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.
Yo, what's up?
This is G-Love coming at you live out here from California,
Even though I'm Philly born and bred
And I got my man Jack Johnson in the studio today, we just got out of the surf
My man, Jack, tell 'em what time it is
(uh, com 'on)
Sweepin' the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Gettin' ready for the night
Nobody's romancin'
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
Bright lights flashin'
To cover of your liquor
So many people, so many powers,
So many reasons to buy another round
Drink it down
Just another night on the town
With the big man, money man
Better than the other man
He got the plan with the million dollars
Give a damn but
When nobody understands
He'll become a smaller man
The bright lights keep flashing
Man the women keep on dancin'
With the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down yeah, yeah
Rodeo Clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down, yeah, yeah
The disco ball spinning
All the music and the women
And the shots of tequila
Man they'll say that they need ya
But what they really need
Is just a little room to breathe
Teeny bopping disco queen
She barely understands her dreams
Of belly button rings
And other kinds of things
Symbolic of change
But the thing that is strange
Is that changes occurred
And now she's just a part of the herd yeah, yeah, yeah
Man I thought that you heard yeah, yeah
The changes occur yeah, yeah, yeah
She's just a part of the herd yeah, yea
Lights out shut down
Late night wet ground
You walk by, look at him but he can't look at you yeah
You might feel pity but he only feels the ground because
You understand moods
But he only knows let down
By the corner there's another one
Reaching out a hand
Coming from a broken man
Well you try to live
But he's done trying
He's not dead but definitely dying
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
Sweeping the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Getting ready for the night
Nobody's romancing
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
This is G-Love coming at you live out here from California,
Even though I'm Philly born and bred
And I got my man Jack Johnson in the studio today, we just got out of the surf
My man, Jack, tell 'em what time it is
(uh, com 'on)
Sweepin' the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Gettin' ready for the night
Nobody's romancin'
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
Bright lights flashin'
To cover of your liquor
So many people, so many powers,
So many reasons to buy another round
Drink it down
Just another night on the town
With the big man, money man
Better than the other man
He got the plan with the million dollars
Give a damn but
When nobody understands
He'll become a smaller man
The bright lights keep flashing
Man the women keep on dancin'
With the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down yeah, yeah
Rodeo Clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down, yeah, yeah
The disco ball spinning
All the music and the women
And the shots of tequila
Man they'll say that they need ya
But what they really need
Is just a little room to breathe
Teeny bopping disco queen
She barely understands her dreams
Of belly button rings
And other kinds of things
Symbolic of change
But the thing that is strange
Is that changes occurred
And now she's just a part of the herd yeah, yeah, yeah
Man I thought that you heard yeah, yeah
The changes occur yeah, yeah, yeah
She's just a part of the herd yeah, yea
Lights out shut down
Late night wet ground
You walk by, look at him but he can't look at you yeah
You might feel pity but he only feels the ground because
You understand moods
But he only knows let down
By the corner there's another one
Reaching out a hand
Coming from a broken man
Well you try to live
But he's done trying
He's not dead but definitely dying
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
With the rest of the clowns yeah, yeah, yeah
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
The Rodeo clowns yeah, yeah
Pick me up when I'm down
Sweeping the floors
Open up the doors yeah
Turn on the lights
Getting ready for the night
Nobody's romancing
Cause it's too early for dancin'
But here comes the music
Lyrics submitted by acheapairline
Rodeo Clowns Lyrics as written by Jack Hody Johnson
Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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jack johnson is the shit and so is g love the should coblaberate their stuff more they were highly enjoyable in this song