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.
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
Hush, don't speak
When you spit your venom, keep it shut I hate it
When you hiss and preach
About your new messiah 'cause your theories catch fire
I can't find your silver lining
I don't mean to judge
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Enough is enough
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
If our love is running out of time
I won't count the hours, rather be a coward
When our worlds collide
I'm gonna drown you out before I lose my mind
I can't find your silver lining
I don't mean to judge
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Enough is enough
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, oh
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
Hush, don't speak
When you spit your venom, keep it shut I hate it
When you hiss and preach
About your new messiah 'cause your theories catch fire
I can't find your silver lining
I don't mean to judge
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Enough is enough
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
If our love is running out of time
I won't count the hours, rather be a coward
When our worlds collide
I'm gonna drown you out before I lose my mind
I can't find your silver lining
I don't mean to judge
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Enough is enough
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, oh
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
La La La Lyrics as written by Samuel Smith James John Napier
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song and video exemplifies a coping strategy to emotional abuse.
Particularly child emotional abuse, where the caregiver who is actually supposed to be responsible for the child's development and growth, will instead "spit venom" "hiss and preach" and is also a hypocrite ("when your words mean nothing"), the child needs to find a healthy way to get away. This is seen in the music video: youtube.com/watch
"I'm gonna drown you out before I lose my mind"
Children who grow into adults while holding on to the abuse as true (e.g. thinking they deserve the venom and hissing, and the caregiver's hypocrisy is somehow correct), will indeed become crazy.
"If my heart can't stop it, I find a way to block it"
If the child can't stop the pain coming from this abuse, they will drown it out with a simple ritual. What's so sad about this song is how inane and childish the "la la la" sounds--when I first heard this song, I only heard those words, and thought it was so silly and clanging. It was only after I saw the music video and researched the lyrics that the pain and beauty of this composition reached me. Indeed, the blocking and fighting back towards this abuse with the child's singing, is what stops the cycle of abuse.
Below adapted from the Wikipedia article on the music video (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_LaLa(Naughty_Boy_song): According to Jewell (the director of the video), the video is about a Bolivian oral legend... a boy he discovers he has a talent for perceiving the problems of people whom he can heal by giving powerful screams like an earthquake or a tornado... he found a disfigured man who was abused and discriminated against by society. This man reveals that he is a prophet cursed by a demon, El Tio, because he stopped adoring him and left the community because it was inhabited by this demon. El Tio is considered the lord of the underworld, to whom mortals give offerings for protection or to soothe his anger. The prophet said that anyone who listens to the devil would fall under his control and that he lives in the desert, where once there was a city that adored him and received a curse, which caused everyone to commit suicide. Together the boy and the old man head towards the residence of the demon, until they reach a mine. There, only the child must deal with the devil, because anyone with intact hearing could be cursed. With his cries he could stop the spirit from cursing other people. The story in the video is unresolved, since the child is left facing the demon, while his companions have gone away.