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'm bleeding out
Say if the last thing that I do
Is bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
When the day has come
But I've lost my way around
And the seasons stop and hide beneath the ground
When the sky turns gray
And everything is screaming
I will reach inside
Just to find my heart is beating
You tell me to hold on
Oh you tell me to hold on
But innocence is gone
And what was right is wrong
'Cause I'm bleeding out
Say if the last thing that I do
Is to bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
When the hour is nigh
And hopelessness is sinking in
And the wolves all cry
To feel they're not worth hollering
When your eyes are red
And emptiness is all you know
With the darkness fed
I will be your scarecrow
You tell me to hold on
Oh you tell me to hold on
But innocence is gone
And what was right is wrong
'Cause I'm bleeding out
Say if the last thing that I do
Is to bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you
'Cause I'm bleeding out
Say if the last thing that I do
Is to bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
Say if the last thing that I do
Is bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
When the day has come
But I've lost my way around
And the seasons stop and hide beneath the ground
When the sky turns gray
And everything is screaming
I will reach inside
Just to find my heart is beating
You tell me to hold on
Oh you tell me to hold on
But innocence is gone
And what was right is wrong
'Cause I'm bleeding out
Say if the last thing that I do
Is to bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
When the hour is nigh
And hopelessness is sinking in
And the wolves all cry
To feel they're not worth hollering
When your eyes are red
And emptiness is all you know
With the darkness fed
I will be your scarecrow
You tell me to hold on
Oh you tell me to hold on
But innocence is gone
And what was right is wrong
'Cause I'm bleeding out
Say if the last thing that I do
Is to bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
I'm bleeding out for you
'Cause I'm bleeding out
Say if the last thing that I do
Is to bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you (for you)
Lyrics submitted by BethanyRose, edited by cautionxxx, natstachio, ImagineD, TheC, matthewkb, ImNobody, gb95, SapphireWIng, arktheoverlord, AudioFreak, ESTYMYBESTY, salamanderoj, MycroftJr, PadNalCelestia, swankmuffin99, Shadowninja00, YPMightymouse, zombienerd, tradingmistakes, juliaann35, bloopybopbeatz, Mellow_Harsher, aoifedeborha1
Bleeding Out Lyrics as written by Alexander Junior Grant Joshua Francis Mosser
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
Thee More Shallows
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
FOREWARNING THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS My interpretation : I don't know why but this seriously reminds me of a bad relationship. (in parts) mainly where it says so bring me down I bleed out for you.
there is also the references to self harm, which you can really notice in the lyrics So I bear my skin Count my sins (thinks about everything, which generally follows into the mood of self harm) Close my eyes and take it all in (your arm (etc) is hurting like mad and you immediately feel slightly better, having that slight distraction from your thoughts which is the main problem) .
This is taken from what it means to me, and though this is probably not very accurate, but well it is My Interpretation.