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.
They were looking for me when I came to
They were looking for me when I came back
Said "Hey you, you're looking very suspicious"
I said "Relax, man, get off my back"
I said "Relax, man, get off my back"
I, I, I ain't opposed to seeking justice
But you're going about it all wrong
The man you're looking for does not exist
He's just a figment of the higher man's tongue
And they say "Open up, we're coming inside
You can't run so you may as well hide
We got the place covered from head to toe
Head to toe
Open up, we're coming inside
What's it feel like to know you're gonna die
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road"
Yeah so they took me down to the gallows
And this boy, he say to me
"Why do you smile when the rope's around your neck"
I say "I'll tell you boy when I get back"
I say "I'll tell you boy when I get back"
I, I, I ain't opposed to seeking justice
But you're going about it all wrong
The man you're looking for does not exist
He's just a figment of the higher man's tongue
He's just a victim of the higher man's song
And they say open up, we're coming inside
You can't run so you may as well hide
We got the place covered from head to toe
Head to toe
Open up, we're coming inside
What's it feel like to know you're gonna die
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the... road
Hands above your head
Que la vie bien
Step out of line and we'll fill you with lead
How are we to know that you are not a liar, hey
Don't you see we have a job to do
And our job is the law
Job is the law
You fit the description of a criminal crosser, hey
We believe that he is you and that is your flaw
That is your flaw
That is your flaw
That is your flaw
That is your flaw
And they say open up, we're coming inside
You can't run so you may as well hide
We got the place covered from head to toe
Head to toe
Open up, we're coming inside
What's it feel like to know you're gonna die
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
They were looking for me when I came back
Said "Hey you, you're looking very suspicious"
I said "Relax, man, get off my back"
I said "Relax, man, get off my back"
I, I, I ain't opposed to seeking justice
But you're going about it all wrong
The man you're looking for does not exist
He's just a figment of the higher man's tongue
And they say "Open up, we're coming inside
You can't run so you may as well hide
We got the place covered from head to toe
Head to toe
Open up, we're coming inside
What's it feel like to know you're gonna die
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road"
Yeah so they took me down to the gallows
And this boy, he say to me
"Why do you smile when the rope's around your neck"
I say "I'll tell you boy when I get back"
I say "I'll tell you boy when I get back"
I, I, I ain't opposed to seeking justice
But you're going about it all wrong
The man you're looking for does not exist
He's just a figment of the higher man's tongue
He's just a victim of the higher man's song
And they say open up, we're coming inside
You can't run so you may as well hide
We got the place covered from head to toe
Head to toe
Open up, we're coming inside
What's it feel like to know you're gonna die
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the... road
Hands above your head
Que la vie bien
Step out of line and we'll fill you with lead
How are we to know that you are not a liar, hey
Don't you see we have a job to do
And our job is the law
Job is the law
You fit the description of a criminal crosser, hey
We believe that he is you and that is your flaw
That is your flaw
That is your flaw
That is your flaw
That is your flaw
And they say open up, we're coming inside
You can't run so you may as well hide
We got the place covered from head to toe
Head to toe
Open up, we're coming inside
What's it feel like to know you're gonna die
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
On the other side of the road
Lyrics submitted by dragonflower44
Open Up Lyrics as written by Charles Joseph
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Love in a Vacuum
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Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Your all wrong, every last one of you. I know this sounds a little strong at first but it is true, why isn't anyone mentioning the line "the other side of the row"? At first i thought like everybody else who has heard this song its about police abusing authority and somebody wrongfully accused. I knew it had to be deeper so I looked into it. It is about SLAVERY PEOPLE, SLAVERY!!!! Its about the slave ships to be more specific. A slave must be trying to escape from the ship and has cornered himself in a compartment or something, and the authority on the ship is saying, "open up man you cant run, you may as well hide we are going to get you and kill you anyway." "On the other side of the row" some slaves rowed the ships, in the song they are taking the perspective of the people rowing the ships as opposed to the people whipping. "The man your looking for is a figment of the higher mans tounge" Took me awhile but what that means is somebody in higher authority just said "ok these people are black they are less of a man than us lets make them our slaves" But thats not the truth, because nobody in the world is less of a person because of the color of their skin. The man (slave) they are looking for is just made up by higher authority. Now the infamous verse about him being taken to the gallows i am still working on, that is a tough one. I mean I guess he is getting hanged for trying to escape, but when the boy asked him he his smiling, his reply i dont have fully understood yet. Now this slave is speaking the whole song basically, and the second to last verse, is a retort by the authority. They are saying "no matter what you say the law is given out by higher authority and we are just doing our job, and that job is to take care of people like you. That is your flaw, you may make a good point, but you cant argue the law, and that is your flaw in your argument.
its other side of the road...not row
lol.. here goes this whole "SLAVERY PEOPLE, SLAVERY!!!!" down the drain with just half a line of a comment, should have studied your lyrics better MR. ShFalco<br /> especially with VERY cocky intro such as "Your all wrong, every last one of you" and "I knew it had to be deeper so I looked into it" - which you obviously didn
t.<br /> <br /> you should be thankful Liopleurodon was courteous enough to just point out your mistake and not your foolishness. <br /> <br /> and since i would not have replied just to make fun of you, here is my opinion of this songs meaning, which is also a little different than what was written here so far:<br /> <br /> i personally think this song is about drugs, and not those hardcore stuff like Heroein and all, but the light ones such as marijuana and hash or whatever each of you guys calls it where he lives...<br /> <br /> to me it gives the vibe of a dude sitting inside his house, smoking weed or whatever, when the police closes in on the house, wanting to arrest him.<br /> <br /> "you can't run so you may as well hide" - any situation where a man is cornered could fit with this so it has little importance for the songs meaning, its just used to describe the scene.<br /> <br /> <br /> i think this is a wide metaphor used to shiw that the authorities are abusing their force and getting into our lives even when were just sitting at home doing what we want and hurting no one, but its their job to arrest and punish us just because their job is the law, which is dictated by the higher mans tongue, thats why we are a victims of the "higher mans tongue" - though we've done nothing wrong but breaking the laws he invented.<br /> <br /> the thing with the kid and gallows to me is just used to describe the police as a bunch of mindless puppets "just doing their job" without thinking whether its right or wrong, he describes this "kid" probably a young police man or a rookie thats there while he is arrested, asking him why is he smiling (coz he just got caught).<br /> except for the obvious reason some of you might have thought of in this context - that he is just high and happy, i personally think he is smiling because he knows he has done nothing wrong and that the people bursting in to arrest and judge him are just ignorant puppets of the authorities, i think that the part about "ill tell you boy when i get back" means either he knows he's done nothing wrong and will be back to doing it, or he just knows he's going to jail (and that he's not actually going to be executed) and he will get out soon coz its not really such a crime. the rope is this case is a metaphor for getting caught (or handcuffs, but i think its less likely)<br /> <br /> i think this whole situation looks ridiculous to him as if he is such a big criminal for doing whatever he wants in his home, without hurting anyone, and the police treats him as if he's a terrorist, covering the place with police forces from head to toe just to get him for smoking pot..<br /> <br /> <br /> to me the first two verses basically mean: "dudes WTF ive done nothing wrong open you're eyes, this is not real justice, get off my back, go catch some real criminals"<br /> <br /> btw, i just thought about it and taking him down to the gallows might just as well be the police station downtown or the courthouse where he will be judged or whatever.<br /> <br /> oh and i believe i forgot to mention: this song is awesome<br /> <br /> thats it, I'm done.