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.
Weep for yourself, my man
You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep Little Lion Man
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself
Take all the courage you have left
And waste it on fixing all the problems
That you made in your own head
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my
Tremble for yourself, my man
You know that you have seen this all before
Tremble Little Lion Man
You'll never settle any of your scores
Your grace is wasted in your face
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Now learn from your mother
Or else spend your days biting your own neck
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep Little Lion Man
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself
Take all the courage you have left
And waste it on fixing all the problems
That you made in your own head
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my
Tremble for yourself, my man
You know that you have seen this all before
Tremble Little Lion Man
You'll never settle any of your scores
Your grace is wasted in your face
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Now learn from your mother
Or else spend your days biting your own neck
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
Lyrics submitted by niamhOMFG, edited by zooooomzooom, Mellow_Harsher, reillylyon, Sophovot, sean1023, AntiM4tter
Little Lion Man Lyrics as written by Edward James Milton Dwane Benjamin Walter David Lovett
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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It seems as though he is talking to himself in the versus, and to his ex lover in the chorus.
In the first verse, he is mocking himself. By referring to himself as a lion -- an animal that tends to be a metaphor for courage, strength, and pride -- and then telling himself to "weep for yourself", that he is isn't "brave", and that he is a "little lion man". The purpose of this verse seems to be to chastise himself for not being what he thought he was. He is ashamed of his past and he is not worthy of sympathy.
This is reflected in the repeating sentence throughout the song: "Weep little lion man", which is a way of mocking that he feels sad about it because he brought it on himself.
In the chorus he appears to be singing about the cause of this self-deprication to his ex, saying that it was his behaviour was bad (it was his fault), and that he should have been more considerate of her feelings. He now regrets it, and realises how much he's messed up.
The second verse has some more chastising. "You've seen this all before" implies that this isn't new behaviour, which further takes away from the idea that he deserves sympathy.
The interesting lines for me are "Your boldness stands alone among the wreck | Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck". The first sentence presents an image of some guy standing pretty proud of himself amongst all the chaos he's created. He thought that being brave and strong would be good, but now that is all that's left. Everything is destroyed except that which destroyed it (his boldness). That's all he's got to show for it. The second sentence is a mocking one again. "Learn from your mother" undermines his status as a thinking adult; "or spend your days biting your own neck" brings to mind an image of a vampire sucking the life out of himself. Presented as choice, this suggests that either he goes back and starts behaving morally (as his mother taught him), or be his own punishment.