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.
My ship went down in a sea of sound
When I woke up alone, I had everything
A handful of moments, I wished I could change
And a tongue like a nightmare that cut like a blade
In a city of fools, I was careful and cool
But they tore me apart like a hurricane
A handful of moments, I wished I could change
But I was carried away
Give me a therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
And you can keep all your misery
My lungs gave out as I faced the crowd
I think that keeping this up could be dangerous
I'm flesh and bone, I'm a rolling stone
And the experts say I'm delirious
Give me a therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
You can take back your misery
Arrogant boy
Love yourself so no one has to
They're better off without you
(They're better off without you)
Arrogant boy
'Cause a scene like you're supposed to
They'll fall asleep without you
You're lucky if your memory remains
Give me a therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
You can take back your misery
Therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
And you can choke on your misery
When I woke up alone, I had everything
A handful of moments, I wished I could change
And a tongue like a nightmare that cut like a blade
In a city of fools, I was careful and cool
But they tore me apart like a hurricane
A handful of moments, I wished I could change
But I was carried away
Give me a therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
And you can keep all your misery
My lungs gave out as I faced the crowd
I think that keeping this up could be dangerous
I'm flesh and bone, I'm a rolling stone
And the experts say I'm delirious
Give me a therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
You can take back your misery
Arrogant boy
Love yourself so no one has to
They're better off without you
(They're better off without you)
Arrogant boy
'Cause a scene like you're supposed to
They'll fall asleep without you
You're lucky if your memory remains
Give me a therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
You can take back your misery
Therapy, I'm a walking travesty
But I'm smiling at everything
Therapy, you were never a friend to me
And you can choke on your misery
Lyrics submitted by thoseguiltyeyes
Therapy Lyrics as written by David Jonathan Bendeth Alexander William Gaskarth
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think it's about his brother. He's reflecting back to what happened. The misery he's talking about is the suicide he committed. Also " Cause a scene like you're supposed to, They'll fall asleep without you, You're lucky if your memory remains". What hes trying to say is that the scene is the part where he took away his own life, whilst others just go to sleep and avoid him, and he could be one lucky person if people still remember him, as in if his memory still remains, which could be possible he had a lot of negative conflicts with others. This is kinda giving me the feeling they never got along well with each other, like any siblings. The therapy part means, he needs some sort of treatment to go through, because he couldn't take the fact his brother is gone, and still can't imagine it happened, and that it could have been all his fault due to bad imitation, where he says he's a walking travesty. " but i'm still smiling at everything ", he's trying to say, although his brother is gone, he's living his dream at the same time, being in a band, have great success and be happy that he made it in the music industry. I'm not trying to be a mean guy, i really love alex , he's awesome, but if this is about his brother, which is possible, then it means, his brother might have been a person who wasn't really gifted like alex, and might have not had many friends and was feeling down at times. I'm not sure if it is 100 percent about his brothers, it's just a thought. But this is still a song that really makes me wonder everyday, what the truth in it really is, if it's really about his brother, or someone else.
it is about his brother and you have just about the perfect exalanation for the song
I really want to show my brother this song because he thinks that All Time Low's songs are shallow and without much meaning, but this is one of their deeper songs and it's one of my favorites. <3
how do you even know his brother committed suicide???
i don't know whether his brother committed suicide or not, i'm pretty sure no one in this fan base does, so why are you making assumptions and saying he committed suicide. it's extremely disrespectful. he died, it was very hard on alex and his family, leave it at that.