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.
(Ah yeah, oh no, the train, the train)
(Every two or three years the train kills somebody)
(Every two, three years, yup)
(Everyone knows about the train, okay, you hear it constantly)
(I think the train is a way to find your way out of this life)
(If you get hit by it)
A couple of kids got hit by a Union Pacific train
Carrying sheet metal and household appliances through the pouring rain
They were planning on getting married after graduation
Had a little baby girl, trouble came and shut it down
Things like that ain't supposed to happen
In this quiet town, families are tight
Good people, they still don't deadbolt their doors at night
In this quiet town
(In this quiet)
When we first heard opioid stories
They were always in whispering tones
Now banners of sorrow mark the front steps of childhood homes
Parents wept through daddy's girl eulogies
And merit badge milestones with their daughters and sons
Laying there lifeless in their suits and gowns
Somebody's been keepin' secrets
In this quiet town, they know how to live
Good people who lean on Jesus, they're quick to forgive
In this quiet town
And whenever I'm near the town I'll find some reason to give
And I will walk with the dead and the living where I used to live
And every time I see my parents in the prime of their lives
Offering their son the kind of love he could never put down
The part of me is still that stainless kid, lucky
In this quiet town, salt of the land
Hard-working people, if you're in trouble, they'll lend you a hand
Here in this quiet town
The first crop of hay is up
School let out and the sun beats down
Smoke billows from a Sunday train
That cries away from a quiet town
(Every two or three years the train kills somebody)
(Every two, three years, yup)
(Everyone knows about the train, okay, you hear it constantly)
(I think the train is a way to find your way out of this life)
(If you get hit by it)
A couple of kids got hit by a Union Pacific train
Carrying sheet metal and household appliances through the pouring rain
They were planning on getting married after graduation
Had a little baby girl, trouble came and shut it down
Things like that ain't supposed to happen
In this quiet town, families are tight
Good people, they still don't deadbolt their doors at night
In this quiet town
(In this quiet)
When we first heard opioid stories
They were always in whispering tones
Now banners of sorrow mark the front steps of childhood homes
Parents wept through daddy's girl eulogies
And merit badge milestones with their daughters and sons
Laying there lifeless in their suits and gowns
Somebody's been keepin' secrets
In this quiet town, they know how to live
Good people who lean on Jesus, they're quick to forgive
In this quiet town
And whenever I'm near the town I'll find some reason to give
And I will walk with the dead and the living where I used to live
And every time I see my parents in the prime of their lives
Offering their son the kind of love he could never put down
The part of me is still that stainless kid, lucky
In this quiet town, salt of the land
Hard-working people, if you're in trouble, they'll lend you a hand
Here in this quiet town
The first crop of hay is up
School let out and the sun beats down
Smoke billows from a Sunday train
That cries away from a quiet town
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Quiet Town Lyrics as written by Jonathan Rado Brandon Flowers
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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