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.
You can go to the East to find your
Your inner hemisphere
You say we're under the same sky, babe
Don't you realize, honey, it's not that clear
I'm not your promised land, honey, you know that I'm not
I'm not your promised one
I'm not the land of Canaan, oh sweetheart
Waitin' for you under the sun
I'm lonely tonight
I'm missin' you now
I'm wantin' your love
And you're givin' it out
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight, ooh hoo, yeah
Well, the meaning's changed
For what it's worth
It's just a senseless game (oh yeah)
Well, I should think of love
But it's fear every time I hear
Honey, your heartbeat strain
It's not the fallen man
Honey, you know that it's not
It's not the call of time
It's just the London skyline, sweetheart
Tellin' me you're not mine
I'm lonely tonight
I'm missin' you now
I'm wantin' your love
And you're givin' it out
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight, ooh hoo
Yeah
My blood is runnin' dry
My skin is, my skin is growin' thin
Oh, yeah, for every time you find yourself
You lose a little of me, honey, from within
It's just a ragin' cycle
Why can't we bring it all to the end of the line?
Shout it, baby
From inside this existence, no sweetheart
Time is not on my side
I'm lonely tonight
I'm missin' you now
I'm wantin' your love
And you're givin' it out
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight, hoo hoo
I'm not your promised land (I'm lonely tonight)
I'm not your promised one (honey I'm tryin' to tell you that I'm lonely tonight)
I'm not your promised land
I'm not your promised one
I'm not the land of Canaan (I'm lonely tonight)
I'm not your land of Canaan (I'm lonely tonight) oh sweetheart
I'm not the land of Canaan, sweetheart
Waitin' for you under the sun
I'm lonely tonight
Your inner hemisphere
You say we're under the same sky, babe
Don't you realize, honey, it's not that clear
I'm not your promised land, honey, you know that I'm not
I'm not your promised one
I'm not the land of Canaan, oh sweetheart
Waitin' for you under the sun
I'm lonely tonight
I'm missin' you now
I'm wantin' your love
And you're givin' it out
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight, ooh hoo, yeah
Well, the meaning's changed
For what it's worth
It's just a senseless game (oh yeah)
Well, I should think of love
But it's fear every time I hear
Honey, your heartbeat strain
It's not the fallen man
Honey, you know that it's not
It's not the call of time
It's just the London skyline, sweetheart
Tellin' me you're not mine
I'm lonely tonight
I'm missin' you now
I'm wantin' your love
And you're givin' it out
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight, ooh hoo
Yeah
My blood is runnin' dry
My skin is, my skin is growin' thin
Oh, yeah, for every time you find yourself
You lose a little of me, honey, from within
It's just a ragin' cycle
Why can't we bring it all to the end of the line?
Shout it, baby
From inside this existence, no sweetheart
Time is not on my side
I'm lonely tonight
I'm missin' you now
I'm wantin' your love
And you're givin' it out
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight
I'm lonely tonight, hoo hoo
I'm not your promised land (I'm lonely tonight)
I'm not your promised one (honey I'm tryin' to tell you that I'm lonely tonight)
I'm not your promised land
I'm not your promised one
I'm not the land of Canaan (I'm lonely tonight)
I'm not your land of Canaan (I'm lonely tonight) oh sweetheart
I'm not the land of Canaan, sweetheart
Waitin' for you under the sun
I'm lonely tonight
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
Thee More Shallows
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
This is the song my username comes from!
I take it to mean that Amy has a relationship of some sort but the other half is out with someone else, hence the chorus. And she's not the promised land, meaning that she isnt going to sit around for 40 years while this person finds their way back to her. Just another song caused by heartbreak in a non-monogamous relationship...