So I have to say this song blows me away every time I hear it. It's pure poetry. I knew the lyrics long before I ever considered what they meant. Just the other day I was sharing Mr Mastadon with my wife and a new thought hit me.
This song is about searching for meaning where there is none (ironic, yes?).
Simple enough - if the birds don't curve towards horizontal flight, you're life won't be changed. And yet, we have this need to seek connection and meaning where it doesn't exist.
It's an existential and possibly nihilistic theme that pops up in other Cake songs as well (Long Line of Cars, Frank Sinatra, Guitar Man - and you want to get the meaning out of each and every song), but that's the main message of this song. The birds have nothing to do with you. The curvature of their flight makes no difference in your life. You are alone and unconnected. It's all meaningless.
Mr. Mastadon Farm - creating and cultivating something that goes nowhere - farming animals that will eventually go extinct.
Cuts swatches out of old material - hoarding his special pieces, finding the ones that are the most important, but they are all just trash. Just bits of debris.
It's absurd to try to put meaning to everything. But even more interestingly, it's easy to watch everyone else do it without realizing you are doing the same thing yourself.
It's more of the reflective self-awareness that I love so much about Cake.
Or maybe I'm just crazy and putting too much of my own nonsense into this song...
So I have to say this song blows me away every time I hear it. It's pure poetry. I knew the lyrics long before I ever considered what they meant. Just the other day I was sharing Mr Mastadon with my wife and a new thought hit me.
This song is about searching for meaning where there is none (ironic, yes?).
Simple enough - if the birds don't curve towards horizontal flight, you're life won't be changed. And yet, we have this need to seek connection and meaning where it doesn't exist.
It's an existential and possibly nihilistic theme that pops up in other Cake songs as well (Long Line of Cars, Frank Sinatra, Guitar Man - and you want to get the meaning out of each and every song), but that's the main message of this song. The birds have nothing to do with you. The curvature of their flight makes no difference in your life. You are alone and unconnected. It's all meaningless.
Mr. Mastadon Farm - creating and cultivating something that goes nowhere - farming animals that will eventually go extinct.
Cuts swatches out of old material - hoarding his special pieces, finding the ones that are the most important, but they are all just trash. Just bits of debris.
It's absurd to try to put meaning to everything. But even more interestingly, it's easy to watch everyone else do it without realizing you are doing the same thing yourself.
It's more of the reflective self-awareness that I love so much about Cake.
Or maybe I'm just crazy and putting too much of my own nonsense into this song...
Which is what makes it the essence of ART!