In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You've been famous since your birth
A silent one it was till they told me, "It's a girl", and everybody gasped
I know how to raise you right, teach you how to read
And your math, yeah, toys, spelling, names, alphabet and how to be polite
You've been famous since your birth
A silent one it was till they told me, "It's a girl"
And everybody said, "You and your atlas know it all"
Let the corners curl 'cause if you go by night you'll hit the coast for sure
It's a ruse, its a laugh, experts they agree, listen to the math
Australopithecine, rekindle your heart
These hospital machines are state of the art
I put down my middle name in the back of her book
And signed it just in case our work was overlooked
'Cause I got one more up my sleeve, bring it out tonight
'Cause if I am the joke then you're the punch line
It's a ruse, it's a laugh, experts they agree, listen to the math
Australopithecine, rekindle your heart
These hospital machines are state of the art
But it's the art of the state that's gonna keep me awake
I need a second opinion not a second to waste
A silent one it was till they told me, "It's a girl", and everybody gasped
I know how to raise you right, teach you how to read
And your math, yeah, toys, spelling, names, alphabet and how to be polite
You've been famous since your birth
A silent one it was till they told me, "It's a girl"
And everybody said, "You and your atlas know it all"
Let the corners curl 'cause if you go by night you'll hit the coast for sure
It's a ruse, its a laugh, experts they agree, listen to the math
Australopithecine, rekindle your heart
These hospital machines are state of the art
I put down my middle name in the back of her book
And signed it just in case our work was overlooked
'Cause I got one more up my sleeve, bring it out tonight
'Cause if I am the joke then you're the punch line
It's a ruse, it's a laugh, experts they agree, listen to the math
Australopithecine, rekindle your heart
These hospital machines are state of the art
But it's the art of the state that's gonna keep me awake
I need a second opinion not a second to waste
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So I have no idea about most of the song - but I think I figured out the part after "Australopithecine". I think it's about Lucy and how that was the first hominid discovered to be identified as a female , which rocked the scientific world and kind of captured everyone's hearts. I remember when she was first discovered (I was pretty young) and National Geographic had an article about her with artist-rendered pictures of her and a baby australopithecine acting like modern day mother-and-child. She was incredibly popular, and I think that's because most people (no matter how objective they try to be) look at anything female and it reminds them automatically of their mother, daughter, sister, wife, etc. It's this same phenomena that caused a stir when we first entered Afghanistan - many people disagreed with women being on the front lines. When a woman was injured/captured, it was a much bigger deal (Jessica Lynch, anyone?). Anyhow, this is only my theory. For whatever reason, Lucy struck a cord in the hearts of the scientific community, and the whole "rekindle your heart, these hospital machines are state of the art" line is about the world having this obsession with giving her a "heart"- as in, giving her emotions, and a child (like NG did), which isn't scientific at all. I think the hospital machines further proves this because they gave her an MRI to learn more about her. This would be seen as a scientific action, but they say "hospital" as if she's alive and they're treating her, not using it for autopsy. The whole point is that Lucy made anthropology "emotional". And that's what I think the song is getting at.