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.
I tied myself with wire
To let the horses run free
Playing with the fire
Until the fire played with me
The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be
In the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day
We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It's not if I believe in love
If love believes in me
Oh, believe in me
At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
I've been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body's now a begging bowl
That's begging to get back, begging to get back
To my heart
And to the rhythm of my soul
And to the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control
I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down 'til the pentecost
At the moment of surrender
Of vision of over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
To let the horses run free
Playing with the fire
Until the fire played with me
The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be
In the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day
We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It's not if I believe in love
If love believes in me
Oh, believe in me
At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
I've been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body's now a begging bowl
That's begging to get back, begging to get back
To my heart
And to the rhythm of my soul
And to the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control
I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down 'til the pentecost
At the moment of surrender
Of vision of over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Lyrics submitted by young_jables, edited by emotionalwench, Altrockaddict
Moment Of Surrender Lyrics as written by Dave Evans Adam Clayton
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Royalty Network
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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theu2edge definitely nailed this one. Although I do not think the song is about "moments" but rather THE MOMENT... the defining realization that we're all living our lives in a catatonic stupour of ridiculousness while the true meaning of our existence is right there in front of us waiting to be grasped. Let me expand upon this interpretation with some thoughts to consider on this absolutely awe-inspiring ballad.
"The stone was semi-precious We were barely conscious Two souls too smart to be in the realm of certainty Even on our wedding day"
An introduction, demonstrating how our carefree attitude can even be found in our so-called love relationships. The semi-precious stone may refer to the importance we put on the damn diamond ring, and the nonsense surrounding wedding... two souls too "smart" to stop and realize the true meaning of what is happening. To worried about the "busy"-ness of invitations, decorations, thank-you cards... the STRESS!
"I was speeding on the subway Through the stations of the cross"
The stations of the cross are all around us. For Christians, we've been educated our entire lives to understand that Christ is all around us, manifesting in so many forms. We just fail to see this, rushing around in our daily lives without taking the time for reminiscing about faith, eternity, and the power of our consciousness. We barrel forward through our lives, streaking by the signs all around us.
"Every eye looking every other way Counting down 'til the pain would stop"
Our common way of fighting the pain in our lives is simply to complain about all the shit piled upon us and wish it would all end... count down the days until things will be better. Maybe buy a lottery ticket and wish, instead of turning back to God and giving in to the true plan and mission of our lives.
"At the moment of surrender Of vision over visibility"
Probably THE MOST powerful line in the whole song. Visibility is simply the ability of our eyes to look around. But to truly have VISION... to truly see what is meant to be seen around us, to realize what life is truly TRULY about; that is the ultimate answer and the only way we will achieve it is to surrender to eternity and quit confounding our existence with the trivialities, addictions, and "horrors" of everyday life.
"I did not notice the passers-by And they did not notice me"
A clear indication of the personal nature of this realization; the fact that everyone must experience it in their own way. When the protagonist does, there is a clear separation between him/herself and everyone else around, who are still continuing on through the deadness of life.
I'm not too agreeing. Great work on it though :) Like "The stone was semi-precious." I hadn't figured that one out yet...<br /> <br /> I think you overstate the reference to the "cross" a bit too much. That's not where the focus lies, in my opinion. But ye know, you're a Christian so you'd be more keen on accentuating that.<br /> <br /> Your comment on the complaint-bit isn't bad, but it seems to me it's more about the character's pain to stop. Might be wrong though. The idea of people simply counting down till the pain goes away is beautifully true in its own right.<br /> <br /> I do feel you're very off at "Of vision over visibility", simply because your line "Visibility is simply the ability of our eyes to look around" is not true. Visibility is about BEING SEEN, not about seeing, leading me to believe the line refers to the point at which a person stops caring about his own notability and appearance and starts focussing on what the world around him is like (or at least shifts the balance towards the latter in these two).<br /> <br /> Let me know what you think :)
You're so right! Thankyou!
Thank you for that excellent insight. Like many of the other songs I could tell what it was about but didn't have enough knowledge of the bible to fully understand each line. It is even more beautiful with more understanding.
If what you're saying is true, then shouldn't it be; two souls too "stupid" to stop and realize the true meaning of what is happening.<br /> The way I interpreted it, is that they are too smart to brlieve in God with 100% "certainty", even on their wedding day, when the entire event & there vows are based around God. And THAT would be the reason why they fuss over invitations, wedding cards, etc.<br /> <br /> Lets surmise for a second that there is no God. If you look upon it that way, you realise that we are just reinterpreting these so-called signs (in everyday live) in our own way. You could reinterpret anything to be an answer from God if you thought long and hard about it. Because of this, I argue that God rarely(or never) gives us answers. <br /> <br /> If you're suggesting people have the time too reminisce about faith, I have reminisced for long enough. The more you do it, the more you realise you can't come to a conclusion. There's too many possibilities when you consider when you think about Christ manifesting in so many forms around us.
Oh darkmadge2002, I think you nailed it baby.....