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.
What do you say, when there's nothing left to say?
When all the words are spoken, and the silence runs astray?
The thoughts have all been written down, the pen is laid aside
Do you feel your mind at peace, or do you feel as though you've died?
It's a war of truth and lies, a search for right and wrong
Who will fall and who will rise, the battle rages on
Oooh, how do we sleep at night?
With the world around us going to hell
Tell me, how do we justify?
We do nothing, nothing changes at all
In a thousand years from now, the winners they will be praised
The history books will all be burned, that told of other ways
So when tomorrow morning comes, to bring another day
We'd better test our mettle, before we fade away
When good men stop and stand aside, the evil ones succeed
They take for granted all we've done, and watch the planet bleed
Oooh, so how do we sleep at night?
With the world around us going to hell
Tell me, how do we justify?
We do nothing, nothing changes at all
Who will fall and who will rise, a search for right and wrong
It's a war of truth and lies, the battle's raging on
Oooh, how do we sleep at night?
With the world around us going to hell
Tell me, how do we justify?
We do nothing, and nothing changes at all
When all the words are spoken, and the silence runs astray?
The thoughts have all been written down, the pen is laid aside
Do you feel your mind at peace, or do you feel as though you've died?
It's a war of truth and lies, a search for right and wrong
Who will fall and who will rise, the battle rages on
Oooh, how do we sleep at night?
With the world around us going to hell
Tell me, how do we justify?
We do nothing, nothing changes at all
In a thousand years from now, the winners they will be praised
The history books will all be burned, that told of other ways
So when tomorrow morning comes, to bring another day
We'd better test our mettle, before we fade away
When good men stop and stand aside, the evil ones succeed
They take for granted all we've done, and watch the planet bleed
Oooh, so how do we sleep at night?
With the world around us going to hell
Tell me, how do we justify?
We do nothing, nothing changes at all
Who will fall and who will rise, a search for right and wrong
It's a war of truth and lies, the battle's raging on
Oooh, how do we sleep at night?
With the world around us going to hell
Tell me, how do we justify?
We do nothing, and nothing changes at all
Lyrics submitted by EternalTearsOfSorrow
How Do We Sleep Lyrics as written by Mark Tornillo Deaffy Deaffy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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Lead guitarist Wolf Hoffman says of this song that it's really talking about the state of the world that we live in, whether it’s environmentally or politically. There’s so many problems out there, and sometimes you start to wonder, how do we actually manage to keep going? I think we all find a way to tune out these problems because otherwise you would go crazy. But sometimes you wonder, “How can we just sit here idle and go on about our lives?” Well, I don’t know. The rainforests are being burnt down. The climate is getting worse, and politically everything’s going to hell. So it’s definitely worth thinking about that sometimes.