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.
I'd sell your heart to the junkman
Baby, for a buck, for a buck
If you're looking for someone to pull you uut of that ditch
You're out of luck, you're out of luck
Ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
There's leak, there's a leak, in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves, and lawyers
God's away, God's away
God's away on business
Business
God's away, God's away
God's away on business
Business
Digging up the dead with a shovel and a pick
It's a job, it's a job
Bloody moon rising with a plague and a flood
Join the mob, join the mob
It's all over, it's all over, it's all over
And there's a leak, there's a leak, in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves, and lawyers
God's away, God's away, God's away
On Business
Business
God's away, God's away
On Business
Business, ha
Goddamn there's always such a big temptation
To be good, to be good
There's always free cheddar in a mousetrap, baby
It's a deal, it's a deal
God's away, God's away, God's away
On business
Business
God's away, God's away, God's away
On business
Business
I narrow my eyes like a coin slot baby
Let her ring, let her ring
God's away, God's away
God's away on business
God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business
Baby, for a buck, for a buck
If you're looking for someone to pull you uut of that ditch
You're out of luck, you're out of luck
Ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
There's leak, there's a leak, in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves, and lawyers
God's away, God's away
God's away on business
Business
God's away, God's away
God's away on business
Business
Digging up the dead with a shovel and a pick
It's a job, it's a job
Bloody moon rising with a plague and a flood
Join the mob, join the mob
It's all over, it's all over, it's all over
And there's a leak, there's a leak, in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves, and lawyers
God's away, God's away, God's away
On Business
Business
God's away, God's away
On Business
Business, ha
Goddamn there's always such a big temptation
To be good, to be good
There's always free cheddar in a mousetrap, baby
It's a deal, it's a deal
God's away, God's away, God's away
On business
Business
God's away, God's away, God's away
On business
Business
I narrow my eyes like a coin slot baby
Let her ring, let her ring
God's away, God's away
God's away on business
God's away, God's away
God's away on business, business
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Enron.
bkat04 has it...this song was even used, perfectly positioned, as the closing music for the documentary "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room." The ship is sinking! It's all over.<br /> <br /> The phrase "God's away on business" refers to businessmen who set aside morality for the sake of making a buck. We're doing business, they say, there are no ethics here. They would sell your heart to make a buck.<br /> <br /> They "narrow their eyes to a coin slot," unable to see anything but the profit motive. And if you expect them to pull you out of the ditch (the collapse caused by their own greed), then you are out of luck. Any evil thing "digging up the dead" is okay, it's just a job.<br /> <br /> Even those who might want to be good, are lured by the temptation of a big deal...though in the end if will lead to destruction.