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.
Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul
Recall senses sadly
Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below
To light the way gladly
Whether whistling heaven's clouds disappear
Where the wind withers memory
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Feel flows (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Unbending never ending tablets of time
Record all the yearning
Unfearing all appearing message divine
Eases the burning
Whether willing witness waits at my mind
Whether hope dampens memory
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Feel flows (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Encasing all embracing wreath of repose
Engulfs all the senses
Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose
Retire the fences
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether harps heal the memory
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Feel goes (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel flows (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feelings to grow (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
Recall senses sadly
Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below
To light the way gladly
Whether whistling heaven's clouds disappear
Where the wind withers memory
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Feel flows (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Unbending never ending tablets of time
Record all the yearning
Unfearing all appearing message divine
Eases the burning
Whether willing witness waits at my mind
Whether hope dampens memory
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Feel flows (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Encasing all embracing wreath of repose
Engulfs all the senses
Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose
Retire the fences
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether harps heal the memory
Whether wholly heartened life fades away
Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
Feel goes (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel flows (black puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feel goes (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
Feelings to grow (white puff glisteny shadowy flow)
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
White puff glisteny shadowy flow
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He sure wasn't blown. This is in my top five Beach Boys songs. He yearns for fluidity in mind, body, spirit, and as fades away, so yearns full composition of own psyche. I love the Beach Boys and their music, and this is one of my favourite tracks.
this song is fucking beautiful and brilliant..this is what i think the songs about..hes depressed, and tired of being that way..hes trying to hide away from it and trying to look on a more positive light, but even though hes hell bent on emotionally changing for the better, his feelings of sadness still come up, therefore, being sad is inevitable..he knows that the only thing that can clear his emotional slate is if he just sits back, relaxes, and tries to gain peace of mind and clarity, that everythings gonna be alright..ill show you what i mean with the lyric bits: Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul Recall senses sadly Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below To light the way gladly Whether whistling heaven's clouds disappear Where the wind withers memory Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away
is saying the following:
all the pieces of his soul that he has been keeping repressed or has not been dealing with, he is letting them unfold and come out, which is creating sadness and discontent. 'mirage like soft blue' i believe is refering to teardrops coming down, and he knows that the only way to feel better is to let it all out of his system and deal with it..what he doesnt know is how it will affect him in the future-- will he have changed his mindset? will he be able to wash his dark memories away, or will he still have a piece of sadness within him? feel flows, feel goes, is refering to the fact that no matter what, you can't hide from your feelings, therefore, theyre going to come out eventually.. Unbending never ending tablets of time Record all the yearning Unfearing all appearing message divine Eases the burning Whether willing witness waits at my mind Whether hope dampens memory Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side
is saying that as he goes over in his mind all of his memories he recalls sadness and longing for something in particular..he knows that if he decides to become fearless and just deal with his sadness and accept the fact that more disappointing things will come ahead in the future, then the burning from his current sadness will be able to wither away much quicker, or at least hurt less. Encasing all embracing wreath of repose Engulfs all the senses Imposing, unclosing thoughts that compose Retire the fences Whether wholly heartened life fades away Whether harps heal the memory Whether wholly heartened life fades away Whether wondrous will stands tall at my side Whether whiteness whisks soft shadows away the last verse is basically just pointing out the whole 'if i realize this is a part of life, then i can find clarity.' it's a peace of mind deal..he just hopes that he can find that peace of mind and comfort of contentness...this may be with substance usage, but im not a hundred percent sure..then hes saying, whether im able to clear my mind from memories and/or heal my senses, feel still flows..so to sum it all up: sadness is inevitable. we all at one point or another will be forced to face depression of some sort..we shouldnt let it get us down, or let bad memories plauge us..we must come to terms with them, accept them for what they are, and move along..
maybe its just me but this song sounds like its saying something if you played it backwords.
Either this song has a really deep meaning that I'm missing, or this guy was blown when he wrote it.
This song was written by Brian Wilson at the peak of the Beach Boys career, right after the release of Pet Sounds. It is probably my favorite song of theirs. It is about epanding the mind and bring balance to all parts of his life. It is a very soothing song that flows quite well as the title suggests. I love it :0)
@ChaosFluro24 Actually, this song was written by his brother Carl Wilson.
I don't know enough about the Beach Boys. I know for sure that Pet Sounds was a response to The Beatles' Revolver, and I know that it flopped commercially. I was under the impression that the incredible lack of commercial response to (the then unrecognized genius that is) Pet Sounds was the reason Brian Wilson got all depressed and fat and such. Is that right? If not, what did cause his breakdown?
@goodmorningmisterben Several things:<br />
I first heard this ong on the Almost Famous soundtrack and it kicks ass, as do nearly all the songs on that soundtrack
brian wilson is finally going to finish 'smile' sometime this year or next... he didnt put a date on it, he said its going to be released when he feels its perfect.
Brian didn't write this song. His brother Carl did. The other Beach Boys did have talent. Dennis wrote some great songs, too. "Forever" on the album Sunflower is probably his best.
Carl wrote the song, and their manager at the time, Terry Rieley, wrote the lyrics. The lyrics are pretty dense, and seem to aim unrealistically towards the Smile epics (Heroes & Villains, Surf's Up), but pretty nice alliteration. And probably one of the more kick-ass flute solos in rock.