Reptiles and Samurai

In Freudian terminology, I believe that this song is about the struggle between the id (the reptile hindbrain) and the superego (the part of our personalities that govern our participation in society). Without going into a lengthy diatribe on whether or not Fruedian imagery has any validity, let me simply ass that the superego is said to restrict the id and its drives, in order to ensure that the ego (the self) is able to maintain its position in society -- basically, that you make decisions based on how best to survive in society, as opposed to what you want at any given moment. "They are not friends/ But they are forced reluctantly/ To share my brain...Are under my skin They hide in my mind/ They speak with my tongue/ They run amuck in my terrain".

The reptiles and lizards in the song are depicted in imagery of consumption, biting, primal images. They are also beautiful, with "pretty scales." The samurai, on the other hand, are expressions of order, manners and society. Granted, they do "fight alot," but they are otherwise expressing an ideal of culture and social grace.

"They hear what I hear/ Watching through my eyes/ They don't like what they see" expresses that the singer feels these two forces to be not only in conflict with each other, but in conflict with the world "outside." The singer would appear to be in a continual state of discord with society, social rules, or his current place in society.

Enter the love interest: "Sometimes I watch you from this place way in the sky/ Your face is young and shiny transformed right before my eyes." An adoration for another person, and the singer imagines a place above the psychological terrain he has set up earlier in the song, a sort of deity position outside of conflict. This impression of aloofness is shattered when the singer's feelings for this adored person is broken up by the conflicted feelings of his id and his superego, between his animal instincts and his need to not make a socially diastrous maneuver.

Danny is like Ric Ocasek, he loves writing creative gibberish that makes people overanalyze his creative nonsense. So which are you, reptile or samurai? Personally, I like my water hot.

I agree, it's not like Danny Elfman to write a song that's has an obvious meaning, and quite a pointless one at that. I'm sure that the reptiles and samurai (and don't forget the lizards) are metaphors for SOMETHING, but until Mr. E himself reveals the cryptic message to us, we'll probably never know for sure.

Maybe it's actually about reptiles and samurai?

Perhaps samurai armor reminded Mr. Elfman of reptiles' scales. That's what hearing the song made me think of, at least.

Damn. Anybody know what this one's about? On the live DVD Danny says "Now my good friend Sluggo will explain to you the difference between reptiles and samurai!" But there must be something more.

In terms of RPGs, a reptilian samurai is a wholly believable concept.

This song is about the two composers who live in Danny Elfman's head. The samurai, who wants to be taken seriously, and the reptile, who wants to be taken anything but seriously.

It's pretty simple once you've figured it out, like a riddle.

The person he's in love with is as different from him as reptiles are from samurais. He can't stop thinking about her even though they have nothing in common.