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.
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Somethin' filled up
My heart with nothin'
Someone told me not to cry
Now that I'm older
My heart's colder
And I can see that it's a lie
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Children, wake up
Hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust
If the children don't grow up
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up
We're just a million little god's causin' rain storms
Turnin' every good thing to rust
I guess we'll just have to adjust
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
With my lightnin' bolts a-glowin
I can see where I am goin' to be
When the reaper he reaches and touches my hand
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
With my lightnin' bolts a-glowin'
I can see where I am goin'
With my lightnin' bolts a-glowin'
I can see where I am go, goin'
You better look out below
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Somethin' filled up
My heart with nothin'
Someone told me not to cry
Now that I'm older
My heart's colder
And I can see that it's a lie
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Children, wake up
Hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust
If the children don't grow up
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up
We're just a million little god's causin' rain storms
Turnin' every good thing to rust
I guess we'll just have to adjust
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
With my lightnin' bolts a-glowin
I can see where I am goin' to be
When the reaper he reaches and touches my hand
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
With my lightnin' bolts a-glowin'
I can see where I am goin'
With my lightnin' bolts a-glowin'
I can see where I am go, goin'
You better look out below
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Purely going by the lyrics, this is what the song turns out to mean. It looks like he contradicts himself at the end, but I think that it's meant to be a twist...
At first he talks about empty promises being told to him as a child, so that he doesn't have to cry. Blind hope, faith. Something filled his heart up with "nothing." This makes me think he's talking about religion, since most of that stuff is just imaginary, passed down. "Nothing", so to speak.
"Now that I'm older, I can see that it's a lie."
I think he wants people to be more aware of their own faults so that they can prosper into future. I say future, because it seems like he's talking about how the last few generations soiled everything.
The next verse is self-explanatory. He sympathizes with what is happening to new children being born, but then goes on to compare humans to "little (isolated) gods causing rainstorms, turning everything good to rust." Which is at least partially true. Even in places where people are prosperous, the human or social conditions can be absolutely terrible, nullifying everything that is good.
The next verse: the master of his own personal rainstorm, he knows where he is going to go when he dies--to Hell.
The twist is that he is still religious, he just lost faith in mankind, and is ready to go to Hell.
@GhostlyNinetyFive Its not 'hell' its just into the ground. You will be dust