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.
as the Moon rose and the hour grew late
the day help on a Coconut estate
raked up the dry leaves the fell dead from the Trees
which they burned in a pile by the lake
the Beetle King summoned his men,
and from the top of a Rhododendron stem:
calling all volunteers!
who can carry back here
the Great Mystery that's lit once again?
one Beetle emerged from the crowd
in a fashionable abdomen shroud:
I'm a Professor, you see, that's no mystery to me...
I'll be back soon, successful and proud
but when the Beetle Professor returned
he crawled on all six, as his wings had been burned
and described to the finest detail all he'd learned
but there was neither a light nor a heat in his words
the deeply dissatisfied King
climbed the same stem to announce the same thing
but in his second appeal sought to sweeten the deal
with a silver Padparadscha ring
the Lieutenant stepped out from the line
as he lassoed his thorax with twine, thinking
I'm stronger and braver,
I'll earn the King's favor, and
One day all he has will be mine!
but for all the Lieutenant's conceit
he, too, returned singed and admitting defeat:
I had no choice, please believe, but retreat...
it was bright as the sun, but with 10x the heat!
it cracked like the thunder and bloodshot my eyes,
tho smothered with sticks it advanced undeterred
as it carelessly cast an ash cloud to the sky,
my Lord, like a flock of
d a r k, v a n i s h i n g b i r d s.
the Beetle King slammed down his fist:
why, your flowery description
is no better than his!
we sent for the Great Light and you bring us this??
we didn't ask what it seems like,
we asked what it IS!
O, His Majesty's hour at last has drawn nigh!
the elegant Queen took her leave from his side and,
without understanding but without asking why
gathered their Kids to come bid their goodbyes
the father explained:
you've been somewhat deceived...
we've all called me your dad,
but your True Dad's not me
no, I lay next to your mom
and your forms were conceived
but your Father is the Life within all that you see
He fills up the ponds as He empties the clouds,
holds without hands and speaks without sounds,
provides us with the Cow's waste and coconuts to eat
giving one that nice salt-taste and the other a sweet,
sends the black carriage the day Death shows its face
thinning our numbers with Kindness and Grace
and just as a Flower and its Fragrance are one
so must each of you and this Father become
now distribute my scepter, my crown and my throne
and all we've called ‘wealth' to the poor and alone...
and, without further hesitation,
without looking back home
the King flew headlong into the blazing unknown!
and as the Smoke King curled higher and higher,
the troops, flying loops around the telephone wire, said:
our Beloved's not dead,
but His Highness instead
has been utterly changed into Fire!!!
the day help on a Coconut estate
raked up the dry leaves the fell dead from the Trees
which they burned in a pile by the lake
the Beetle King summoned his men,
and from the top of a Rhododendron stem:
calling all volunteers!
who can carry back here
the Great Mystery that's lit once again?
one Beetle emerged from the crowd
in a fashionable abdomen shroud:
I'm a Professor, you see, that's no mystery to me...
I'll be back soon, successful and proud
but when the Beetle Professor returned
he crawled on all six, as his wings had been burned
and described to the finest detail all he'd learned
but there was neither a light nor a heat in his words
the deeply dissatisfied King
climbed the same stem to announce the same thing
but in his second appeal sought to sweeten the deal
with a silver Padparadscha ring
the Lieutenant stepped out from the line
as he lassoed his thorax with twine, thinking
I'm stronger and braver,
I'll earn the King's favor, and
One day all he has will be mine!
but for all the Lieutenant's conceit
he, too, returned singed and admitting defeat:
I had no choice, please believe, but retreat...
it was bright as the sun, but with 10x the heat!
it cracked like the thunder and bloodshot my eyes,
tho smothered with sticks it advanced undeterred
as it carelessly cast an ash cloud to the sky,
my Lord, like a flock of
d a r k, v a n i s h i n g b i r d s.
the Beetle King slammed down his fist:
why, your flowery description
is no better than his!
we sent for the Great Light and you bring us this??
we didn't ask what it seems like,
we asked what it IS!
O, His Majesty's hour at last has drawn nigh!
the elegant Queen took her leave from his side and,
without understanding but without asking why
gathered their Kids to come bid their goodbyes
the father explained:
you've been somewhat deceived...
we've all called me your dad,
but your True Dad's not me
no, I lay next to your mom
and your forms were conceived
but your Father is the Life within all that you see
He fills up the ponds as He empties the clouds,
holds without hands and speaks without sounds,
provides us with the Cow's waste and coconuts to eat
giving one that nice salt-taste and the other a sweet,
sends the black carriage the day Death shows its face
thinning our numbers with Kindness and Grace
and just as a Flower and its Fragrance are one
so must each of you and this Father become
now distribute my scepter, my crown and my throne
and all we've called ‘wealth' to the poor and alone...
and, without further hesitation,
without looking back home
the King flew headlong into the blazing unknown!
and as the Smoke King curled higher and higher,
the troops, flying loops around the telephone wire, said:
our Beloved's not dead,
but His Highness instead
has been utterly changed into Fire!!!
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Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Grand Theft Auto
Insane Ian
Insane Ian
The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
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Word Alive, The
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
it is: "a silver padparadscha ring". for sure. that is actually something that is used to make rings. unlike the other optoins that have been presented. it is is a color of saphires or something. whoo! that is a good deal the king is making, padparadshas are expensive.
also, i'm pretty sure "vanishing birds" is correct.
i agree with porterja. i think professor and the lieutenant both represent people with wrong veiws of God. (like the cat, peacock and girl in "a glass can only spill what it contains") any ideas of what type of person the lieutenant is representing?
i think in this song he is characterizing beetles as humans, to compare how little we understand of God to how little beetles understand of fire. The fire represents the mysteries of God?
"vanishing birds" just doesn't sound right<br /> <br /> I listen and listen over and over again and it just sounds like it starts with an R. <br /> <br /> Probably have to wait for the album to come out before anyone knows for sure.
I think it may be "ravishing" that at least seems to fit a little better.
Both the professor and lieutenant represent types of pride. He even implies that the lieutenant is conceited (for all the lieutenant's conceit, he too...). I think the lieutenant is the sort who seeks his own glory (all the isles will be mine!), where the professor is merely confuses knowledge with understanding.