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.
Oh, ooh, oh
You liked me 'til you heard my shit on the radio
Well I hate to say but pop ain't going solo
You liked me 'til you heard my shit on the radio
But now I'm just too mainstream for you, oh no
You liked me 'til you seen me on your TV
Well if you're so low below then why you watching?
You say good things come to those who wait
I've been waiting a long time for it
I remember the days when I was so eager to satisfy you
And be less then I was just to prove I could walk beside you
Now that I've flown away I see you've chosen to stay behind me
And still you curse the day I decided to stay true to myself
You say your quest is to bring it higher
Well, I never seen change without a fire
But from your mouth I have seen a lot of burning
But underneath I think it's a lot of yearning
Your face, the colors change from green to yellow
To the point where you can't even say hello
You tell me you'd kill me if I ever snob you out
Like that's what you'd expect from me, like that's what I'm about
I remember the days when I was so eager to satisfy you
And be less then I was just to prove I could walk beside you
Now that I've flown away I see you've chosen to stay behind me
And still you curse the day I decided to stay true to myself
It's so much easier to stay down there guaranteeing you're cool
Than to sit up here exposing myself trying to break through
Than to burn in the spotlight, open fire, turn in the spitfire, open fire
Scream without making a sound, open fire, be up here without looking down, open fire
Oh, afraid of heights
I remember the days when I was so eager to satisfy you
And be less then I was just to prove I could walk beside you
Now that I've flown away I see you've chosen to stay behind me
And now you curse the day I decided to stay true to
Myself, myself
Myself, myself
Myself (now you're feeling me, and now you're feeling me)
Myself (and now you're feeling me, and now you're feeling me now)
Myself (and now you're feeling me, are you feeling me now?)
Myself (why you gotta be so, so mean?)
Why ya hurt me, hurt me, hurt me (myself)
Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me, hurt me so? (myself)
Leave me down, down, down, down low (myself)
Down, da down, down, da down, da down, down, down (myself)
Now, I'm comin' at you on the radio tonight (myself)
'Cause I like my shit played loud and clear over the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
You liked me 'til you heard my shit on the radio
Well I hate to say but pop ain't going solo
You liked me 'til you heard my shit on the radio
But now I'm just too mainstream for you, oh no
You liked me 'til you seen me on your TV
Well if you're so low below then why you watching?
You say good things come to those who wait
I've been waiting a long time for it
I remember the days when I was so eager to satisfy you
And be less then I was just to prove I could walk beside you
Now that I've flown away I see you've chosen to stay behind me
And still you curse the day I decided to stay true to myself
You say your quest is to bring it higher
Well, I never seen change without a fire
But from your mouth I have seen a lot of burning
But underneath I think it's a lot of yearning
Your face, the colors change from green to yellow
To the point where you can't even say hello
You tell me you'd kill me if I ever snob you out
Like that's what you'd expect from me, like that's what I'm about
I remember the days when I was so eager to satisfy you
And be less then I was just to prove I could walk beside you
Now that I've flown away I see you've chosen to stay behind me
And still you curse the day I decided to stay true to myself
It's so much easier to stay down there guaranteeing you're cool
Than to sit up here exposing myself trying to break through
Than to burn in the spotlight, open fire, turn in the spitfire, open fire
Scream without making a sound, open fire, be up here without looking down, open fire
Oh, afraid of heights
I remember the days when I was so eager to satisfy you
And be less then I was just to prove I could walk beside you
Now that I've flown away I see you've chosen to stay behind me
And now you curse the day I decided to stay true to
Myself, myself
Myself, myself
Myself (now you're feeling me, and now you're feeling me)
Myself (and now you're feeling me, and now you're feeling me now)
Myself (and now you're feeling me, are you feeling me now?)
Myself (why you gotta be so, so mean?)
Why ya hurt me, hurt me, hurt me (myself)
Hurt me, hurt me, hurt me, hurt me so? (myself)
Leave me down, down, down, down low (myself)
Down, da down, down, da down, da down, down, down (myself)
Now, I'm comin' at you on the radio tonight (myself)
'Cause I like my shit played loud and clear over the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Shit on the radio (myself)
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Shit on the Radio (Remember the Days) Lyrics as written by Nelly Furtado
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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I feel like she's trying to say when she succeeded herself (possibly going against what other people told her or believed she could do) and some people naturally got jealous/envious and didn't hide it well, and now she feels vindicated & figures hey if they're mad me at for succeeding, that's not cool, I'll bust out this rhyme about it... But I also get the sense she doesn't really wanna play that game anymore.
So all in all, its a song. Sometimes its easier to express certain things through music/writing/art... stuff that words don't quite do just or for stuff want to keep to yourself or veiled in someway. It can help soften the blow.
Nelly rocks.