Ok...so here's my attempt at interpreting these lyrics
The song is about the 2 different forces acting on us as humans: the power of fate, and the power of free will. It seems in some parts of the song that Oberst is saying that the two forces are completely contradictory.He speaks about the vastness of the desert and nature, alluding to the fact hat there are things in this world so much bigger than us as humanity; we have no chance of making a difference because these things are out of our control. Life is just a big "arc of time" that moves without our control, stealing with it our "innocence", our happiness, and essentially the true essence of our being; what's worse is "there's no difference you can make" because it's out of your control.
Yet Oberst counters this theory, stating that by accepting everything that fate hands him, "[he's] just got [himself] to blame" for his unhappiness, essentially contradicting that fate is in control, stating that free will actually does have a play in life.
If these two concepts are looked at separately, it may seem that Oberst's overall impression of life is ambiguous: there will always be these two opposing forces and nothing can be done. Yet, instead, he states the "symmetry" of the two forces, insinuating that there must be some sort of balance. Once of the most telling line in the song speaks of "the instinct of the blind insect who never thinks not to accept its fate, that's faith." Faith is the bridge between the two concepts. It is the acknowledgement that there are some things that can't be changed, yet the free will choice of doing what one feels is right. In this way, fate and free will create a simbiotic, "symmetrical" balance.
The best metaphor of this I believe is his mention of the treble clef. The clef and staff in music are permanent. They are set, they are hard, they are "lonely." The music notes symbolically represent choices. They go "up and down" the clef, fitting into the unchangeable realities of the staff. Like the insect, we as humans are the notes; we have the constant knowledge that there is a certain level of predestination in our lives. But there's hope in freewill to make the most of what we're given.
Thus, I Believe in Symmetry, is a song about the "collage of senselessness" that is the human existence. We're all constantly trying to find that place of symmetry where free will and fate can balance.
Ok...so here's my attempt at interpreting these lyrics The song is about the 2 different forces acting on us as humans: the power of fate, and the power of free will. It seems in some parts of the song that Oberst is saying that the two forces are completely contradictory.He speaks about the vastness of the desert and nature, alluding to the fact hat there are things in this world so much bigger than us as humanity; we have no chance of making a difference because these things are out of our control. Life is just a big "arc of time" that moves without our control, stealing with it our "innocence", our happiness, and essentially the true essence of our being; what's worse is "there's no difference you can make" because it's out of your control. Yet Oberst counters this theory, stating that by accepting everything that fate hands him, "[he's] just got [himself] to blame" for his unhappiness, essentially contradicting that fate is in control, stating that free will actually does have a play in life. If these two concepts are looked at separately, it may seem that Oberst's overall impression of life is ambiguous: there will always be these two opposing forces and nothing can be done. Yet, instead, he states the "symmetry" of the two forces, insinuating that there must be some sort of balance. Once of the most telling line in the song speaks of "the instinct of the blind insect who never thinks not to accept its fate, that's faith." Faith is the bridge between the two concepts. It is the acknowledgement that there are some things that can't be changed, yet the free will choice of doing what one feels is right. In this way, fate and free will create a simbiotic, "symmetrical" balance. The best metaphor of this I believe is his mention of the treble clef. The clef and staff in music are permanent. They are set, they are hard, they are "lonely." The music notes symbolically represent choices. They go "up and down" the clef, fitting into the unchangeable realities of the staff. Like the insect, we as humans are the notes; we have the constant knowledge that there is a certain level of predestination in our lives. But there's hope in freewill to make the most of what we're given. Thus, I Believe in Symmetry, is a song about the "collage of senselessness" that is the human existence. We're all constantly trying to find that place of symmetry where free will and fate can balance.