The myth, as it's usually told
After Prometheus stole fire, Zeus had the gods build the first woman, Pandora, as a punishment for mankind, and sent her into the world with a sealed jar. She opened it, and sickness, toil and every other evil flew out into the world. Only Hope stayed inside when she closed the lid.
What the song hears
Everyone blames her for what got out. The song asks why Hope was locked in the jar with the evils at all.
