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.
Please excuse me but I got to ask
Are you only being nice
Because you want something?
My fairytale arrow pierces
Be careful how you respond
Because you'd not end up in this song
I never gave you an encouragement
And it's doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
The more you try to erase me
The more, the more
The more that I appear
The more, the more
The more you try the eraser
The more, the more
The more that you appear
You know the answer so why do you ask?
I am only being nice
Because I want someone, something
You're like a kitten with a ball of yarn
And it is doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
The more you try to erase me
The more, the more
The more that I appear
The more, the more
The more I try to erase you
The more, the more
The more that you appear
No, you're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong
Are you only being nice
Because you want something?
My fairytale arrow pierces
Be careful how you respond
Because you'd not end up in this song
I never gave you an encouragement
And it's doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
The more you try to erase me
The more, the more
The more that I appear
The more, the more
The more you try the eraser
The more, the more
The more that you appear
You know the answer so why do you ask?
I am only being nice
Because I want someone, something
You're like a kitten with a ball of yarn
And it is doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
Doing me in
The more you try to erase me
The more, the more
The more that I appear
The more, the more
The more I try to erase you
The more, the more
The more that you appear
No, you're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong
Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death, edited by masanbol, BIRDDUDE830, casiopt1
The Eraser Lyrics as written by Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics © Springstoff GmbH, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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I'm not ruling out that this song could be about politics. I'm just saying that your interpretation of this song requires big, distorted stretches of meaning.
It's true that alot of the songs on The Eraser have political meanings, but that doesn't mean that EVERY song does. You cant just pigeon hole everything on the album into the same category because politics are a theme in a few -or even most- of the songs.
In "Harrowdown Hill" and "And It Rained All Night" there is a direct connection between the lyrics and their meanings. Harrowdown Hill is the name of the place that David Kelly died. It can't be anymore blatent than that.
You really have nothing to go on other than the fact that he says "Arab". Everything else is completley indirect and could be interpreted many other ways without having to reach so much. Thats why I used Queen as an example: to show that by your way of interpreting songs, anything could be about terrorism or the Middle East.