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.
And I won't take from you
Don't you know
'Bout a zillion years ago
Some star sneezed, now they're paging you in reception
Don't you know
Jack and Jill-ion years ago
Some dinosaur dropped the pail when it saw our reflection
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, I read that someplace
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, I read that someplace
So you won't mind if I kiss you now
Before indecision can bite
Don't you know in this new Dark Age
We're all light
Don't you know
At your fingertips arrayed
There's a universe of atoms that thinks you're real something
Don't you know
Just a couple of lips away
There's an revolutionary bean-feast whose insides are jumpin
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, I read that someplace
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, it's a bumper sticker someplace
So you won't mind if I kiss you now
We may hear the angels recite
Don't you know in this new Dark Age
We're all light
And I won't take from you what you can't take from me
And I'll leave nothing here that you can't use upon your trip
And I won't take from you what you can't take from me
And I'll leave nothing here but love and milk a' plenty for your tea
Don't you know
Upon the pillion of time's bike
We roar onto the stage and too soon we're dead center
Don't you know
Buffalo Bill-ions raised his sight
He's picking up the whole herd as soon as we enter
So you won't mind if I kiss you now
And maybe come on in for the night
Don't you know in this new Dark Age
We're all light
We're all light
And I won't take from you
what you can't take from me
And I won't take from you
(you know where you itch, is a little tiny switch, and if you let me in,
I can show you just the pin, that you put in the slot and the element gets hot,
and the stuff just pours out)
And I won't take from you
What you can't take from me
(all we're light)
(kiss me now, kiss me now)
And I won't take from you
What you can't take from me
And I won't take from you
What you can't take from me
Don't you know
'Bout a zillion years ago
Some star sneezed, now they're paging you in reception
Don't you know
Jack and Jill-ion years ago
Some dinosaur dropped the pail when it saw our reflection
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, I read that someplace
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, I read that someplace
So you won't mind if I kiss you now
Before indecision can bite
Don't you know in this new Dark Age
We're all light
Don't you know
At your fingertips arrayed
There's a universe of atoms that thinks you're real something
Don't you know
Just a couple of lips away
There's an revolutionary bean-feast whose insides are jumpin
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, I read that someplace
Don't you know
We're all light
Yeah, it's a bumper sticker someplace
So you won't mind if I kiss you now
We may hear the angels recite
Don't you know in this new Dark Age
We're all light
And I won't take from you what you can't take from me
And I'll leave nothing here that you can't use upon your trip
And I won't take from you what you can't take from me
And I'll leave nothing here but love and milk a' plenty for your tea
Don't you know
Upon the pillion of time's bike
We roar onto the stage and too soon we're dead center
Don't you know
Buffalo Bill-ions raised his sight
He's picking up the whole herd as soon as we enter
So you won't mind if I kiss you now
And maybe come on in for the night
Don't you know in this new Dark Age
We're all light
We're all light
And I won't take from you
what you can't take from me
And I won't take from you
(you know where you itch, is a little tiny switch, and if you let me in,
I can show you just the pin, that you put in the slot and the element gets hot,
and the stuff just pours out)
And I won't take from you
What you can't take from me
(all we're light)
(kiss me now, kiss me now)
And I won't take from you
What you can't take from me
And I won't take from you
What you can't take from me
Lyrics submitted by adistantship
We're All Light Lyrics as written by Andy Partridge
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Yet another lovely song from XTC. :)