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.
While you make pretty speeches
I'm being cut to shreds
You feed me to the lions
A delicate balance
And this just feels like spinning plates
I'm living in cloud cuckoo land
And this just feels like spinning plates
My body's floating down the muddy river
I'm being cut to shreds
You feed me to the lions
A delicate balance
And this just feels like spinning plates
I'm living in cloud cuckoo land
And this just feels like spinning plates
My body's floating down the muddy river
Lyrics submitted by shut, edited by irondeep, SpyMachine, Trifonas, Jordz600, millert140, FritzHaber
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Interpreted as the meaning of life, this song is very interesting.
Life is like a balancing act. All the time. This is where the metaphor connecting the balancing of spinning plates on a stick is apparent. We have to balance stuff like exercise, healthy eating practices, and even the ideas we use to perceive the world.
Where this song is most interesting to me is in New Jersey... jk... Not only do we need to keep spinning the plates at the right speed to keep them upright, but we also must move in fluctuation with the sticks to keep the sticks vertical. To me, thats kinda like changing, moving to keep the spinning plates just that, spinning.
So according to the last verse: And this just feels like spinning plates I'm living in cloud cuckoo land And this just feels like spinning plates My body's floating down the muddy river
I have ideas on the go, which i have to use and protect, not to mention change because of them.