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.
The beach is a place where a man can feel
He's the only soul in the world that's real
Well I see a face coming through the haze
I remember him from those crazy days
Crazy days, crazy days
Ain't you the guy who used to set the paces
Riding up in front of a hundred faces
I don't suppose you would remember me
But I used to follow you back in sixty-three
I've got a good job, and I'm newly born
You should see me dressed up in my uniform
I work in hotel, all gilt and flash
Remember the place where the doors were smashed?
Bell Boy, I got to get running now
Bell Boy, keep my lip buttoned down
Bell Boy, carry this baggage out
Bell Boy, always running at someone's pleading heel
You know how I feel
Always running at someone's heel
Some nights I still sleep on the beach
Remember when stars were in reach
I wander in early to work
Spend my day licking boots for my perks
A beach is a place where a man can feel
He's the only soul in the world that's real
Well I see a face coming through the haze
I remember him from those crazy days (crazy days, crazy days, crazy days, crazy days)
Ain't you the guy who used to set the paces
Riding up in front of a hundred faces
I don't suppose you would remember me
But I used to follow you back in sixty-three
People often change
But when I look in your eyes
You could learn a lot from
A job like mine
The secret to me
It ain't flown on a flag
I carry it behind
This pretty little badge
What says
Bell Boy I got to get running now
Bell Boy, keep my lip buttoned down
Bell Boy, carry the bloody baggage out
Bell Boy, always running at someone's heel
You know how I feel
Always running at someone's heel
He's the only soul in the world that's real
Well I see a face coming through the haze
I remember him from those crazy days
Crazy days, crazy days
Ain't you the guy who used to set the paces
Riding up in front of a hundred faces
I don't suppose you would remember me
But I used to follow you back in sixty-three
I've got a good job, and I'm newly born
You should see me dressed up in my uniform
I work in hotel, all gilt and flash
Remember the place where the doors were smashed?
Bell Boy, I got to get running now
Bell Boy, keep my lip buttoned down
Bell Boy, carry this baggage out
Bell Boy, always running at someone's pleading heel
You know how I feel
Always running at someone's heel
Some nights I still sleep on the beach
Remember when stars were in reach
I wander in early to work
Spend my day licking boots for my perks
A beach is a place where a man can feel
He's the only soul in the world that's real
Well I see a face coming through the haze
I remember him from those crazy days (crazy days, crazy days, crazy days, crazy days)
Ain't you the guy who used to set the paces
Riding up in front of a hundred faces
I don't suppose you would remember me
But I used to follow you back in sixty-three
People often change
But when I look in your eyes
You could learn a lot from
A job like mine
The secret to me
It ain't flown on a flag
I carry it behind
This pretty little badge
What says
Bell Boy I got to get running now
Bell Boy, keep my lip buttoned down
Bell Boy, carry the bloody baggage out
Bell Boy, always running at someone's heel
You know how I feel
Always running at someone's heel
Lyrics submitted by Chris_Gough, edited by PGH91, MrMikeS
Bell Boy Lyrics as written by Peter Dennis Blandfor Townshend
Lyrics © Abkco Music Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Jimmy meets his former hero the Ace Face working as a bell boy and it destroys his faith in the last thing he really believes in- the Mod spirit. He has previously criticised people for not fighting against their social position (The Dirty Jobs), but now he feels that he has nothing to believe in, and he returns to the one place that means anything at all to him- the beach.