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.
Suddenly something has happened to me
As I was having my cup of tea
Suddenly I was feeling depressed
I was utterly and totally stressed
Do you know you made me cry? Whoa oh oh
Do you know you made me die?
And the thing that gets to me
Is you'll never really see
And the thing that freaks me out
Is I'll always be in doubt
It is a lovely thing that we have
It is a lovely thing that we
It is a lovely thing, the animal
The animal instinct
Woo hoo hoo
Woo hoo hoo
Woo hoo hoo ooh
So take my hands and come with me
We will change reality
So take my hands and we will pray
They won't take you away
They will never make me cry, no oh whoa
They will never make me die
And the thing that gets to me
Is you'll never really see
And the thing that freaks me out
Is I'll always be in doubt
The animal, the animal, the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, the animal, the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, it's the animal
It's the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, it's the animal, it's the animal instinct in me
The animal, the animal
The animal instinct in me
It's the animal, it's the animal, it's the animal instinct in me
As I was having my cup of tea
Suddenly I was feeling depressed
I was utterly and totally stressed
Do you know you made me cry? Whoa oh oh
Do you know you made me die?
And the thing that gets to me
Is you'll never really see
And the thing that freaks me out
Is I'll always be in doubt
It is a lovely thing that we have
It is a lovely thing that we
It is a lovely thing, the animal
The animal instinct
Woo hoo hoo
Woo hoo hoo
Woo hoo hoo ooh
So take my hands and come with me
We will change reality
So take my hands and we will pray
They won't take you away
They will never make me cry, no oh whoa
They will never make me die
And the thing that gets to me
Is you'll never really see
And the thing that freaks me out
Is I'll always be in doubt
The animal, the animal, the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, the animal, the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, it's the animal
It's the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, it's the animal, it's the animal instinct in me
The animal, the animal
The animal instinct in me
It's the animal, it's the animal, it's the animal instinct in me
Lyrics submitted by spitfirek7
Animal Instinct Lyrics as written by Dolores Mary O'riordan Noel Anthony Hogan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song doesn't necessarily need to be about a mother protecting her baby or a relationship between a male and a female. This song can imply quite a lot. It's basically about the animal instinct that we all that. That we all live by. To me, this song is about going by my animal instincts even though I might doubt them. And currently, all I need is to abide by them.