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.
"Okay, here we go"
Yeah, I'm afraid, like I'm scared as a dog
But I've got a new song, and I want y'all to sing along
Sing along
See this is the way that we walk on a sunny day
When it's rainin' inside and you're all alone
All alone, yeah!
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
Take a little trip, hater, pack up your mind
Look forward, not behind, then you'll see what you find
I caught a sucker dying 'cause he thought could rhyme
Now if his momma is a quarter, daughter must be a dime
I gotta meet her, don't take no shorts, I don't use abbrevi-
-ation, I don't even play the radio neither
Only if I need to know the sports or the weather
I'm a cool type of brother, but yep, your head I'll sever from the neck
See ain't nothing changed, hit the stage
Set a date, sucker, in battle we can engage
I'll slice you, wife you, marry you, divorce you
Throw the Porsche at you, is what I'm forced to do
With my back against the wall, crack his back, y'all
Naw, it ain't went nowhere like havin' hair with stylin' gel in it
Throw a curl in it
Dread that nappy shit up, throw a shell in it
Whatever floats your boat, or finds your lost remote
And this for them niggas workin' at the airport who got laid off
I take my shades off
If you look straight in my eyes, you still might see a disguise
Because the whole-whole world-world
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
Player, I grind, my focus is crime
Raw with the rhyme, I'm slick with the slime
My words are diamonds dug out a mine
Spit 'em, polish, look how they shine
Glitter, glisten, gloss, floss
I catch a beat running like Randy Moss
Ride that bitch off like a brand new horse
I'm rollin' my stone, gather no moss
Mommy, I'm coming, I hope you get off
Or rock your own boat like Aaliyah, then talk
Back, back, forth, forth
Get that sailor on course, course
Make that track a corpse, corpse
Rap, roll, utterly rocked
With my mouth to the mic and my hand on my cock
Cadillac OutKast, just won't stop
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
Turn on the TV and everything is lookin' dismal
Went in the bathroom medicine cabinet, Pepto-Bismol
Need it for my stomach 'cause my tummy kinda aches
Like a junkie on withdrawal, fresh up off the plate
Wait, back to the enemy of the state
Is the Republicans or Democratic candidate?
Debate, now even the black box hold the fate
Clueless like Shaggy and Scooby befo' commercial break
Hate, extreme prejudice, let's dismiss this
If you want to, you can dub it to your hit list
I know you goin' to, we in this to replenish yo' musical wish list
When it come to this music, we stay relentless
Pursuing all that's pursuable
Doing, God-willing, all things that are doable
The only liable limitation is yourself, Dre
Set it on the right and I'll set it on the left, 'cause
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
Yeah, I'm afraid, like I'm scared as a dog
But I've got a new song, and I want y'all to sing along
Sing along
See this is the way that we walk on a sunny day
When it's rainin' inside and you're all alone
All alone, yeah!
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
Take a little trip, hater, pack up your mind
Look forward, not behind, then you'll see what you find
I caught a sucker dying 'cause he thought could rhyme
Now if his momma is a quarter, daughter must be a dime
I gotta meet her, don't take no shorts, I don't use abbrevi-
-ation, I don't even play the radio neither
Only if I need to know the sports or the weather
I'm a cool type of brother, but yep, your head I'll sever from the neck
See ain't nothing changed, hit the stage
Set a date, sucker, in battle we can engage
I'll slice you, wife you, marry you, divorce you
Throw the Porsche at you, is what I'm forced to do
With my back against the wall, crack his back, y'all
Naw, it ain't went nowhere like havin' hair with stylin' gel in it
Throw a curl in it
Dread that nappy shit up, throw a shell in it
Whatever floats your boat, or finds your lost remote
And this for them niggas workin' at the airport who got laid off
I take my shades off
If you look straight in my eyes, you still might see a disguise
Because the whole-whole world-world
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
Player, I grind, my focus is crime
Raw with the rhyme, I'm slick with the slime
My words are diamonds dug out a mine
Spit 'em, polish, look how they shine
Glitter, glisten, gloss, floss
I catch a beat running like Randy Moss
Ride that bitch off like a brand new horse
I'm rollin' my stone, gather no moss
Mommy, I'm coming, I hope you get off
Or rock your own boat like Aaliyah, then talk
Back, back, forth, forth
Get that sailor on course, course
Make that track a corpse, corpse
Rap, roll, utterly rocked
With my mouth to the mic and my hand on my cock
Cadillac OutKast, just won't stop
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
Turn on the TV and everything is lookin' dismal
Went in the bathroom medicine cabinet, Pepto-Bismol
Need it for my stomach 'cause my tummy kinda aches
Like a junkie on withdrawal, fresh up off the plate
Wait, back to the enemy of the state
Is the Republicans or Democratic candidate?
Debate, now even the black box hold the fate
Clueless like Shaggy and Scooby befo' commercial break
Hate, extreme prejudice, let's dismiss this
If you want to, you can dub it to your hit list
I know you goin' to, we in this to replenish yo' musical wish list
When it come to this music, we stay relentless
Pursuing all that's pursuable
Doing, God-willing, all things that are doable
The only liable limitation is yourself, Dre
Set it on the right and I'll set it on the left, 'cause
'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you're in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah bah-da da!)
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Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
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Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
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.
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.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
I LIKE THE CHORUS!