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.
I have a tale to tell
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warmth she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from me
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
To go very far
How would they hear the beating of my heart
Will it grow cold
The secret that I hide, will I grow old
How will they hear
When will they learn
How will they know
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warmth she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from me
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
To go very far
How would they hear the beating of my heart
Will it grow cold
The secret that I hide, will I grow old
How will they hear
When will they learn
How will they know
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'til then
It will burn inside of me
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Live To Tell Lyrics as written by Patrick Leonard Madonna Ciccone
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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!
As Necronic states, this song was in the movie At Close Range, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was written with the same meaning as the movie's meaning (but it could & there are a lot of similarities). In the end of the movie, Sean Penn's character does have the chace to tell the secret to the court that is hearing the trial against his father. And he does tell.
I also think abuse fits in well w/ this song. As far as the "beauty lives" verse, that could be interpretted as the victim's view that although there is abuse going on, and the abuser is taking a lot away, there are some things that cannot be taken away. The beauty is what the victim focuses on at times in order to not be overwhelmed by the abuse.
In a way, both interpretations are correct because in the movie the father is essentially abusing the kids by bringing them into a world of crime & even worse shooting his son.