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.
[Chorus]
Say bye-bye, kneel down
Yield, pray and kiss the ground
Gonna be a while before we touch back down
Ain't no turning back like a train
Sprouting wings, fuck the track
Hello sky, I'm all aboard this surprise locomotion
Oh my, oh well
Guess I'd better just enjoy the ride
[Verse]
My oh my, grinning and chatty
Tapestries and tile
I'll, I'll try to keep this conversation light
May be up all night
And I surmise there might have been Iowaska
Hiding in the water and wine, water and wine
Looks like I'm about to
Take a bullet train to Iowaska soon
Well, alright, ride, ride
Choo, choo, choo
Choo, choo, choo
Animistical wayside sabbatical
[Chorus]
I say bye-bye
Gonna be a while before we touch back down
Hello sky, I'm all aboard this surprise locomotion
Gonna be a while before we touch back down
Ain't no turning back like a train
Sprouting wings, fuck the track
Hello sky, I'm all aboard this surprise locomotion
Oh my, oh arrogant side
Or better, just enjoy the ride
[Outro]
Ride
Ride, ride, ride, ride
Say bye-bye, kneel down
Yield, pray and kiss the ground
Gonna be a while before we touch back down
Ain't no turning back like a train
Sprouting wings, fuck the track
Hello sky, I'm all aboard this surprise locomotion
Oh my, oh well
Guess I'd better just enjoy the ride
[Verse]
My oh my, grinning and chatty
Tapestries and tile
I'll, I'll try to keep this conversation light
May be up all night
And I surmise there might have been Iowaska
Hiding in the water and wine, water and wine
Looks like I'm about to
Take a bullet train to Iowaska soon
Well, alright, ride, ride
Choo, choo, choo
Choo, choo, choo
Animistical wayside sabbatical
[Chorus]
I say bye-bye
Gonna be a while before we touch back down
Hello sky, I'm all aboard this surprise locomotion
Gonna be a while before we touch back down
Ain't no turning back like a train
Sprouting wings, fuck the track
Hello sky, I'm all aboard this surprise locomotion
Oh my, oh arrogant side
Or better, just enjoy the ride
[Outro]
Ride
Ride, ride, ride, ride
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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It's 100% about drugs, as he says “iowaska" in the song. As per lyrics genius:
Iowaska, more commonly known as “Ayahuasca”, is a brew which originated from South America. It is primarily taken for its dimethyltryptamine (DMT) contents which is said to enable people to separate their soul from their earthly body, experiencing outstanding trips. DMT is essentially a very basic compound which results in a rapid metabolization by the Human body. However, people still report trips that feel like hours or days. The thought behind the Ayahuasca brew is a mixing of DMT-rich plants with plants that contain compounds that inhibit the Human body to metabolizae DMT, resulting in experiences that reportedly feel like months or years. The brew goes back to Indigenous people in Peru and neighboring countries.
There is strong evidence that DMT is an endogenous compound which is said to be produced in the pineal gland. It is often linked to near-death experiences (NDE).
“Bullet train to Iowaska/ayahuasca” has a touch of irony, because the concept of time might not be real in the context of DMT-fueled experiences, yet Maynard uses the image of rapidly approaching the ayahuasca brew. The “soon” at the end means a delay, which is another theme of time,