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.
One fine day in my odd past
I picked me up a transmission
I turned the fission ignition
Went lookin' for the broadcaster
And when I first touched some ground
They simply told me to leave
Was kinda hard to believe
'Cause there was no one around
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
I had a talented wine
That land of classical gas
And on the planet of glass
They send ya skippin' through time
I got to somewhere renowned
For its canals and the color of red
Lots of guys who shook their heads
Rhythmically to resound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't no rock and roll town (this ain't the planet)
This ain't no fuckin' around (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
I met a guy in a rover
He said it's one more over
It's just there where you're bound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
I picked me up a transmission
I turned the fission ignition
Went lookin' for the broadcaster
And when I first touched some ground
They simply told me to leave
Was kinda hard to believe
'Cause there was no one around
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
I had a talented wine
That land of classical gas
And on the planet of glass
They send ya skippin' through time
I got to somewhere renowned
For its canals and the color of red
Lots of guys who shook their heads
Rhythmically to resound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't no rock and roll town (this ain't the planet)
This ain't no fuckin' around (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
I met a guy in a rover
He said it's one more over
It's just there where you're bound
This ain't the planet of sound
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
This ain't the planet of sound (this ain't the planet)
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The Spy
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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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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.
I'd like to stop smoking pot, but I'm just too terrified of becoming a self-righteous git who cannot spell "gets".....