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.
Blood sky every mornin'
Shoulda seen the warnin'
Captain to the seamen
Man your battle stations
Poseidon's on a mission
'Bout to turn it up to eleven
Blood sky every mornin (all hands on all hands on deck)
Shoulda seen the warnin (woulda, coulda, shoulda, shoulda)
Poseidon's on a mission (brace yourself, brace yourself)
'Bout to turn it up to 11 (brace yourself, brace yourself for 12)
Captain to the seamen (come the gales, mind the sails)
Assume impact positions (all hands on all hands on deck)
Toss the extras over (Women n children women n children first)
Bout to take on water (Bail, sailor, bail bail bail)
Poseidon's on a mission (brace yourself, brace yourself)
'Bout to turn it up to 11 (brace yourself, brace yourself for 12)
Shoulda seen the warnin'
Captain to the seamen
Man your battle stations
Poseidon's on a mission
'Bout to turn it up to eleven
Blood sky every mornin (all hands on all hands on deck)
Shoulda seen the warnin (woulda, coulda, shoulda, shoulda)
Poseidon's on a mission (brace yourself, brace yourself)
'Bout to turn it up to 11 (brace yourself, brace yourself for 12)
Captain to the seamen (come the gales, mind the sails)
Assume impact positions (all hands on all hands on deck)
Toss the extras over (Women n children women n children first)
Bout to take on water (Bail, sailor, bail bail bail)
Poseidon's on a mission (brace yourself, brace yourself)
'Bout to turn it up to 11 (brace yourself, brace yourself for 12)
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Poseidon (besides being the title of a disaster movie) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth. He was god of the Sea & other waters, earthquakes & of horses. 'Poseidon's on a mission, about to turn it up to eleven'. Later the lyrics says: 'Brave yourself for twelve!' saying the storm's already one notch past '10' so now get ready for another level entirely. I'm sure the "up to 11" part is a reference to Spinal Tap ("Up to eleven", also phrased as "these go to eleven" has become an idiom from popular culture coined in the 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap, where guitarist Nigel Tufnel proudly demonstrates an amplifier whose volume knob is marked from zero to eleven, instead of the usual zero to ten).