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 in a mental cage, I'm locked up
Imprisoned I live, deathlike, sickening
Strong is your hold on my resignation
I don't see the stars, my memories are veiled
In fluid dreams I fall, I'm restless
Walls made of stone are turned into water now
Enlightened demons they are taking me by the hand
Approaching me, this great eye speaking
Go!
Mountainous waves are breaking on my despair
Awaken me but I'm still dreaming
And I just plunge into this sea of light
Set open the doors of soul, I'm living
Lightning struck me
I see the path I was so scared of
And fly to the stars
Conviction now increasing at last
My skin is broken
I see the smallest part of me
My mind is alive
But I'll never bow to this again
Why do they call me there?
How can I fly to
All this water, I, I don't feel like
I could ever swim to them
Whales in the sky
I feel they're so close
Inside, and yet so far away
Burst into tears, I feel sad
My dreams aflame
The force is now away
Lie on a stone
Drop this load and cry to see
The ocean planet is on burn
Imprisoned I live, deathlike, sickening
Strong is your hold on my resignation
I don't see the stars, my memories are veiled
In fluid dreams I fall, I'm restless
Walls made of stone are turned into water now
Enlightened demons they are taking me by the hand
Approaching me, this great eye speaking
Go!
Mountainous waves are breaking on my despair
Awaken me but I'm still dreaming
And I just plunge into this sea of light
Set open the doors of soul, I'm living
Lightning struck me
I see the path I was so scared of
And fly to the stars
Conviction now increasing at last
My skin is broken
I see the smallest part of me
My mind is alive
But I'll never bow to this again
Why do they call me there?
How can I fly to
All this water, I, I don't feel like
I could ever swim to them
Whales in the sky
I feel they're so close
Inside, and yet so far away
Burst into tears, I feel sad
My dreams aflame
The force is now away
Lie on a stone
Drop this load and cry to see
The ocean planet is on burn
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I see how it's about the environment, and about some crazy science fiction story. However, song's with lyrics like this often have layered meanings. Also one can take personal meaning from amazing lyrics like this. For me a lot of the lines reminded me about lucid dreams, and astral projection. Not that Gojira wrote it about that but it's what i personally took from it. If u think astral projection is interesting check out the band Maudlin of the Well. suuuuuper dank
in my opinion the first verse of this song may mean, a person (lets go with a male) is in a bad place in life and doesnt see a way out, 2. he is given an opprotunity by a group of his kind (maybe a least than honest group)3.even tho he is apprehensive at first he joins the group because they are the lesser of two evils. 4.he at first is happy to be in the group and has high goals but then things change. 5.he realizes that even in the group he cannot acheive his goals and feels the same as he did in the begining and allows his desires to fade. (personal meaning only. i dont see an enviromental meaning altho there may be one.)
god i will always remember this song as my first taste of Gojira. If these guys don't become big I shall be very surprised. From Mars To Sirius was the best album I bought this year so far and well it's all about (i think) a guy who sees the world end so he goes on a journey to find the flying whales who teach him to fly and tell him to go to Sirius C and find some ancient master race or summin who will tell him how to restore life on the planet. I kinda expected it to suck i mean eco warriors + metal? But ye it's cool I recomend anyone into metal to listen to em.
The album is also to try to spread the awareness of how bad the enviroment is. It's important to help the enviroment and Gojira wants to help spread that message. I think that's the coolest thing ever.
its "songmeanings.net" your meant to leave a comment about the meaning of the song ... -.-
@keeneye88 yet ironically you didn't leave a comment about the meaning of the song??
The big question to unravel the song is perhaps identifying who is the "you" in the song??
Who has a hold on them? The government? Corporations? Another person? An emotion?
The main theme of the song to me appears to be about a sense of hopelessness. That is, they can see problems but they can not act on these for some reason ... I am not entirely sure they devolve the why.
It’s clearly told from the perspective of a fish being dragged struggling to “the light” by a fisherman, and the light here is not a good thing. “..skin is broken”, I.e, fish hook. I think my favorite line is this: “All this water, I, I don't feel like I could ever swim to them Whales in the sky (humans) I feel they're so close Inside, and yet so far away”
That last line is outlining that all creatures on earth, sentient or otherwise are one and the same, evolutionarily all related at the least. Yet the fish struggles to understand why these humans are doing this to it.
I don’t believe fish are that sentient, yet from the perspective of us all being one and the same, it is quite eerie. Very progressive metal!
It’s clearly told from the perspective of a fish being dragged struggling to “the light” by a fisherman, and the light here is not a good thing. “..skin is broken”, I.e, fish hook. I think my favorite line is this: “All this water, I, I don't feel like I could ever swim to them Whales in the sky (humans) I feel they're so close Inside, and yet so far away”
That last line is outlining that all creatures on earth, sentient or otherwise are one and the same, evolutionarily all related at the least. Yet the fish struggles to understand why these humans are doing this to it.
I don’t believe fish are that sentient, yet from the perspective of us all being one and the same, it is quite eerie. Very progressive metal!
i agree. i saw these guys live with machine head, trivium, and lamb of god and this was the first song they played and i friggin loved it. of course i have already heard of them before from the prosthetic records website and saw the video to sirius but brushed it and didnt really listen to them. now i think they are great........i will never forget that show as long as i live. ya, i think ur right about the meaning, shadowsilence.