Otep have since released six full-length albums featuring many session musicians including Greg Wells, Joey Jordison of Slipknot, Koichi Fukuda of Static-X, Emilie Autumn, Tony Campos of Soulfly and Asesino (ex-Static-X), and Ulrich Wild. Their first three albums, Sevas Tra, House of Secrets, and The Ascension, were released on Capitol Records. However, after the label's merging with Virgin Records, Otep, along with many other bands, were released from their contracts with Capitol in 2007. Two years later, Otep signed with Victory Records and released their fourth album, Smash the Control Machine, which included a reunion with former members Mark "Moke" Bistany on drums and Rob Patterson on guitar. The album also featured Koichi Fukuda on piano and Emilie Autumn on violin.
Atavist was the first album not to feature longtime bassist Jason "eViL J" McGuire who left the band on September 30, 2010, the personnel consisted of session musicians Rani Sharone, Gil Sharone, Tony Campos, Collyn McCoy, Ulrich Wild, and Markus Estrada. On the tour supporting the album, her band consisted of support musicians courtesy of the supporting band and labelmates on the tour, Destrophy. The band is now mainly Otep Shamaya.
In 2011, Otep toured as a supporting act along with Earth Crisis for Cavalera Conspiracy. She also wrote and released a new book of poems titled "New Word Order" in December 2011.
In 2013, Otep released her sixth studio album titled Hydra on January 22 through Victory Records.
Perfectly Flawed
Otep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you do this you'll never have a chance to try again
If you do this you'll never have a chance to try
It's the same sound
Same sting
The same collapse
Of every thing
It's the same size,
Same blade,
The same lie
My way
My face
My heart
My race
I'm a mistake
My way
My face
My heart
My race
I'm such a disgrace
[Chorus]
You're perfectly flawed
You're perfectly incomplete
Like cracks in the glass
And flames full of grass
You're perfectly flawed
You're perfectly incomplete
Let them come near when
Perfection's the key you need
Let the... Loose, just try again
Let the... Loose, just try again
Its the same doubt,
The same dream
It's the same sabotage
'Cause I'm the enemy
It's the same night
Same day
It's the same parasite,
Feeding on the betrayal
My way
My face
My heart
My race
I'm such a disgrace
[Chorus]
You're perfectly flawed
You're perfectly incomplete
A work in progress
Perfection is killing me
A disguise of self-deception
Hides my secrets perfectly
I'm injecting my reflection
'Cause I hate the way it judges me
Don't you do it
You're not healing you, yeah
Don't you do it
You're not healing you, yeah
[Chorus]
You're perfectly flawed
You're perfectly incomplete
A work in progress
Perfection is killing me...
The song Perfectly Flawed by Otep talks about self-acceptance and the pressure to be perfect in a society where perfection is expected. The first lines of the song warn against giving up and not trying again because of a mistake or failure. The repetition of "same" in the second verse suggests that everything feels the same or familiar, no matter what the situation is. The use of "my" before way, face, heart, and race suggests a personal struggle and self-doubt. The chorus addresses the listener and tells them that they are perfectly flawed and incomplete, just like cracks in glass or imperfect flames, and that they should embrace their imperfections. The line "perfection is killing me" suggests that striving for perfection can be harmful and is not worth giving up your true self.
The second verse mentions self-sabotage and feeling like an enemy to oneself. The line "feeding on betrayal" suggests that this self-sabotage comes from a lack of self-love and a feeling of unworthiness. The bridge addresses the listener directly and warns against self-harm through self-deception and judgment. The repetition of "don't you do it" emphasizes the importance of self-love and self-acceptance.
Overall, the song Perfectly Flawed encourages listeners to accept themselves as they are and to stop striving for an unattainable ideal of perfection.
Line by Line Meaning
If you do this
If you make a mistake
If you do this you'll never have a chance to try again
If you give up, you'll never have a chance to try again
If you do this you'll never have a chance to try
If you give up, you'll never have a chance to try again
It's the same sound
The familiar sound of failure
Same sting
Same pain
The same collapse
The same destruction
Of every thing
Of everything around us
It's the same size,
The magnitude of the problem is the same
Same blade,
Same sharp edge that cuts deep
The same lie
The same self-deception
My way
My path
My face
My appearance
My heart
My emotions
My race
My identity
I'm a mistake
I'm flawed
I'm such a disgrace
I'm shameful
You're perfectly flawed
You're imperfect
You're perfectly incomplete
You're a work in progress
Like cracks in the glass
Like imperfections in a perfect object
And flames full of grass
And destruction hiding behind beauty
Let them come near when
Let people approach you when
Perfection's the key you need
You need perfection to succeed
Its the same doubt,
The same uncertainty
The same dream
The same hope
It's the same sabotage
The same self-destruction
'Cause I'm the enemy
I'm my own enemy
It's the same night
The same darkness
Same day
Same brightness
It's the same parasite,
The same destructive presence
Feeding on the betrayal
Nourished by the act of self-betrayal
You're not healing you, yeah
You're not helping yourself
A work in progress
An unfinished creation
Perfection is killing me
The pursuit of perfection is destructive
A disguise of self-deception
A mask of self-lies
Hides my secrets perfectly
Conceals my darkest thoughts well
I'm injecting my reflection
I'm projecting my inner conflict
'Cause I hate the way it judges me
Because I hate the way I judge myself
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: HENRY GORMAN, JACKIE JAMES, JENNIE CRUISE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sarah Elizabeth Cofer
One night I was at Newport Tattoo (designing my perfectly flawed tattoo) and Mark McGrath almost hit me with his convertible when I walked across the street to the liquor store. Like Fred Durst and Jared Leto were in the car with him and I was like O_o
But like McGrath lived right down the street 😂
Damn those faded photographs 😂
Like 30 years ago I coined the phrase "perfectly flawed" in 4th grade on the first day of school because the teacher asked us to introduce ourselves and give a word to describe ourselves. Everyone else was saying stuff like "funny, popular, athletic" and none of that sounded right to me to describe myself with so I said I was perfectly flawed when it was my turn to introduce myself.
It became my catchphrase. It's painted on my door in my room right now actually. I wanted to do a graffiti wall tattoo of it and had my neighbor the tattoo artist designing me different ways to write it because I wanted Perfectly written in pretty cursive and for flawed to be all fucked up looking. But then I got sick and never got my tattoo done. But other people wear our old designs, which makes me smile knowing somewhere Jesse is putting me on people.
Luckily after like 10 years my trigeminal neuralgia went into remission and now I want to get my old back graffiti wall tattoo done like I always planned on doing
Sarah Elizabeth Cofer
monkeykid797 actually I can explain it. In like 1992ish our teacher asked us to explain ourselves to the class and introduce ourselves.
And I watched kids get up and say popular or pretty or athletic or funny or smart or cool.... And none of those fit me. And when put on the spot to say a word to describe myself my response was I am perfectly flawed.
And it became my catchphrase after that.
Like 15 years later I asked a tattoo artist to make a couple of concept ideas for it to put on my body....
And I do love hugs. :)
c VHS
My boyfriend told me this song saved his life multiple times. I listened to it... I cried.
good007
Same but it saved my life several times
Luna DeMort
Lonely Grandsouls same
SquishyRogue
Geez, nostalgia man. I'm not as big of an OT3P fan as I used to be, but this song right here got me through some really tough times....♡
Kolby Gines
One of the three songs/things that have keeped me here for so long. I have two attempts before I graduated highschool. I'm turning 27 now.
nsbalgobin
My favorite song by her. Actually, one of my favorite songs period. I’m not a huge fan like I was then myself, but this song speaks volumes and takes me back to 2007.
J Lo
Amen to that
Mack Franklin
Its 2020, about to be 2021, and I'm still listening to OTEP. Hope she sees this. I Love her.
heytherespiffy
'I'm rejecting my reflection, cause I hate the way it judges me.' - thats my favorite song lyric ever. its genius.
muntificator
Just discovered Otep 10 minutes ago...it's been a damn good 10 minutes.