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.
A friend, a friend you used to call
A friend, a friend you used to call
When you back me, I was gone
When you back me, I was gone
Off and on is what we want
What we want is off and on
Off and on is what we want
What we want is off and on
Friend of a friend you used to call
Friend of a friend you used
Friend of a friend you used
You used to call
I couldn't believe that's where they found us
When you and me, when the wild us
Taken alone, it isn't harmless
Shouldn't we keep it as a promise?
All for one and one for all
Friend, a friend you used to call
All for one and one for all
Everyone you knew
Everyone you knew
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental
(All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you)
Sentimental
(All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you)
A friend, a friend you used to call
When you back me, I was gone
When you back me, I was gone
Off and on is what we want
What we want is off and on
Off and on is what we want
What we want is off and on
Friend of a friend you used to call
Friend of a friend you used
Friend of a friend you used
You used to call
I couldn't believe that's where they found us
When you and me, when the wild us
Taken alone, it isn't harmless
Shouldn't we keep it as a promise?
All for one and one for all
Friend, a friend you used to call
All for one and one for all
Everyone you knew
Everyone you knew
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental, all of you
Sentimental
(All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you)
Sentimental
(All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you
All of you, all of you)
Lyrics submitted by alwayspuft, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Sentimental X's Lyrics as written by Brendan Canning Andrew Whiteman
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is the heart of the album. It's about the band itself. The members come and go. Maybe they use one another now and then. At the end of the day, though, the sprawling cast of BSS is tied together by love for one another.
It's a mature Anthems! It's hard to top Anthems, but this comes really close! So good~
This song is lovely. I agree with the first commenter. I think it's about reflecting on friendships you maybe took/take for granted.
The beginning of this song makes me think of the end of the song Give Me Back My Dreams by the 6ths. In this song, the line "friend, a friend you used to call" is sung similarly to the line that begins with "you don't have to talk to me" in the 6ths song.
Excellent song.
obviously the best song on the new record. and just a remarkably clear representation of how Emily is one of their best assets, and they should have tried to use her more. All the songs she's done with them are among their best: Anthems, Swimmers, and even Backyards. And now this. She really does them so much good.
I've always thought this song captured Emily and Leslie's struggle with being part time members of the band.
With their successful careers outside of the collective having taken off by the time the song was written, it is a mature message of love and gratitude being expressed by the ladies to the rest of the band.
All that said, it is a ridiculously tender tune.
This was the first song to use Feist's, Milan's, and Haines's vocals as a trio. The words "All for one and one for all" represents this song and this band as a whole; the members may come and go but the heart of the band remains the same.
Best song on Forgiveness Rock Record- very subtle, very gorgeous. The lyrics build on themselves in a really clever way, too. This song is thinking about the people you retrospectively used for self-pleasure and realizing how much you actually appreciated them, I think.
Only changes I would make (I don't know what they say after "I couldn't believe that's where they found us" and before "shouldn't we keep it as a promise?") are
1) Opening section, "when you bagged/begged me I was gone" 2) Second section, they say a few different things
Off and on is what we want, what we want is often 'on' Off and on is what we want, what we want is often 'on'(wrong)
3) Third section, the main line becomes "a friend of a friend you used to call"
i think the line is "off and on is what we want, what we want is off and on." it goes with "all for one, and one for all"
yeah it sounds a lot like that's all it is.<br /> <br /> for the back/bagged/begged yeah i have no real clue for that part of the song so any suggestion is welcome.
In a way, I think it relates to the people singing it, and other "Sentimental [e]X[-member]'s" of BSS. Most of this album was done by 7 core members, in fact I believe this is the only song on the album where others play or sing, namely Emily Haines, Amy Millan, and Feist. It feels like the whole "on and off" and "friend you used to call" lines could relate to all the other non-core members who were featured on past albums on and off, called up for various songs and not the others. All for one, and one for all.