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.
for all that I have learned
for all I have discovered
for all my knowing glances
the counsel I’ve imparted
I’m still a babe in the woods
refusing to see this place is a forest of fools
for all my awareness
for all my knowability
for all my good intentions
and my advanced philosophy
I’m still a babe in the woods
refusing to see this place is a forest of fools
Cinderella took a chance
Snow White used her influence
Red Riding Hood knew what to wear
and Goldilocks she dared to dare
but in the end
they’re all just babes in the woods
living happy ever after in this forest of fools
thought honestly was noble
thought truth was my friend
thought I’d fend off the Big Bad Wolf
never thought I’d be misled
oh I’m just a babe in the woods
refusing to see this forest of fools...
where is my voice (swallowed by fear)
so much the better to hear you with my dear
misrepresented and misunderstood
by wolves in sheeps’ clothing
so what is the moral of these tales so tall
does anybody really care
who’s the fairest of them all
I remain a babe in the woods
stumbling through
this place, this forest of fools
for all I have discovered
for all my knowing glances
the counsel I’ve imparted
I’m still a babe in the woods
refusing to see this place is a forest of fools
for all my awareness
for all my knowability
for all my good intentions
and my advanced philosophy
I’m still a babe in the woods
refusing to see this place is a forest of fools
Cinderella took a chance
Snow White used her influence
Red Riding Hood knew what to wear
and Goldilocks she dared to dare
but in the end
they’re all just babes in the woods
living happy ever after in this forest of fools
thought honestly was noble
thought truth was my friend
thought I’d fend off the Big Bad Wolf
never thought I’d be misled
oh I’m just a babe in the woods
refusing to see this forest of fools...
where is my voice (swallowed by fear)
so much the better to hear you with my dear
misrepresented and misunderstood
by wolves in sheeps’ clothing
so what is the moral of these tales so tall
does anybody really care
who’s the fairest of them all
I remain a babe in the woods
stumbling through
this place, this forest of fools
Lyrics submitted by slave2disco
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