The Cambrian Explosion
Alkaloid Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Toxic horizons
Pestilent holes
Mountains rain from the sky


Earth starts to freeze
Equator to poles
Nothing to do here but die


Bacteria
Choking themselves to extinction
Decaying to sulfurous slime


Purple, the seas
Stagnant, they lie
Reduced to hell without time


Until from the poisonous ooze
Two chemical archangels climb
The Gemini
Of collagen and oxygen


Microbes cluster together
Echo themselves toward the sun
Quietly emerge from the nether


Zombified eons expire
Ancient mycelium stirs
Awakens a stygian choir







Pulsating stenches
Soar from the trenches
Congregate, never to sever


Membranes unite
Excrete and divide
Transforming the planet forever


Third time's the charm
Breathe
And a paradigm plunges
Brought to its knees
By molds, fungi and sponges


And then something else
Propels the cells
Away from death's erosion
Conjugates
Accelerates
The Cambrian Explosion


Shocked from slumber
Sways and lumbers
A reborn evolution
The wheel of hunger
Looms humongous
An unborn revolution


And one more time
In the slime
Cell walls groove
Things start to move


Red algae first
Then some worms
In the muck
Things start to fuck


One more tooth
Mouths that thirst
Drawn by light
Things start to bite


One more limb
One more eye
Claws that pry
Things start to die


One more spine
Things start to run


The ocean bursts
The hunt is on



An eon awakes
Fueled by a trillion demises
Ruin awaits
Looms in a million disguises


Predators start to crave more
Multiply as if possessed
To mutate to more lustrous shores


Magnified monsters aspire
Newborn spectacles stun
Exultant on wings of immortal desire

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Alkaloid's song "The Cambrian Explosion" depict a vivid and poetic account of the evolutionary period known as the Cambrian Explosion, a time of rapid diversification and emergence of complex life forms on Earth. The imagery of "toxic horizons" and "pestilent holes" speaks to the harsh and inhospitable conditions that prevailed during this ancient era, with the Earth freezing from the equator to the poles, presenting a bleak and desolate landscape where survival was a fierce struggle.


The verses describe the primordial soup of early life on Earth, with bacteria choking themselves to extinction and seas turning stagnant and hellish. Amidst this chaos, two metaphorical "chemical archangels" - the Gemini of collagen and oxygen - arise from the poisonous ooze, symbolizing the emergence of life in its simplest forms. Microbes cluster together and slowly evolve, as a "stygian choir" awakens, hinting at the dawn of a new chapter in Earth's history.


As the song progresses, the lyrics detail the incremental steps of evolution, from the awakening of ancient mycelium to the emergence of multicellular organisms like molds, fungi, and sponges. The narrative shifts towards the Cambrian Explosion itself, a pivotal moment where life on Earth undergoes a rapid burst of diversification and innovation. The imagery of "third time's the charm" and the transformative power of cell division convey the explosive energy and potential unleashed during this period.


The lyrics vividly describe the evolutionary milestones of the Cambrian Explosion, from the appearance of red algae and worms to the emergence of complex organisms with limbs, eyes, and predatory behavior. The portrayal of creatures driven by hunger and desire to survive captures the ruthless yet beautiful dance of life and death that characterizes the natural world. The imagery of "predators start to crave more" and "multiply as if possessed" reflects the relentless drive towards adaptation and survival that defines evolutionary processes.


In the final verses, the lyrics convey a sense of awe and wonder at the magnificence of life's diversity and the relentless drive towards innovation and immortality. The language of "magnified monsters aspire" and "newborn spectacles stun" evoke a sense of reverence for the resilience and beauty of life in all its forms. Ultimately, the song captures the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of life on Earth, from its humble beginnings in the primordial ooze to the wondrous tapestry of biodiversity that continues to unfold to this day.


Line by Line Meaning

Toxic horizons
The environment is polluted and dangerous


Pestilent holes
Unhealthy, contaminated spaces


Mountains rain from the sky
Large amounts of material fall from above


Earth starts to freeze
The planet becomes extremely cold


Equator to poles
From the hottest to the coldest regions


Nothing to do here but die
There is no hope for survival


Bacteria
Tiny organisms


Choking themselves to extinction
Dying out due to lack of resources


Decaying to sulfurous slime
Breaking down into a foul, slimy substance


Purple, the seas
The oceans turn a strange color


Stagnant, they lie
They remain motionless


Reduced to hell without time
Becoming a living hell with no sense of time


Until from the poisonous ooze
Out of the harmful sludge


Two chemical archangels climb
Two powerful beings rise


The Gemini
Twins


Of collagen and oxygen
Made of structural protein and the gas we breathe


Microbes cluster together
Tiny organisms gather as one


Echo themselves toward the sun
Reverberate their presence towards the star


Quietly emerge from the nether
Appear silently from the underworld


Zombified eons expire
An undead era comes to an end


Ancient mycelium stirs
Old fungal networks begin to move


Awakens a stygian choir
Brings to life a dark, infernal chorus


Pulsating stenches
Strong, rhythmic odors


Soar from the trenches
Rise from the deep holes


Congregate, never to sever
Come together and never separate


Membranes unite
Protective layers join together


Excrete and divide
Release waste and separate into parts


Transforming the planet forever
Causing permanent change to the world


Third time's the charm
Success comes after two failures


Breathe
Take in air


And a paradigm plunges
A way of thinking collapses


Brought to its knees
Forced to submit


By molds, fungi and sponges
Due to different types of organisms


And then something else
A different entity


Propels the cells
Pushes the cells forward


Away from death's erosion
Preventing collapse and decay


Conjugates
Unites


Accelerates
Speeds up


The Cambrian Explosion
A rapid increase in diversity of life forms during the Cambrian period


Shocked from slumber
Surprised awake


Sways and lumbers
Moves and staggers


A reborn evolution
A new phase of development


The wheel of hunger
The cycle of needing to eat


Looms humongous
Approaches as a massive threat


An unborn revolution
A change that has not yet happened


One more time
Again


In the slime
In the muck


Cell walls groove
Cell structures start to move


Things start to move
Objects begin to shift


Red algae first
Red seaweed appears initially


Then some worms
Followed by certain types of worms


In the muck
In the mess


Things start to fuck
Things start to go wrong


One more tooth
An extra tooth


Mouths that thirst
Hungry mouths


Drawn by light
Attracted to brightness


Things start to bite
Objects begin to attack


One more limb
An additional limb


One more eye
Another eye


Claws that pry
Sharp nails that grab


Things start to die
Life forms begin to perish


One more spine
An extra spinal cord


Things start to run
Creatures start to move quickly


The ocean bursts
The sea explodes


The hunt is on
The search for prey begins


An eon awakes
A long period of time comes to life


Fueled by a trillion demises
Driven by countless deaths


Ruin awaits
Destruction is imminent


Looms in a million disguises
Presents itself in many different forms


Predators start to crave more
Hunters desire increased prey


Multiply as if possessed
Reproduce rapidly as if controlled


To mutate to more lustrous shores
Change to achieve more dazzling outcomes


Magnified monsters aspire
Enlarged creatures seek higher goals


Newborn spectacles stun
Recently-formed marvels surprise


Exultant on wings of immortal desire
Joyful with an eternal longing




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Danny Tunker, Florian Magnus Maier, Hannes Grossmann

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@LinusKlausenitzerBass

Thanks for sharing your excitement everyone! This is the song on the album where most of the material was from Danny even though he didn't record it anymore.

@Dr.TanmayMehta

Wishing a joyfully good and happy healthy life to Danny 💚

@PeteHawthorne

Even though Danny is a phenomenal musician with talents some of us humans only dream of having, the band is more impressive to me as a four-piece now. How you constantly push musical boundaries is just beyond me! Well done.

@jamespeterson1630

I figured he wrote most of this one but thanks for the 100% clarification Linus
:)

@GanjawarsLostPro

initially I checked "playback speed" button because it sounds like 1.5x
holy f you guys are fast!

@weirdodingogaming

It sounds awesome!!

7 More Replies...

@franlovelsimic8421

The Ocean just got a competitor in this topic! Love it.

@protolexis

Bro don’t insult Alkaloid like that, they’re not even in the same league.

@sboogbloog1004

"Competitor" lol, Alkaloid is like a mcdonalds next to The Ocean's steakhouse

@lemniscatusofficial

​@@sboogbloog1004who is the ocean?

More Comments