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.
You keepin on a holdin',
A holdin' on a keepin,
No giving into taking more but still still feedin',
You keepin on a holdin',
A-holdin' on a-keepin,
No giving into taking more but still still feedin',
You're clearly disturbed,
All you want is allegiance
Hear them what you saw
You hear them what you saw
You hear them what you saw
You hear them with believin'
Oh holy holy water washing over the soul
Collecting all the people you love to sing you a song
Even if they stick to humming
Holding on a song to see them
When you're really sick-a sick-a sick of love
Leaving with their heart
To shape them within
Even if they stay to running
Hold 'em on the soul, believing
Till you wanna stick-a stick-a stick to love
When you went down, the men came callin'
Changing to stone as you wept from fallin
When you went down, the men came callin'
Speaking in tongues we've all been summoned.
Ride, you wait to hug the shoal, you hate the thought, you're so-so.
You seem so dark to cry.
Oh, we're ready, honey
I got all the skills
You've given all our love for you
Everything you taught me honey
It never even mattered, really
It's all about my love for you
With you in my head
With you in my head
With you in my head
When you went down, the men came callin'
Faded in stone as you wept from fallin
When you went down, the men came callin'
Singing in tongues, it makes things summoned.
Oh, we're ready, honey
I got all the skills
You've given all our love for you
Everything you taught me honey
It never even mattered, really
It's all about my love for you
I hope that I'm ready, honey
I got all the skills
You've given all our love for you
Everything you taught me honey
It never even mattered, really
It's all about my love for you
A holdin' on a keepin,
No giving into taking more but still still feedin',
You keepin on a holdin',
A-holdin' on a-keepin,
No giving into taking more but still still feedin',
You're clearly disturbed,
All you want is allegiance
Hear them what you saw
You hear them what you saw
You hear them what you saw
You hear them with believin'
Oh holy holy water washing over the soul
Collecting all the people you love to sing you a song
Even if they stick to humming
Holding on a song to see them
When you're really sick-a sick-a sick of love
Leaving with their heart
To shape them within
Even if they stay to running
Hold 'em on the soul, believing
Till you wanna stick-a stick-a stick to love
When you went down, the men came callin'
Changing to stone as you wept from fallin
When you went down, the men came callin'
Speaking in tongues we've all been summoned.
Ride, you wait to hug the shoal, you hate the thought, you're so-so.
You seem so dark to cry.
Oh, we're ready, honey
I got all the skills
You've given all our love for you
Everything you taught me honey
It never even mattered, really
It's all about my love for you
With you in my head
With you in my head
With you in my head
When you went down, the men came callin'
Faded in stone as you wept from fallin
When you went down, the men came callin'
Singing in tongues, it makes things summoned.
Oh, we're ready, honey
I got all the skills
You've given all our love for you
Everything you taught me honey
It never even mattered, really
It's all about my love for you
I hope that I'm ready, honey
I got all the skills
You've given all our love for you
Everything you taught me honey
It never even mattered, really
It's all about my love for you
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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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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This may seem weird to me, this song can be the perspective of a family member of a person who is possed by something, like a deamon or something. The deamon is holding them and they try to use holy water to get rid of it. It doesn't have to be a daemon but thats just what the 'holy water' lyric made me think of, it could be any type of vice or addiction that has a hold over someone.
"You keepin' on a holdin' Holdin' on a-keepin' No givin' into takin' more But still, still feedin' Completely disturbed All you want is allegiance Hear them what you saw You hear them what you saw You hear them what you saw You hit 'em with believin' Holy, holy water washin' over the soul"
To me it seems like the person who is dealing with this addiction is ready to give up on life, but the love of the people around them keeps them wanting to 'stick to love' or keep living even when it gets hard.
Collecting all the people you love to sing you a song Even if they stick to humming Holding on a song to see them When you're really sick-a sick-a sick of love Leaving with their heart To shape them within Even if they stay to running Hold 'em on the soul, believing Till you wanna stick-a stick-a stick to love
All they they are doing to help this person is out of there love for that person. .. they are doing it all to get the person they love back.
Oh, we're ready, honey I got all the skills You've given all our love for you Everything you taught me honey It never even mattered, really It's all of our love for you
With you in my head With you in my head With you in my head
When you went down, the men came callin' Faded in stone as you wept from fallin When you went down, the men came callin' Singing in tongues, it makes things summoned.