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.
Daybreak, wind is blowing strong
No escape, caught on a reef in the storm
Castaway, licking his cracked lips sore
Patient, waits, hoping the rats reach the shore? yeah? yeah
Yesterday, seems a lifetime now
Remembering, those he left and how
Out in space, laughing at all below
Island stage, plays to his thoughts and ego? yeah? yeah
Dusk fall, fading sun, no fire light
Memories amplify his plight
Gathering, searching for shelter above
Feel the sting, choking on hoarded love? yeah? yeah
Thin, cold, tired? castaway
No escape, caught on a reef in the storm
Castaway, licking his cracked lips sore
Patient, waits, hoping the rats reach the shore? yeah? yeah
Yesterday, seems a lifetime now
Remembering, those he left and how
Out in space, laughing at all below
Island stage, plays to his thoughts and ego? yeah? yeah
Dusk fall, fading sun, no fire light
Memories amplify his plight
Gathering, searching for shelter above
Feel the sting, choking on hoarded love? yeah? yeah
Thin, cold, tired? castaway
Lyrics submitted by WhT LytEniN
Castaway Lyrics as written by Jake Miller Jordan Witzigreuter
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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Ave Grave
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Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
This is about Jerry feeling cut adrift from his former life as a "rock star" (the "shore"), something he'd always wanted, eventually found, but was then cut loose,"castaway" like an a boat in a storm.
He used to be on his island stage, all full of himself (ego), laughing at the audiences at his shows ("Don't you wish you were me?"), indulging in all the various excesses of that life. But now he's all alone, full stop, friends and family members are dead, things have spun out of control, and his own drug addiction has taken over his life. Making things worse are his memories of Layne, how he treated him (and never got to apologize or say goodbye), and what he had before things came to a crashing halt. There's a difference knowing that something is coming to an end and having it actually happen. Jerry was well aware (as he had said in interviews) that his band was coming to an end, and Layne was choosing slow suicide, but now that it had all actually happened, he was completely lost.
There's actually a video on YT of Jerry at some festival in California--he mentions it's the first time he'd been out and about for months, and lemme tell you--he looked TERRIBLE. Haggard, thin/gaunt, forcing a smile, coke-driven chatter, a former shell of himself. It was quite scary to see. Things had really caught up with him.