Dinosaur Act

Alan and Mimi discussed the writing and recording process of Things We Lost In The Fire in detail on the podcast "Life of the Record." The title "Dinosaur Act" isn't really about anything, and was actually thought of as a temporary title. In the end, it was kept because it worked sonically. The imagery in the song is a collection of some of Alan Sparhawk's childhood memories. Some memories involve his family, some involve his childhood friends' families. The memories are mostly unrelated and aren't intended to tell a story; they're just sketches he remembered at the time of writing. For more on Dinosaur Act and Things We Lost In The Fire, check out that podcast I mentioned earlier.

Anyone have any input on this song, i can't seem to figure out a meaning??

A dinosaur is a huge, long-dead animal... so maybe this is a family of pilots; the younger generations continue with the family trade just because they're supposed to; the passion is long dead. They have the weight of history on their shoulders, but it's all an act.

Orrrr maybe I am reading way too far into this and it's about dinosaurs.

Perhaps is's because they can no longer fly airplanes. Dinosaurs are extinct, like maybe the family business. "After expenses and pulling up fences no more airplanes"- maybe the children couldn't support the business anymore.

Well, the way I see it, and the way i've heard the band explain it, the song is meaningless. Apparently, they liked the phrase "dinosaur act" and started writing a song around it. The imagery is beautiful, as with most low songs.

I am sure you can put any meaning you want behind the lyrics, but I don't see a point. I kind of like the idea of no meaning.

it's "you were the daughter" and "hear the strains of a dove"

Brilliant, brilliant song. I love the joy in the chorus - the harmony is just ... epic. Seen footage of them singing this live and Alan was just beaming when he sang it. One to belt out in the shower, I've always found.

I agree with the cmments above that the song is open to any interpretation and that it may even be meaningless. BUT for me the song seems to tell the story, albeit in a dreamily veilled way, of some sort of tragety. The lines "After expenses and pulling up fences" imples that there was a payout of some sort (redundancy? life insurance? something more sinister - silence money? witness protection?) and that the family had to up sticks and move house. Why move house? A simple downscale due to loss of earnings or was it the fleeing of some sort of scandal?

So for me those lines are at the heart of the song.

Like usual, I have no idea but I love the imagery of :

"And putting your foot down a nail shot up like a bright red snowflake"

You can almost see the blood... assuming that's what the intention was. :-)

always thought it was about the husband/father either suddenly dying or leaving the relationship. his death or departure is the 'dinosaur act.' he's extinct, gone, and the rest of the song is about dealing with that.

well the true definition of the term "dinosaur act" is used to describe an act or performence thats been used so often and so long that it was no effect...such as the joke "why did the chicken cross the road?"...no one laughs at that anymore...everyone knows whats coming...so in relation to lyrics...the subject of the song has been called out for being phony and well...uneffectual...that they are transparent in some way...i think the storyline or the verses are mostly just filler