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.
Can't remember anything at all
Flame trees line the streets
Can't remember anything at all
But I'm driving my car down to Geneva
I've been sitting in my basement patio
Aye it was hot up above
Girls walk past, their roses all in bloom
Have you ever heard about the Higgs Boson Blues?
I'm going down to Geneva, baby
Gonna teach it to you
Who cares?
Who cares what the future brings?
Black road long and I drove and drove
And came upon a crossroad
The night was hot and black
I see Robert Johnson with a 10-dollar guitar
Strapped to his back looking for a tomb
Ah, well here comes Lucifer with his canon law
And a hundred black babies running from his genocidal jaw
He got the real killer groove
Robert Johnson and the devil, man
Don't know who is gonna rip off who
Driving my car, flame trees on fire
Sitting and singing the Higgs Boson Blues
I'm tired, I'm looking for a spot to drop
All the clocks have stopped
In Memphis now in the Lorraine Motel
It's hot, it's hot - that's why they call it the Hot Spot
I take a room with a view
Hear a man preaching in a language that's completely new, yeah
And making the hot cocks in the flophouse bleed
While the cleaning ladies sob into their mops
And a bellhop hops and bops
A shot rings out to a spiritual groove
Everybody bleeding to that Higgs Boson Blues
And if I die tonight
Bury me in my favorite yellow patent leather shoes
With a mummified cat and a cone-like hat
That the caliphate forced on the Jews
Ah, can you feel my heartbeat?
Can you feel my heartbeat?
Hannah Montana does the African Savannah
As the simulated rainy season begins
She curses the queue at the Zulu's
And moves on to Amazonia
And cries with the dolphins
Mau Mau ate the pygmy
The pygmy ate the monkey
The monkey has a gift
That he is sending back to you
Look, here comes the missionary
With his smallpox and flu
He's saving them, the savages
With his Higgs Boson Blues
I'm driving my car down to Geneva
I'm driving my car down to Geneva
Oh let the damn day break
The rainy days always make me sad
Miley Cyrus floats in a swimming pool in Toluca Lake
And you're the best girl I've ever had
Can't remember anything at all
Flame trees line the streets
Can't remember anything at all
But I'm driving my car down to Geneva
I've been sitting in my basement patio
Aye it was hot up above
Girls walk past, their roses all in bloom
Have you ever heard about the Higgs Boson Blues?
I'm going down to Geneva, baby
Gonna teach it to you
Who cares?
Who cares what the future brings?
Black road long and I drove and drove
And came upon a crossroad
The night was hot and black
I see Robert Johnson with a 10-dollar guitar
Strapped to his back looking for a tomb
Ah, well here comes Lucifer with his canon law
And a hundred black babies running from his genocidal jaw
He got the real killer groove
Robert Johnson and the devil, man
Don't know who is gonna rip off who
Driving my car, flame trees on fire
Sitting and singing the Higgs Boson Blues
I'm tired, I'm looking for a spot to drop
All the clocks have stopped
In Memphis now in the Lorraine Motel
It's hot, it's hot - that's why they call it the Hot Spot
I take a room with a view
Hear a man preaching in a language that's completely new, yeah
And making the hot cocks in the flophouse bleed
While the cleaning ladies sob into their mops
And a bellhop hops and bops
A shot rings out to a spiritual groove
Everybody bleeding to that Higgs Boson Blues
And if I die tonight
Bury me in my favorite yellow patent leather shoes
With a mummified cat and a cone-like hat
That the caliphate forced on the Jews
Ah, can you feel my heartbeat?
Can you feel my heartbeat?
Hannah Montana does the African Savannah
As the simulated rainy season begins
She curses the queue at the Zulu's
And moves on to Amazonia
And cries with the dolphins
Mau Mau ate the pygmy
The pygmy ate the monkey
The monkey has a gift
That he is sending back to you
Look, here comes the missionary
With his smallpox and flu
He's saving them, the savages
With his Higgs Boson Blues
I'm driving my car down to Geneva
I'm driving my car down to Geneva
Oh let the damn day break
The rainy days always make me sad
Miley Cyrus floats in a swimming pool in Toluca Lake
And you're the best girl I've ever had
Can't remember anything at all
Lyrics submitted by smallwonderrobot, edited by DrunkFly, dickymoore
Higgs Boson Blues Lyrics as written by Warren Ellis Nicholas Cave
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Higgs Boson Blues"
Higgs Boson particle (aka God particle) is the very fundamental particle that explain many things. It has been discovered in CERN lab in Geneva. In these lyrics we can see it as a metaphor of the God. Blues is referring to the Blues music and at the same time to sadness. So I interpret the title as : The sad God. Why he is sad? We'll see in the rest of the lyrics
Can't remember anything at all Flame trees line the streets Can't remember anything at all But I'm driving my car down to Geneva
Driving car to Geneva, where the God (Boson Particle) has been discovered. In other words, he is searching for the God. I like to see god as being that has the answer to everything. Answer to all our needs and our question. An escape from the darkness. And he wants to find that God.
I've been sitting in my basement patio Aye, it was hot Up above, girls walk past, the roses all in bloom Have you ever heard about the Higgs Boson blues I'm goin' down to Geneva baby, gonna teach it to you
We can see two side in this world. One is sad and dark one because you can see the beyond of the meaningless circle of life. And the other one is bright, and blooming. Belongs to the people in modern world who are enjoying their superficial life. Then he mentions the sad God. And he wants to teach it to the people that, meaninglessly, are living up above. We'll see his teaching in the reminder of the lyrics.
Who cares, who cares what the future brings? Black road long and I drove and drove I came upon a crossroad The night was hot and black I see Robert Johnson, With a ten dollar guitar strapped to his back, Lookin' for a tune
He, again, mentions that the world is dark and he is seeking a meaning, a real light in this darkness by driving to Geneva (God's place). On his way he sees Rober Johnson, which according to Eric Clapton was the most influential Blues guitarist. There's myth about Johnson says he sold his soul to the Lucifer in order to become a great blues musician. So here R. Johnson is going to meet Lucifer in order to make a deal with him.
Well here comes Lucifer, With his canon law, And a hundred black babies runnin' from his genocidal jaw He got the real killer groove Robert Johnson and the devil man Don't know who's gonna rip off who
So here's the confrontation of the Lucifer and Johnson. But in the Cave's version seems he is not going to sell his soul to the devil. And there's a fight between them. His miraculous music, for sure, is from something divine, from heaven. How it is possible to acquire this divine music from Lucifer?
It's noteworthy that Johnson died because he drunk a poisonous wine. Who poisoned the wine? A jealous husband whom Johnson flirted with his wife. We can see this matter also as a fight between him and Lucifer. Lucifer finally killed him with the help of a temptation and a jealous husband. –-----
Driving my car, flame trees on fire Sitting and singin' the Higgs Boson blues, I'm tired, I'm lookin' for a spot to drop All the clocks have stopped in Memphis now In the Lorraine Motel, it's hot, it's hot That's why they call it the Hot Spot I take a room with a view
Again, he sees the world as a dark hell. In many Biblical notes hell described as a lake of dark fire. And he is driving, driving toward the place where they discovered the God. Why the earth we live in is like a dark hell? Here he mentions one reason: It was on this earth, in Lorraine Motel at Memphis, where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. An innocent individual, warrior of the lightness, who was looking for freedom and equality bled to the death there.
Hannah Montana does the African Savannah As the simulated rainy season begins She curses the queue at the Zulus And moves on to Amazonia And cries with the dolphins Mama ate the pygmy The pygmy ate the monkey The monkey has a gift that he is sending back to you Look here comes the missionary With his smallpox and flu He's saving them savages With his Higgs Boson Blues I'm driving my car down to Geneva I'm driving my car down to Geneva
Here we can see a comparison of that superficial meaningless modern world and the sad reality on other side of this planet. Hannah Montana might be the best symbol of the corporate-created superficial celebrity. She does African rain dance and the result a meaningless simulated rain. She cries for the dolphins. But they are fake as crocodile tears. This modern life, which she is a very symbol of, is the main reason of dolphins' death.
Here, he focuses on how AIDS firstly created because of poverty of the poor people of the Africa. I think he regards himself as the missionary. A messionary that makes you sick. He opens you eyes to the dark sad truth. With his Higgs Boson Blues. With the sad reality he carries with himself. (Remember, I said God is the being that has the answers, that has the reality).
So we search for the God. Maybe he can save us from this dark hell of a world. But the reality is "God Blues" himself. He wasn't sad if he could offer a solution.
Oh let the damn day break The rainy days always make me sad Miley Cyrus floats in a swimming pool in Toluca Lake And you're the best girl I've ever had Can't remember anything at all
And again happy people up above are swimming in their pool. And they don't care about the sad part of the world. But who he sees the darkness, crimes, and inhumanity. And cares, belongs to the dark basement, Down here. Let's drive to Geneva. Who knows maybe we can find something maybe we can change something....
@amin77 the far best interpretation, the one i was looking for, thanks a lot
@nyuhanC Thanks, you can see the updated version in my blog: goo.gl/MNGXZW