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.
(dulli)
You can believe in me, baby
Can I believe in you?
What you don't know
Can hurt you, child
All the things a mind can
Do to you
If I go bad
From time to time
Love to love but love is not
My only crime
Bathe the path, shine the light
Better get your ass up on
The mountain, baby
I'll take you up tonight
Faded
This I feel
Behind the blue clouds
I remain concealed
Lord, lift me out of the night
Come on, look down
And see the mess I'm in tonight
You can believe in me, baby
Can I believe in you?
I wish I could remember what
You said, when I said
Enough
You said
Good boy... bad boy... killjoy...
Get your ass over here, boy
And since I know
Myself so well
Don't breathe a word
Don't you ever tell
You can believe in me, baby
Can I believe in you?
That secret's gonna kill you
In the end
It's gonna kill
You
You can believe in me, baby
Can I believe in you?
What you don't know
Can hurt you, child
All the things a mind can
Do to you
If I go bad
From time to time
Love to love but love is not
My only crime
Bathe the path, shine the light
Better get your ass up on
The mountain, baby
I'll take you up tonight
Faded
This I feel
Behind the blue clouds
I remain concealed
Lord, lift me out of the night
Come on, look down
And see the mess I'm in tonight
You can believe in me, baby
Can I believe in you?
I wish I could remember what
You said, when I said
Enough
You said
Good boy... bad boy... killjoy...
Get your ass over here, boy
And since I know
Myself so well
Don't breathe a word
Don't you ever tell
You can believe in me, baby
Can I believe in you?
That secret's gonna kill you
In the end
It's gonna kill
You
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I think this song is explained in the final stanza (You can believe in me, baby Can I believe in you? That secret's gonna kill you In the end It's gonna kill You) I think it's about a guy who is having an affair with a married woman and he is also married as well so it's beyond complicated. (That secret's gonna kill you in the end) (You can believe in me, baby Can I believe in you? I wish I could remember what You said, when I said Enough) Here he's trying to convince her to go along with the affair and that she can believe in him, at the same time he also wrestles with the idea and is considering whether it's gone to far (when I said enough) ( You said Good boy... bad boy... killjoy... Get your ass over here, boy And since I know Myself so well Don't breathe a word Don't you ever tell) In this stanza she's now the one who is pushing the affair to continue and he's the one unsure but she convinces him to continue on with it and to keep it secret (Don't breath a word, Don't ever tell)