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.
Don't walk the plank like I did
You will be dispensed with
When you've become
Inconvenient
Up on Harrowdown Hill
Near where you used to go to school
That's where I
That's where I am lying down
Did I fall or was I pushed?
Did I fall or was I pushed?
Then where's the blood?
Then where's the blood?
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it alright, so dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
So don't ask me, ask the ministry
Don't ask me, ask the ministry
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us, so you can't count
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us, so you can't count
Can you see me when I'm running?
Can you see me when I'm running?
Away from there
Away from there
I can't take the pressure
No one cares if you live or die
They just want me gone
They want me gone
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it alright, so dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
We think the same things at the same time
There are too many of us, so you can't
There are too many of us, so you can't count
It was me lead onto the back of Harrowdown Hill
It was me lead onto the back of Harrowdown Hill
It was a slippery, slippery, slippery slope
It was a slippery, slippery, slippery slope
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me
You will be dispensed with
When you've become
Inconvenient
Up on Harrowdown Hill
Near where you used to go to school
That's where I
That's where I am lying down
Did I fall or was I pushed?
Did I fall or was I pushed?
Then where's the blood?
Then where's the blood?
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it alright, so dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
So don't ask me, ask the ministry
Don't ask me, ask the ministry
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us, so you can't count
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us, so you can't count
Can you see me when I'm running?
Can you see me when I'm running?
Away from there
Away from there
I can't take the pressure
No one cares if you live or die
They just want me gone
They want me gone
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it alright, so dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
We think the same things at the same time
There are too many of us, so you can't
There are too many of us, so you can't count
It was me lead onto the back of Harrowdown Hill
It was me lead onto the back of Harrowdown Hill
It was a slippery, slippery, slippery slope
It was a slippery, slippery, slippery slope
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me
Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death
Harrowdown Hill Lyrics as written by Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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perhaps this is due to reading the book 1984 by George Orwell and seeing the film, but i had begun to attribute the lyrics to either that story or an analogue thereof. i imagined the same discord that is woven throughout the book - this warm romance in the midst of poverty, war, coldness, and people who seem incapable of emoting. these themes can be found in many science fiction books such as "this perfect day" by ira levin (one of my favorites) or "brave new world"... and the madness that ensues from the attempts to escape from the bitter socioeconomic reality. i imagined one lover warning the other to break it off lest their love be discovered.
today i looked up the song and it happens to be about (according to Wikipedia) "biological warfare expert David Kelly who, as a matter of some contention, committed suicide in 2003. However, there is speculation that he was murdered, as demonstrated in the song. Thom Yorke himself confirmed the song's meaning in several interviews." i was rather disappointed to discover the song's meaning as i had quite an imaginative analysis already conjured up.
i think my analysis began when i heard the lyric "don't ask me, ask the Ministry" - and it didn't seem to occur to me that in england they actually have ministries - i suppose my mind just jumped right to the most prominent association which was 1984.
"Don't walk the plank like I did/You will be dispensed with/ When you've become inconvenient..." in many of these SF books, including 1984, people just disappear when they start making trouble.
"I'm coming home/To make it all right/So dry your eyes..." one lover reassuring the other.
"We think the same things at the same time/We just cant do anything about it..." clearly their relationship is forbidden, despite the very strong and real connection that they have.
"So don't ask me/Ask the ministry..." obviously this is about 1984. no individual has control over anything, including their relationships. everything is monitored and managed.
"We think the same things at the same time/There are so many of us/So you can't count..." well i used to think he was saying "so you can't come.." i imagined this was what one was saying before going off on this attempt at a rebellion against the ministry. all of the people who didn't want to live this way anymore, thinking the same things about how life should be.
"Can you see me when I'm running/Away from them..." the larger force is winning against the rebellion, and the rebels begin to flee.
"I can't take their pressure/No one cares if you live or die/They just want me gone..." the lover has been captured. they are beginning torture. the government wants troublemakers gone. there are no unique individuals. life is no longer valued. anybody who stands out is eliminated. starting to lose it.
"I'm coming home/To make it all right/So dry your eyes..." when someone is put under enough pressure, the person will crack and begin to lose their mind. this is him trying to escape the torture and think about how it will be over and he'll go home.
"I was lured into the back.../It was a slippery slippery slippery slope.../I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness..." this is the very end of the song. the government has been successful with their torture tactics. he is at the very edge of consciousness and sanity.
I think it's quite scary — and telling of the world we live in today and the startling accuracy of Orwell's predictions — that a song about real life is so reminiscent of '1984'.
I believe it's both. I'm not sure about the lover part, but think about it. The Ministry tried to make David Kelly an Unperson. He's gone but it was a sloppy job. Everyone knows he's dead and used to be alive. But it was covered up in a way, masked as suicide. I think this song reflects both 1984 and David Kelly's death. Because it may be happening. Ingsoc may be looming.