Buried Alive

I speak in verses, prophecies, and curses
I speak in verses, prophecies, and curses

I hate my life

No miracle is coming (hate you)
It's just a hole (hate you)
Nothing's wrong with you (hate you)
Must maintain control (hat you)

Everyone's asking questions
No place is safe
I'll forfeit resurrection
To escape this pain

I hate my life

I speak in verses, prophecies and curses

This storm of thorns is growing (hate me)
There's no end in sight (hate me)
Chaos claws my jaw (hate me)
And incites a mental riot (hate me)

I'm in the mouth of madness
With its tongue of poetry
I ate the spine of Atlas
Now the world is crushing me

I hate my life

Buried alive behind enemy lines
Surrogate child for the sins of all mankind
Hate
Buried alive behind enemy lines, buried alive, buried alive
Buried alive behind enemy lines, buried alive, buried alive
Buried alive behind enemy lines, buried alive, buried alive
For the sins of all mankind

- Otep (2004)

Otep Shamaya got her start on a recommendation from none other than Sharon Osbourne. Legend has it that Sharon saw her perform and made a phone call. Otep had a record contract on the basis of that phone call from Sharon to the record label, no demo involved. That's a hell of a way to get started in this business. And let's face it, she shreds her voice better than a lot of men.

To know Otep is to know the sometimes all too pure misanthropy behind her compositions. Her lyrics are a dark and painful journey expressed through a master poet's tongue. The music behind her songs only serves to compound the emotion of the lyrics. "Buried Alive" expresses a frustration that comes with having to pay the price for the sins of the father - in this case the world our predecessors have left for us. Along with the frustration we can hear a hoplessness and misanthropy that makes this song all the more dark and brutal.

I know of no one who has not wondered about "what if" when it comes to things out of their control. I used to wonder a lot about those things. Without going into details because they are highly personal, I just wonder how different my life would be. But as it is, we all suffer the sins of the father. The past is the past and we cannot change it, despite the best efforts of special interest groups. The thing we have to do, however, is to not let those sins define us... we define ourselves and make our own journey.

This song is on my all time favorites list. The first time I heard this song I was blown away by the raw power and emotion of the song. I'm going to be upfront and say that I doubt my better half will like this song. In fact, she may hate it. As this is the darkest I have gone so far, I am curious to see how it makes her feel.

Less than 10% battery - time to recharge the iPod.