I'm gonna take a stab at analyzing this great song.
This song, I think, is about rejecting civilization. When he talks about shaving our heads, stripping our clothes, and burning our books, he's talking about the total destruction of what is established in human lives.
The central line of the song is "we people are dangerous things." He talks about the fears and doubts we have, our "sheltered minds." And he reminds us, cryptically, that "we all once were" something different.
The "missing link" in particular refers to evolution, the development of modern man. It can also be seen as a religious reference, as creationists (who disbelieve evolution) would fear a "missing link" that would lend more evidence to the theory of evolution.
The song points out that we are part of nature. "We are made to be sown (instead of sewn), body's lips and eyes earthed and regrown." The song talks about man's affect on the planet ("islands were made of brick stone and shade"). That line could also point out how people isolate themselves from each other, with people using their houses to turn themselves into islands.
The song then talks about ills of society, particularly money. Bills talking about people they've used, "trusting in funding." We distract ourselves with superficial entertainment and comforts ("films finding fair faces and lies", the "apartment with capable tunes"), but ultimately we're bored, because that life lacks meaning.
This isn't the meaning I get when I listen to the song, and really I think that all their songs are more about the feeling than the explicit meaning of the words. But that's what I got. Cheers
I'm gonna take a stab at analyzing this great song.
This song, I think, is about rejecting civilization. When he talks about shaving our heads, stripping our clothes, and burning our books, he's talking about the total destruction of what is established in human lives.
The central line of the song is "we people are dangerous things." He talks about the fears and doubts we have, our "sheltered minds." And he reminds us, cryptically, that "we all once were" something different.
The "missing link" in particular refers to evolution, the development of modern man. It can also be seen as a religious reference, as creationists (who disbelieve evolution) would fear a "missing link" that would lend more evidence to the theory of evolution.
The song points out that we are part of nature. "We are made to be sown (instead of sewn), body's lips and eyes earthed and regrown." The song talks about man's affect on the planet ("islands were made of brick stone and shade"). That line could also point out how people isolate themselves from each other, with people using their houses to turn themselves into islands.
The song then talks about ills of society, particularly money. Bills talking about people they've used, "trusting in funding." We distract ourselves with superficial entertainment and comforts ("films finding fair faces and lies", the "apartment with capable tunes"), but ultimately we're bored, because that life lacks meaning.
This isn't the meaning I get when I listen to the song, and really I think that all their songs are more about the feeling than the explicit meaning of the words. But that's what I got. Cheers