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.
I met a man of two feet tall
This man was quite ambitious
In a world that is so vicious
To us all
I said "hi"
As he replied
He said listen to these words that I have lived by my whole life
You're only as tall
As your heart will let you be
And you're only as small
As the world will make you seem
And when the going gets rough
And you feel like you may fall
Just look on the bright side
You're roughly six feet tall
I met a man of twelve feet tall
He toward like a giant
In a world that was defiant of his height
I said "hi"
As he replied
He said listen to these words that I have dreaded my whole life
You're only as tall
As your heart will let you be
And you're only as small
As the world will make you seem
And when the going gets rough
And you feel like you may fall
Just look on the bright side
You're roughly six feet tall
I am a man of six feet tall
Just looking for some answers
In a world that answers none of them at all
I'll say "hi"
But not reply
To the letters that you write
Because I found some piece of mind
Cause I'm only as tall
As my heart will let me be
And I'm only as small
As the world will make me seem
And when the going gets rough
And I feel like I may fall
I'll look on the bright side
I'm roughly six feet tall
This man was quite ambitious
In a world that is so vicious
To us all
I said "hi"
As he replied
He said listen to these words that I have lived by my whole life
You're only as tall
As your heart will let you be
And you're only as small
As the world will make you seem
And when the going gets rough
And you feel like you may fall
Just look on the bright side
You're roughly six feet tall
I met a man of twelve feet tall
He toward like a giant
In a world that was defiant of his height
I said "hi"
As he replied
He said listen to these words that I have dreaded my whole life
You're only as tall
As your heart will let you be
And you're only as small
As the world will make you seem
And when the going gets rough
And you feel like you may fall
Just look on the bright side
You're roughly six feet tall
I am a man of six feet tall
Just looking for some answers
In a world that answers none of them at all
I'll say "hi"
But not reply
To the letters that you write
Because I found some piece of mind
Cause I'm only as tall
As my heart will let me be
And I'm only as small
As the world will make me seem
And when the going gets rough
And I feel like I may fall
I'll look on the bright side
I'm roughly six feet tall
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I think it's showing not only do you get to chose to be what height you want to be, but that everyone, no matter how good they have it in life, they always see themselves short of something. they always want to be in a kind of balance, not too tall, ot too short. the guy who was six feet didn't like being six feet and thought that people who said he got to chose to be what he wanted inlife, didn't understand him at all because he couldn't just shrink down to the size he wanted to be. the guy who was 2 feet, felt like he needed to do extra to make up for what he lacked. him in the end, being actually 6feet, felt like he if he shouldn't worry about how tall or how short he was because he found his piece of mind, he couldn't care about who was suffering or else it would make him discomforted, ignorance is bliss.