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.
and when i woke up, i woke up stiff and grey already,
posed in sleep by something half my cells made stone,
wrists and ankles crossed at a vulnerable angle,
and when i woke up, well i woke up alone
as the only fool or pharaoh present,
in a shoddy school museum collection
looted of gold, if there ever was some,
and even the good wood gone
remaining fingers curled around the memory of ra,
left not even with my death mask on,
heart and other organs missing for so long,
features faded and dated in estimation,
and even the good wood gone
drunk off a leak in the ceiling,
some mantra stuck on my lips in vain
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
and when i'm really buried i'll be buried in cleveland,
with a new pair of skis and someone's old set of keys to their car,
and bottom floor apartment door and health club locker,
throw the scent of my true purpose from god and grave robbers
my true purpose which i will have taken the care to have kept hidden
even from myself my whole life
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
already grey and rehearsing my mantra,
left hand gripping hockey stick or cattle prod,
my final futile act of double deception,
aloof and tinged with truth as the best lies are,
as i've always shot pool south paw,
and many of you who knew me saw
posed in sleep by something half my cells made stone,
wrists and ankles crossed at a vulnerable angle,
and when i woke up, well i woke up alone
as the only fool or pharaoh present,
in a shoddy school museum collection
looted of gold, if there ever was some,
and even the good wood gone
remaining fingers curled around the memory of ra,
left not even with my death mask on,
heart and other organs missing for so long,
features faded and dated in estimation,
and even the good wood gone
drunk off a leak in the ceiling,
some mantra stuck on my lips in vain
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
and when i'm really buried i'll be buried in cleveland,
with a new pair of skis and someone's old set of keys to their car,
and bottom floor apartment door and health club locker,
throw the scent of my true purpose from god and grave robbers
my true purpose which i will have taken the care to have kept hidden
even from myself my whole life
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
no flash photography,
already grey and rehearsing my mantra,
left hand gripping hockey stick or cattle prod,
my final futile act of double deception,
aloof and tinged with truth as the best lies are,
as i've always shot pool south paw,
and many of you who knew me saw
Lyrics submitted by shitscold
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"but i am still alive in love and wide eyed in my time not a mummy shrinking in its cloths."
I like to think that in this song he actually is "shrinking in his cloths" per se. In Fatalist Palmistry he says he's in love and wide eyed, maybe he fell out of love, and views things with no opinion - I.E. closed eyes. Just accepts things as he's given. And maybe he feels like he's being suffocated by this.<br /> <br /> Nevertheless. Beautiful song.
It's "half my cells made stone", not "half my selves made stone"
everything up until the first chorus is describing a dream he had. It just sets up the egyptian tomb imagery.
the second verse has him being buried with things that have nothing to do with his life, new pair of skis, etc. hence would "throw the scent of my true purpose from god and grave robbers" The next two lines are basically the message of the song and the point he's getting at.
the last verse elaborates on the second, having him holding a hockey stick or cattle prod, which have nothing to do with his purpose in life. He says "aloof and tinged with truth" refers to the fact his left hand was gripping the stick or prod, and as he "always shot pool south paw", it would make sense that these items would be in his left hand, though the items themselves are misleading.
The song is basically about his sense of purposelessness, or not knowing what his true purpose is.
I believe two lines are wrong: "features faded and baited in estimation" should be "faded and dated"
"a louf intinged with truth as the best lies are" should be "aloof and tinged"
I mean no offense.
The third line should be "wrists and ankles crossed at a vulnerable angle."<br /> <br /> The second line in the last verse should be "left hand gripping hockey stick or cattle prod."<br /> <br /> I also agree with the corrections that the person above me posted
thanks. fixed.
"left hand gripping hockey sticker cattle prod" should be "left hand gripping hockey stick or cattle prod"
Such a folky song and so catchy! I love it. Especially the part where he talks about how he wants to be buried. I just love the way he puts ideas together.
one of the most beautiful songs yoni wolf has ever written. the way he describes things make me tingly.
This is a beautiful song. I saw it as an old pharroh who was reincarnated as someone in our time.
Should be "remaining fingers curled around the memory of Ra"
Ancient Egyptian sun God.
i am hearing it both ways now that you say it.<br /> <br /> anyone else have opinions? i'll change it once someone else weighs in
Pretty sure it's "remaining fingers curled around the memory of a rod." He even alludes to this later in the song when he says "left hand gripping hockey stick or cattle prod," as if one day his remaining fingers will curl the same way."
i always assumed it was "Iraq", but that doesn't really seem to make sense because of yoni's judaic background.<br /> <br /> i think that it is Ra, because of all the ancient egyptian references in the song; the process of embalming, grave robbers, etc.<br /> <br /> "left hand gripping hockey stick or cattle prod" is also a reference to a pharaoh's coffin. <br /> <br />
i feel like james85 is right. i can't imagine it NOT being "rod," especially because of the rod-like items mentioned later in the song: a hockey stick, a cattle prod, and (indirectly) a pool cue.
Yeah mang, it's definitely rod. Why would one's remaining fingers curl around the memory of Ra? That doesn't make any sense. Also, if it is Ra, then he'd be saying, "... around the memory of a Ra." You can clearly hear an "a" before the word in question.
"Rod" makes sense. It refers to the pharaoh's ceremonial crook and flail of ancient Egypt, and as james85 pointed out, the imagery is repeated in the hockey stick/cattle prod.