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.
It's not right, but it's now or never
And if I wait, could I ever forgive myself?
On a night when the moon glows yellow in the riptide
With the light from the TV's buzzing in the house
'Cause I'm gonna cut it where I can
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you
To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81, oh-oh, oh-oh
Dressed in white with my car keys hidden in the kitchen
I could sleep wherever I lay my head
And the sight of your two shoes sitting in the bathtub
Let me know that I shouldn't give up just yet
'Cause I'm gonna take it from Simon
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you
To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81, oh-oh, oh-oh
I know, you'll say I'm not doing it right
But this is how I want it
I can't go back to how I felt before, there's
That night I smoked a joint with my best friend
We found ourselves in bed, when I woke up, he was gone
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
Looking out at the ice-cold water all around me
I can't feel any traces of that other place
In the dark, when the wind comes racing off the river
There's a car all black with diplomatic plates
And if I wait, could I ever forgive myself?
On a night when the moon glows yellow in the riptide
With the light from the TV's buzzing in the house
'Cause I'm gonna cut it where I can
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you
To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81, oh-oh, oh-oh
Dressed in white with my car keys hidden in the kitchen
I could sleep wherever I lay my head
And the sight of your two shoes sitting in the bathtub
Let me know that I shouldn't give up just yet
'Cause I'm gonna take it from Simon
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you
To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81, oh-oh, oh-oh
I know, you'll say I'm not doing it right
But this is how I want it
I can't go back to how I felt before, there's
That night I smoked a joint with my best friend
We found ourselves in bed, when I woke up, he was gone
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
He was a diplomat's son, it was '81
Looking out at the ice-cold water all around me
I can't feel any traces of that other place
In the dark, when the wind comes racing off the river
There's a car all black with diplomatic plates
Lyrics submitted by ContravoltStudios
Diplomat's Son Lyrics as written by Ezra Koenig David James Andrew Taylor
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"And if I wait could I ever forgive myself?" I know the feeling. I had a friend who I was attracted to, and I never told him. I still regret it.
Anyways, it's obvious that the narrator of this song is reminiscing about a gay experience he had with a friend, and then he runs into the guy (or his father) again. What happens next, as well as his current circumstances (other than the fact that he is near a river on a cold night) are both ambiguous. Since the order of the song's events isn't clearly stated, it's possible that seeing the car is what triggered the memory.