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.
Hey little boy, whatcha got there?
Kind sir it's a mollusk i've found
Did you find it in the sandy ground?
Does it emulate the ocean's sound?
Yes I found it on the ground
Emulating the ocean's sound
Bring forth the mollusk cast unto me
Let's be forever let forever be free
Hey little boy come walk with me
And bring your new found mollusk along
Does it speaketh of the trinity
Can it gaze at the sun with its wandering eye
Yes it speaks of the trinity
Casting light at the sun with its wandering eye
Bring forth the mollusk, cast unto me
Let's be forever let forever be free
You see there are three things that spur the mollusk from the sand
The waking of all creatures that live on the land
And with just one faint glance, back into the sea
The mollusk lingers, with it's wandering eye
Kind sir it's a mollusk i've found
Did you find it in the sandy ground?
Does it emulate the ocean's sound?
Yes I found it on the ground
Emulating the ocean's sound
Bring forth the mollusk cast unto me
Let's be forever let forever be free
Hey little boy come walk with me
And bring your new found mollusk along
Does it speaketh of the trinity
Can it gaze at the sun with its wandering eye
Yes it speaks of the trinity
Casting light at the sun with its wandering eye
Bring forth the mollusk, cast unto me
Let's be forever let forever be free
You see there are three things that spur the mollusk from the sand
The waking of all creatures that live on the land
And with just one faint glance, back into the sea
The mollusk lingers, with it's wandering eye
Lyrics submitted by Dubious Rabbit
The Mollusk Lyrics as written by Jr. Michael Melchiondo
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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It's actually "Kind sir, it’s a mollusk I found". Also, I'm too lazy to transcribe it, but this is missing the short spoken word bit, which makes the song for me (mainly because I love that while supposedly "there are three things that spur the mollusk from the sand", really only one of them is actually mentioned).
The vaginal thing is an interesting tack, but I don't think there's any more to it than gently poking fun at 60's psych/folk lyrical pretensions (the loping backing music and the spoken bit seem like they might be a nod to Donovan's similarly aquatic-themed "Atlantis").