Origins

Not sure of the attitude the band is coming from, but this is hard to read and not immediately think of the fall of man in Genesis.

"Inquisitive mind, you're destined to find Tempted fate and knowledge divine" - The serpent tempts Adam and Eve with the knowledge of God

"View in there a pitied pair" - Adam and Eve "Denoted by a scene unfair" - Sounds like the speaker believes the judgement was unfair? "Will you make my children bear the consequences everywhere?" - Sin being passed down from generation to generation

Maybe my interpretation is way out of whack, and if not, there's a number of different things Tennis may be saying about the story. Either way, that's how I see the song.

A little insight from the artist: "I thought about how the suddenness of becoming a band and spending so much time on the road with others seemed to bring out the best and the worst in me. I thought a lot about human nature -- mine really, and the way it had been portrayed to me in my childhood. I felt frustrated with the self-defeating conception of humanity I was presented with. So when Patrick wrote the music for the song 'Origins,' I decided to take it as an opportunity to flesh out this inner dialogue." -- Singer Alaina Moore

And I definitely agree that the referential parallels to the original sin are a little too uncanny to deny.

Yeah, ok, the more I listen, the more I get "God, sure, you're perfect, but we're just humans. How can you possibly expect us to be perfect like you?"

• "Have you confused your power with mine?"

Mundus has a good idea, and it would explain the title, "origins," because the song is about the origins of humanity. the opening line "Sensitive heart, you're doomed from the start" could be an allusion to the concept of original sin, which is, according to Christian beliefs, the sin all people are born with due to Adam and Eve's betrayal.

Yeah, this song is pretty biblical. Far cry from Tennis's earlier work, but more ambitious.

Before coming on this site and looking at others' views, I kind of thought this song was about Tennis' decision to sell off all their material things and set sail across the ocean for 8 months. I also got some of the lyrics wrong so i thought that Alaina Moore was singing to her husband Patrick will you have my babies, or bear my babies. also the senstive heart lyric i can relate to. im doomed. now i see i am wrong. still a killer song with beautiful lyrics and as always, alaina's vocals kill it. shes like a better Madeline Follin from Cults

This song is a critique of Genesis, as stated before me.

In essence, she's saying, "God, it's not our fault for being sensitive and inquisitive, that's how we're wired. Why are you so punitive towards us anyway? Isn't it your fault as the designer? I'm skeptical about your power as a creator and your intentions. Our human nature ought to be celebrated not condemned. You are unfair."

Alaina dislikes the story obviously, finds it frustrating.

Clear examples of this frustration are: "[Adam and Eve] denoted by a scene unfair." "Sensitive heart... Doomed from the start." "Is it so hard to forgive [mankind]?" "Have you confused your power with mine?" "What is that you think of me? Do you see a woman?" "Imminent you seem to be a picture of fragility"

The severity of this critique leads me to believe Alaina is not a fan of this religion. Because of this severe critique of God and the Bible's story, this song functions as a criticism of religion as a whole by exposing it all as a farce based on badly designed stories fabricated by people who are pessimistic about human nature.

She finds religion frustrating because of these negative connotations regarding how humans are seen and judged by the creators of religion. It's also possible that she doubts that even the humans who invented the stories of the Bible had no conviction in these stories either; that Genesis seems so unfair that it was created by a people who's original intent was to more easily dominate the weaker class in society.

With a religion that claims humans are bad innately, you can justify the demand for salvation. With this demand you can control the masses by being the sole provider.

Philosophically, she challenges the concept of God. If he's all powerful and all benevolent, why does he put his creations in such unfair circumstances? Is he actually weak and fragile? Does he even exist?

I think the biblical references line-up well with Alaina's statement, "...I thought a lot about human nature -- mine really, and the way it had been portrayed to me in my childhood. I felt frustrated with the self-defeating conception of humanity...".

She's also mentioned growing up as the child of a pastor, which probably left a lasting impression.

Beautiful song - I love how the music hearkens to those 1960s/70s ballads of heartbreak and love-gone-sour.