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.
Bell on door clang, come on in
Floyd observes my hairy chin
Sit down chair, don't be afraid
Steamed hot towel on my face
I was shaved
I was shaved
I was shaved
Barney ties me to the chair
I can't see, I'm really scared
Floyd breathes hard, I hear a zip
Pee-pee pressed against my lips
I was shamed
I was shamed
I was shamed
I sense others in the room
Opie, Aunt Bee, I presume
They take turns and cut me up
I die smothered in aunt Bee's muff
I was shamed
I was shamed
I was shamed
Floyd observes my hairy chin
Sit down chair, don't be afraid
Steamed hot towel on my face
I was shaved
I was shaved
I was shaved
Barney ties me to the chair
I can't see, I'm really scared
Floyd breathes hard, I hear a zip
Pee-pee pressed against my lips
I was shamed
I was shamed
I was shamed
I sense others in the room
Opie, Aunt Bee, I presume
They take turns and cut me up
I die smothered in aunt Bee's muff
I was shamed
I was shamed
I was shamed
Lyrics submitted by justinjtp, edited by Mellow_Harsher, Bennyshambles, LHGL
Floyd the Barber Lyrics as written by Kurt Cobain
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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!
It's not necessarily a girl being raped in this song; it's the narrator and/or listener, it's Cobain himself... shit, it could even be Gomer Pyle. This song is not some socially-conscious anti-rape anthem, it's a slightly juvenile/genius/disturbing satire of The Andy Griffith Show.