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.
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Now the dark days are gone and the bright days are here and my sunny side shines
Come on man, not your same old shit
I’ve been living steady wobbling on the edge
Chasing life around in circles trying to decompress my head
I feel it get intense, choose to break my bread and spread it around
Take my every single thought into this pen and jot it down
'Cause it’s the truth to me, you should see
It’s all that ever helped
Held my shattered world together when I knocked it off the shelf into the blackness
Tripping over broken hearts and homes and getting close enough to turn that kid inside of me to stone
And I’ll admit it, cause I was never taught to give it up
Sailed an ocean full of drug addicted misincouraged blood
Without a paddle
It took a lot of faith to fight my battles and tackle a couple of habits I never thought that
I’d have to
But did, bottle the water under the bridge and toss another written page of my history to the wind
When it blows, cause all of this disaster has lead me home and left a lot of room for me to learn to grow
Yeah you are not alone
Grab hold of yourself, I know what it’s like to get blown away
I know you, that
You’ve done your dirt and you’ve dug your graves and it feels like it won’t be saved
I say grab hold yourself and face those days when you feel like it always rains
I’ve seen the sunny side of hell, that which I never
Thought I’d find for myself
Never thought I’d find for myself
Not your same old song
I’ve been writing on a mirror with a razor blade
And chased away the devil in my brain that played me like a spade
Cause day today, painted jaded faith issues a shade of gray
And cowered, hid behind emotion just to pay it safe
A pawn, slowly turning victim to my wrongs
I had to wake up all alone to finally figure out my wants
In the house of haunted love the past will keep me warned and explain me
Even if you’re listening through the storm
I found a purpose and if you heard this then sit it down
Pick its brain until it opens up and redirects the sound
The conductor, frozen thunder rumbling through the ground
With a perfect little twist of that suit of armor
And crown
You created, built for denying it
Hiding the cuts and bruises due to the self-inflicted bone crushing anxiety
I’m with you, so understand that all of this within you
Has chiselled you a flower out of stone
Yeah you are not alone
Grab hold of yourself, I know what it’s like to get blown away
I know you, that
You’ve done your dirt and you’ve dug your graves and it feels like it won’t be saved
I say grab hold yourself and face those days when you feel like it always rains
I’ve seen the sunny side of hell, that which I never
Thought I’d find for myself
Never thought I’d find for myself
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Now the dark days are gone and the bright days are here and my sunny side shines
Come on man, not your same old shit
I’ve been living steady wobbling on the edge
Chasing life around in circles trying to decompress my head
I feel it get intense, choose to break my bread and spread it around
Take my every single thought into this pen and jot it down
'Cause it’s the truth to me, you should see
It’s all that ever helped
Held my shattered world together when I knocked it off the shelf into the blackness
Tripping over broken hearts and homes and getting close enough to turn that kid inside of me to stone
And I’ll admit it, cause I was never taught to give it up
Sailed an ocean full of drug addicted misincouraged blood
Without a paddle
It took a lot of faith to fight my battles and tackle a couple of habits I never thought that
I’d have to
But did, bottle the water under the bridge and toss another written page of my history to the wind
When it blows, cause all of this disaster has lead me home and left a lot of room for me to learn to grow
Yeah you are not alone
Grab hold of yourself, I know what it’s like to get blown away
I know you, that
You’ve done your dirt and you’ve dug your graves and it feels like it won’t be saved
I say grab hold yourself and face those days when you feel like it always rains
I’ve seen the sunny side of hell, that which I never
Thought I’d find for myself
Never thought I’d find for myself
Not your same old song
I’ve been writing on a mirror with a razor blade
And chased away the devil in my brain that played me like a spade
Cause day today, painted jaded faith issues a shade of gray
And cowered, hid behind emotion just to pay it safe
A pawn, slowly turning victim to my wrongs
I had to wake up all alone to finally figure out my wants
In the house of haunted love the past will keep me warned and explain me
Even if you’re listening through the storm
I found a purpose and if you heard this then sit it down
Pick its brain until it opens up and redirects the sound
The conductor, frozen thunder rumbling through the ground
With a perfect little twist of that suit of armor
And crown
You created, built for denying it
Hiding the cuts and bruises due to the self-inflicted bone crushing anxiety
I’m with you, so understand that all of this within you
Has chiselled you a flower out of stone
Yeah you are not alone
Grab hold of yourself, I know what it’s like to get blown away
I know you, that
You’ve done your dirt and you’ve dug your graves and it feels like it won’t be saved
I say grab hold yourself and face those days when you feel like it always rains
I’ve seen the sunny side of hell, that which I never
Thought I’d find for myself
Never thought I’d find for myself
Lyrics submitted by Mainsteve66
Sunny Side of Hell Lyrics as written by Joshua Karp Bobby Hebb
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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