I'd talk but you took the tongue I talk with
Back it up, back it up,
If you talkin' shit to me,
Smack it up, smack it up,
If you act a bitch to me,
Stack it up, stack it up,
If you fuckin' rich as me,
My daddy owns a dealership,
The rest is fuckin' history
This ain't a love song (oh no),
This ain't a broken heart homie singin' only 'cause he's lonely,
This ain't a love song (oh, no, no, no),
This ain't a whiskey-drowned ballad,
There ain't nothing here that's valid,
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
I can't do it alone,
I can't do it alone,
No, I can't do it alone
I can call you out and complain the rain is worse,
But it's that much better if I blame it on a person,
I can call you out and complain the rain is worse,
But it's that much better if I blame it on a person
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
Coked up, her body's all spun around,
Oh yeah, yeah, she's really done it,
And seein' her just isn't something I can stomach,
Back it up, back it up,
If you talkin' shit to me,
Smack it up, smack it up,
If you act a bitch to me,
Stack it up, stack it up,
If you fuckin' rich as me,
My daddy owns a dealership,
The rest is fuckin' history
This ain't a love song (oh no),
This ain't a broken heart homie singin' only 'cause he's lonely,
This ain't a love song (oh, no, no, no),
This ain't a whiskey-drowned ballad,
There ain't nothing here that's valid,
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
I can't do it alone,
I can't do it alone,
No, I can't do it alone
Oh no, no, I'm not impressed with you,
Pink drinks that seem to get the best of you,
Rock late and sleep until the sun sets,
I'd talk but you took the tongue I talk with
Back it up, back it up,
If you talkin' shit to me,
Smack it up, smack it up,
If you act a bitch to me,
Stack it up, stack it up,
If you fuckin' rich as me,
My daddy owns a dealership,
The rest is fuckin' history
This ain't a love song (oh no),
This ain't a broken heart homie singin' only 'cause he's lonely,
This ain't a love song (oh, no, no, no),
This ain't a whiskey-drowned ballad,
There ain't nothing here that's valid,
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
I can't do it alone,
I can't do it alone,
No, I can't do it alone
I can call you out and complain the rain is worse,
But it's that much better if I blame it on a person,
I can call you out and complain the rain is worse,
But it's that much better if I blame it on a person
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
So tell me baby, pretty baby, that this house is not a graveyard,
Tell me how to stay strong and carry you home,
Over corpses of her long-lost fathers and her unborn daughters,
God dammit, I just can't do it alone
Lyrics submitted by kmk_natasha
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