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.
Drivin' home this evening
I coulda sworn we had it all worked out
You had this boy believin'
Way beyond the shadow of a doubt, yeah
Well I heard it on the street
I heard you mighta found somebody new, yeah
Well who is he baby, who is he
And tell me what he means to you, oh yeah
I took it all for granted
But how was I to know
That you'd be letting go
Now it cuts like a knife
But it feels so right
Yeah, it cuts like a knife
Oh, but it feels so right
There's times I've been mistaken
There's times I thought I'd been misunderstood, ooo yeah
So wait a minute darlin'
Can't you see we did the best we could, ooo we could
Wouldn't be the first time
That things have gone astray
Now you've thrown it all away
Now it cuts like a knife
Yeah but it feels so right
Oh it cuts like a knife
Yeah but it feels so right
Oh it's cut like a knife
But it feels so right, baby
Oh it cuts like a knife, yeah
I took it all for granted
But how was I to know
That you'd be letting go
Now it cuts like a knife
Yeah but it feels so right, mmm
Now it cuts like a knife
Yeah, but it feels so right
Yeah
Oh it cuts like a knife
Oh oh
But it feels so right, baby
Oh yeah
It cuts like a knife
Now give it to me now
Oh yeah, come on boys, awh
Cuts like a knife, yeah yeah yeah
Na, it cuts like a knife now
It feels so right, yeah yeah
It feels so right, baby
Na na yeah, it feels so right
And it cuts like a knife
I coulda sworn we had it all worked out
You had this boy believin'
Way beyond the shadow of a doubt, yeah
Well I heard it on the street
I heard you mighta found somebody new, yeah
Well who is he baby, who is he
And tell me what he means to you, oh yeah
I took it all for granted
But how was I to know
That you'd be letting go
Now it cuts like a knife
But it feels so right
Yeah, it cuts like a knife
Oh, but it feels so right
There's times I've been mistaken
There's times I thought I'd been misunderstood, ooo yeah
So wait a minute darlin'
Can't you see we did the best we could, ooo we could
Wouldn't be the first time
That things have gone astray
Now you've thrown it all away
Now it cuts like a knife
Yeah but it feels so right
Oh it cuts like a knife
Yeah but it feels so right
Oh it's cut like a knife
But it feels so right, baby
Oh it cuts like a knife, yeah
I took it all for granted
But how was I to know
That you'd be letting go
Now it cuts like a knife
Yeah but it feels so right, mmm
Now it cuts like a knife
Yeah, but it feels so right
Yeah
Oh it cuts like a knife
Oh oh
But it feels so right, baby
Oh yeah
It cuts like a knife
Now give it to me now
Oh yeah, come on boys, awh
Cuts like a knife, yeah yeah yeah
Na, it cuts like a knife now
It feels so right, yeah yeah
It feels so right, baby
Na na yeah, it feels so right
And it cuts like a knife
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I think its about someone loving another person but the other person never really loves them back. The other person leads them on, but just like in the past, they hurt the other person. "It cuts like a knife but it feels so right" this to me is saying that it hurts, but the pain is so familiar that it almost feels right.