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.
It's been five years since I've seen her face
She's the holy ghost, lost without a trace
And now we're left with the "what-ifs"
It's been five years since she left for LA
She's an angel with a dirty face
And it seems to me she's a casualty of all the pressure
That we put on her, and now we've lost her for good
It's such a shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Was a lot like you and a lot like me
And she never walked on water
Guess no one really saw her
She was so adored by everyone
When it came to looks, she was next to none
But loved partying and having too much fun
Then she hooked up with the wrong someone
And he promised everything under the sun
And it seems to me she's a casualty of all the pressure
That he put on her, and now we've lost her for good
It's such a shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Was a lot like you and a lot like me
And she never walked on water 'cause no one really saw her
A shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Had a lot to prove and so many to please
She's just somebody's daughter, just looking for somebody to love her
Well, I never knew you
Wish I could've saved you
From losers that drained you
Before you got strung out
With so much potential
How could you let us down?
It's such a shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Was a lot like you and a lot like me
And she never walked on water 'cause no one really saw her
A shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Had a lot to prove and so many to please
She's just somebody's daughter, just looking for somebody to love her
She's just somebody's daughter, just looking for somebody to love her
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
She's the holy ghost, lost without a trace
And now we're left with the "what-ifs"
It's been five years since she left for LA
She's an angel with a dirty face
And it seems to me she's a casualty of all the pressure
That we put on her, and now we've lost her for good
It's such a shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Was a lot like you and a lot like me
And she never walked on water
Guess no one really saw her
She was so adored by everyone
When it came to looks, she was next to none
But loved partying and having too much fun
Then she hooked up with the wrong someone
And he promised everything under the sun
And it seems to me she's a casualty of all the pressure
That he put on her, and now we've lost her for good
It's such a shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Was a lot like you and a lot like me
And she never walked on water 'cause no one really saw her
A shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Had a lot to prove and so many to please
She's just somebody's daughter, just looking for somebody to love her
Well, I never knew you
Wish I could've saved you
From losers that drained you
Before you got strung out
With so much potential
How could you let us down?
It's such a shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Was a lot like you and a lot like me
And she never walked on water 'cause no one really saw her
A shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen
Had a lot to prove and so many to please
She's just somebody's daughter, just looking for somebody to love her
She's just somebody's daughter, just looking for somebody to love her
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
It's such a shame, shame, shame
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This song is kick ass... besides, as being a highschooler and wanting to be homecoming queen, I started to listen to it and I realized it's EXACTLY like GrimmFaerie thinks of it. Perfect.... ^_^ Love it. Hinder rulez! Vocals is kick ass and the guitar is absolutely amazing! Peace Yo, Stasia Lynn
I love this song... everyone thinks that if your popular in highschool that it is the best time of your life but no one ever talks about how hard it is to live up to that image and how hard some fall after highschool.... somepeopel just never get over the image of what they are supposed to be and what they really are.
To me I thought of the song as in High School she was really popular and lived up to it but after words when he saw her agian she had messed up in her life and he's saying that it's the people in the schools fault because they put her standerds so high up that she couldn't meet them
I love this song too, I think it's my favourite one on the album.
I agree with everything that's been said. It's about someone who had a lot of expectations put on her and things didn't work out like everyone thought they would. At the same time, she's not entirely faultless because she made the choice to party and hook up with the wrong someone.
I have not a clue how Smatts could say this song is a rip off of Sweet Child O' Mine. It sounds nothing like it. And Hinder will be around for a very long time as every song on their first cd is awesome.
"Cookie-cutter"? Yeah, riiiight.
Anyway, I love this song. You guys hit the target well enough on what I think it means. She was a homecoming queen, the popular girl, etc, but when high school passed and what not, none of that really mattered. She sold out to what others thought of her, and when she grew up, she wasn't as amazing as everyone expected. "Such a shame, shame, shame that our homecoming queen was a lot like you and a lot like me. And she never walked on water, 'cause no one really saw her." She was as much of a human as anyone else, just as prone to make mistakes - which she did. Basically, no matter how perfect you think a girl or boy is.. they're just not.
I think this song is about the homecoming queen having so much pressure on her and not being able to live up to everyone's standards. She made mistakes in her life because she wasnt the god people saw her as. Under all of that i think she ends up with the wrong guy because she was just looking for someone to love her and ended up in an abusive relationship. I agree this song is about her suicide. Maybe she Over dosed?
I think it is much more depressing than most people would let on at first. They talk about how its a shame that she WAS like you and me. The entire song speaks primarily in past tense and speaks of her being "strung-out" which normally means on drugs, this after hooking up with the wrong some who promised everything under the sun. I presume he got her pregnant and she couldn't handle that. She proceeded to take her own life after becoming addicted to heroin it seems. Constant reference to causality and no one seeing her also makes me ponder if it were a suicide. So my final interpretations are, and not limited to.
-She has killed her self.
-She has ran away for good.
-She was pregnant while doing so.
-She was addicted to drugs.
-She died of a STD (plausible?)
I love this song, He's saying how no one really sees the true person. This girl who was idolized in High School has never been able to shake that image, and now all she wants is to be seen as the real her and for someone to love her, for her and not who she's supposed to be.
its about this girl who had this image of being perfect. but the reality was that she wasn't perfect at all. she was just like everyone else and made mistakes too.