Zed And Two Naughts Lyrics

Lyric discussion by bloomingdedalus 

Cover art for Zed And Two Naughts lyrics by Mars Volta, The

You're wrong, he's saying the exact opposite. He is saying that the world is a Zoo, but he's stating, by alluding to St. Christopher, that the leadership doesn't submit to Jesus' teachings and therefore there is no point in putting faith in them. Remember that "no one's left to save" is said to him by a her, not said by the author of the lyrics. I think he's saying it tongue in cheek. Because he talks about firstborn death and says he's "hanging wreaths of cancer on every door where children sing," he is referencing the 10th plague of Egypt with the death of the first born of the Egyptian slavemasters. Those who smeared lambs blood on their door-frames were spared the angel of death who passed over Egypt, finally leading Pharaoh to release the Israelites when all the first born of the cattle and Egyptians were killed by God.

Cedric's problem is that he seems to be mostly atheistic, but also believes in Christ's values. He also seems to believe that the church is run by frauds. In reality, he wavers back and forth between these views, at times quoting Christ to criticize American society, and other times, criticizing Christ as being the problem in American society.

I think he's stating it in irony, that, simply because Christ doesn't run the world doesn't mean that nobody is worth saving. Remember, a lot of Cedric's lyrics are moderately mysogynistic, if there's a female voice in his lyrics, it's almost always one of deceit or naivety.

Cedric brings back the "burden" in this album which is referenced in "Goliath" in The Bedlam in Goliath. This is a direct reference to John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. The motif appears here as an allusion to Pilgrim's Progress, because, when "Christian," the protagonist of Pilgrim's Progress sets out to escape the destruction of his town, his wife attempts to dissuade him from doing so and he leaves without her.

The 2nd part of Pilgrims Progress consists of Christians Wife and Children journeying to the Celestial City.

Anyway, to understand this song, you have to look up "The Legend of Saint Christopher" as well as the 10 plagues of Egypt, and the film "Zed and Two Naughts."