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.
Jan lays down and wrestles in her sleep
Moonlight spills on comic books
And superstars in magazines
An old friend calls and tells us where to meet
Her plane takes off from Baltimore
And touches down on Bourbon Street
We sit outside and argue all night long
About a god we've never seen
But never fails to side with me
Sunday comes and all the papers say
Ma Teresa's joined the mob
And happy with her full time job
Do do do do do do
Am I alive or thoughts that drift away?
Does summer come for everyone?
Can humans do as prophets say?
And if I die before I learn to speak
Can money pay for all the days I lived awake
But half asleep?
Do do do do do do
A life is time, they teach us growing up
The seconds ticking killed us all
A million years before the fall
You ride the waves and don't ask where they go
You swim like lions through the crest
And bathe yourself on zebra flesh
I've been downhearted baby,
I've been downhearted baby,
Ever since the day we met
Moonlight spills on comic books
And superstars in magazines
An old friend calls and tells us where to meet
Her plane takes off from Baltimore
And touches down on Bourbon Street
We sit outside and argue all night long
About a god we've never seen
But never fails to side with me
Sunday comes and all the papers say
Ma Teresa's joined the mob
And happy with her full time job
Do do do do do do
Am I alive or thoughts that drift away?
Does summer come for everyone?
Can humans do as prophets say?
And if I die before I learn to speak
Can money pay for all the days I lived awake
But half asleep?
Do do do do do do
A life is time, they teach us growing up
The seconds ticking killed us all
A million years before the fall
You ride the waves and don't ask where they go
You swim like lions through the crest
And bathe yourself on zebra flesh
I've been downhearted baby,
I've been downhearted baby,
Ever since the day we met
Lyrics submitted by antispork, edited by billyb93, markydissod
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand Lyrics as written by Jane Feather Chris O Connor
Lyrics © KOBALT MUSIC PUB AMERICA INC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand song meanings
Add Your Thoughts
73 Comments
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
I think the title really portrays the ultimate theme of the song. Think about what it's like to stand outside a broken phone booth with money in your hand. It's almost like saying, "Hey, I have something of use, but really, I can't even use it due to circumstances beyond my control." In other words, despite our notions of individuality and free will, we are mere reactions to our environment. It's a really "zoomed out" reflection on life and humanity.
Verse 1 sorta sets the story. It paints a picture of ordinary people doing ordinary things. There are references to magazines, superstars, comic books, etc...all distractions if you will... Verse 2 continues the story..now the friends are hanging out, talking about God and existentialism. I think it's a rip on organized religion (the line about Mother Theresa) and the scandals that surround the Christian dogma.
The last two verses dive into personal reflections, and this is where it really becomes depressing. In a way, he's saying "everything is meaningless." Even if the most renowned philosophy and theology could explain our existence, it doesn't change anything. We're helpless mortals who are subjects to the brutal hands of time and fortune. We give ourselves credit all the while, oblivious to the fact that we eventually die with nothing. Horribly morbid but beautiful nonetheless. It's hard to give a great description of the lyrics, because I think his lyrics are so well written to begin with.
Spot on! Very moving to read. Thanks for sharing.
@holmbj1 I think your interpretations really nailed it. Good work!