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.
Ah, hello...Give me missing persons, they said
What is it that you need?
I said oh, I need her so...She said you've
Got to stop your pleading
'Cause no matter what you do,
Even pray to heaven above, ooh
All you'll ever get from her is
Long distance love
I read the papers
And I got the blues
I'm so sad to hear the news
Help wanted, but not enough
You know these times are gettin' rough
'Cause no matter what Ido
Even pray to heaven above
All I ever get from her is long distance love
Woo-oh-ah-ha
You know her toes were so pretty
And her life so sweet
I wonder do she know
Do she she know she hurt me so
'Cause no matter what I do
I even pray to heaven above
All I seem to get from her is
Long distance love
Long distance love
What is it that you need?
I said oh, I need her so...She said you've
Got to stop your pleading
'Cause no matter what you do,
Even pray to heaven above, ooh
All you'll ever get from her is
Long distance love
I read the papers
And I got the blues
I'm so sad to hear the news
Help wanted, but not enough
You know these times are gettin' rough
'Cause no matter what Ido
Even pray to heaven above
All I ever get from her is long distance love
Woo-oh-ah-ha
You know her toes were so pretty
And her life so sweet
I wonder do she know
Do she she know she hurt me so
'Cause no matter what I do
I even pray to heaven above
All I seem to get from her is
Long distance love
Long distance love
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I have two more things to add to my comment -- one is that I think the line after "her toes were so pretty" either is or should be "and her lies (were) so sweet," not "her life so sweet," though I think the lyric shown on the LF album liner notes also says "life." Also, taking the Jackson Browne connection a step further -- when Lowell George died Jackson did a fundraising concert (at least one) for his family, and then on his next album at the time (Holdout) he included a song that was written to Lowell's daughter, and it's called "Of Missing Persons," which I take as a double-entendre reference to this song. The lyrics of that song are clearly about the death of a great musician.