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.
Bite your tongue boy
Squared up casual like propelled eyelids
You're trying too hard
Frenzied thoughts, body surging with adrenaline
He thinks he's slick with those he's hanging with all night
I guess at night time it's tough to be polite
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
They messed you up, boy
Know-it-all lightweights left you down spitting bones
Broken discord
Slicked back riff-raff sideways staring
He thinks he's slick with those he's hanging with all night
You're right at night time, it's tough to be polite
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Time gets lost on you
Time gets lost on you
Why?
Why?
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Squared up casual like propelled eyelids
You're trying too hard
Frenzied thoughts, body surging with adrenaline
He thinks he's slick with those he's hanging with all night
I guess at night time it's tough to be polite
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
They messed you up, boy
Know-it-all lightweights left you down spitting bones
Broken discord
Slicked back riff-raff sideways staring
He thinks he's slick with those he's hanging with all night
You're right at night time, it's tough to be polite
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Time gets lost on you
Time gets lost on you
Why?
Why?
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Ah ah
He said watch your back son, nights are no fun
Ah ah
He said you're not alright, alright
Lyrics submitted by 60_miles_an_hour
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“Sick Boy first came to life in early 2013 when Malcolm recorded Jack Schumacher (guitar, bass) and Mitch Ansell (guitar, bass) doing an improvised jam to a programmed drum beat. They played for about 25 minutes. Later on Malcolm went through and found bits and pieces from the jam, then chopped them up, rearranged and constructed totally new riffs into a near complete bed for the song. From there the song was layered with unique ideas from other members, which created the version you hear now.
There was only one rehearsal of this song before we recorded it. A lot of the final parts were ideas that we came up with in the studio once recording began. The film ‘Trainspotting’, which we had been watching whilst on a writing weekend in Daylesford, lyrically inspires the song.”
From: tonedeaf.com.au/404327/advance-stream-northeast-party-house-any-given-weekend.htm