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.
Open up a window
All the air, all the air is falling out
Eyes vacuum up light
Sound gets trapped by the mouth
What to do with the remainder
When the dents, the dents get hammered out
Then we'll travel through time
The world's an inventor
With its work crawling, running, squirming 'round
Trees drop colorful fruits
Directly into our mouths
The world's an inventor
We're the dirtiest thing it's thought about
And we really don't mind
We'll probably never get there
Bring your sightseers, schoolteachers down
It's a watercolor weekend
All the trees are turning colors now
We'll probably never get there
Bring your candy taster time wasters around
And we'll fuck with their minds
The world composes
With his shirttails wrinkled, hanging out
Bang us together
See what sort of sounds we make right now
The world plays music
Playing skin on teeth inside of the mouth
What sort of sounds?
What lovely sounds come about?
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna move in time
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna travel time
We're gonna throw a party
All the ghosts of trees are coming out
Don't move in any direction
Wait until the light's inside of the cloud
You're gonna wanna see this
Don't bring your camera around
Watch sun and sawdust align
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna pulse in time
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna travel time
Hold up a window
All the air, all the air is falling out
Eyes vacuum up light
Sound gets trapped by the mouth
Our predecessor left this box
And something's clawing around
I think it really wants out
All the air, all the air is falling out
Eyes vacuum up light
Sound gets trapped by the mouth
What to do with the remainder
When the dents, the dents get hammered out
Then we'll travel through time
The world's an inventor
With its work crawling, running, squirming 'round
Trees drop colorful fruits
Directly into our mouths
The world's an inventor
We're the dirtiest thing it's thought about
And we really don't mind
We'll probably never get there
Bring your sightseers, schoolteachers down
It's a watercolor weekend
All the trees are turning colors now
We'll probably never get there
Bring your candy taster time wasters around
And we'll fuck with their minds
The world composes
With his shirttails wrinkled, hanging out
Bang us together
See what sort of sounds we make right now
The world plays music
Playing skin on teeth inside of the mouth
What sort of sounds?
What lovely sounds come about?
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna move in time
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna travel time
We're gonna throw a party
All the ghosts of trees are coming out
Don't move in any direction
Wait until the light's inside of the cloud
You're gonna wanna see this
Don't bring your camera around
Watch sun and sawdust align
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna pulse in time
We greased all the roads
We're floating in the light
We're gonna break these borders
We're gonna travel time
Hold up a window
All the air, all the air is falling out
Eyes vacuum up light
Sound gets trapped by the mouth
Our predecessor left this box
And something's clawing around
I think it really wants out
Lyrics submitted by timelyvoices, edited by rkpetersen, AmanO, SephNite
The Ground Walks, With Time In A Box Lyrics as written by Jeremiah Green Isaac Brock
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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@grungybeatle, you made me get an account. It's so amazing that Isaac can provoke so many interesting and awesome interpretations of his jams. Yours is wonderful! My take is, it's a ballad with a message on how this planet we live on is self sustaining and nurturing. It provided everything for every living thing, and we, as people take advantage, destroy, and hurt the world during our existence (or travel through time)!