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.
I'm classified as a lunatic
Psychosomatics ain't my thing
Insanity seems to be proportional
'Cause I'm not that far from an average
Are you with me?
Will you follow me?
I can promise
You to smile!
Contract's signed, marks on your face show your
Idea, bright like Sun
Thus you are, made a disciple, we'll
Carry on, obliged
Slashing smiles!
A knife doesn't commit a crime
If the hand to hold it
Is as solid as common sense tends to
Be, what a fucking anecdote to feed
Are you with us?
Will you follow us?
We will promise
You a smile!
Slashing smiles!
Slashing smiles!
The red lines
Under your eyes
Show me your smile!
Show me your smile!
Contract's signed, marks on your face show your
Idea, bright like Sun
Thus you are, made a disciple, we'll
Carry on, obliged
Slashing smiles!
Slashing smiles!
Psychosomatics ain't my thing
Insanity seems to be proportional
'Cause I'm not that far from an average
Are you with me?
Will you follow me?
I can promise
You to smile!
Contract's signed, marks on your face show your
Idea, bright like Sun
Thus you are, made a disciple, we'll
Carry on, obliged
Slashing smiles!
A knife doesn't commit a crime
If the hand to hold it
Is as solid as common sense tends to
Be, what a fucking anecdote to feed
Are you with us?
Will you follow us?
We will promise
You a smile!
Slashing smiles!
Slashing smiles!
The red lines
Under your eyes
Show me your smile!
Show me your smile!
Contract's signed, marks on your face show your
Idea, bright like Sun
Thus you are, made a disciple, we'll
Carry on, obliged
Slashing smiles!
Slashing smiles!
Lyrics submitted by EternalTearsOfSorrow
Slashing Smiles Lyrics as written by Saku Pitkänen
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The Smile' - aka Frontman Thom Yorke of Radiohead & their guitarist Johnny Greenwood explain of this track in a press release: “Hearing 'Thin Thing' for the first time, we imagined a frenetic fluid that carries machines, pieces of human bodies and carnivorous plants. When presenting the idea to the band, Thom told us about a dream that made him write the song. We believe the video is the conjunction of these two things.”