Psychic Simian
In Arkadia Lyrics
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Our spirits knew no doubt;
To sprawl, unbound,
As far as Earth allowed.
The bond is broken
'tween human(s) and their own kin
And stood up from the simians
[Chorus]
Two sides, that still collide,
Inside our minds,
Chose one to let the other slide.
Prevail, the simian trail,
Will make you fail,
To seize the main details.
Strength of the mind, still undermined,
Has driven blind
Levels the thoughts to breed, to eat,
Consume, and buy
And as apes we group as herds,
A social mass of trash
Ready to obey blindly and
Strangle the same wrath.
[Chorus]
Two sides, that still collide,
Inside our minds,
Chose one to let the other slide.
Prevail, the simian trail,
Will make you fail,
To seize the main details.
The lyrics to In Arkadia's song "Psychic Simian" speak to the duality of humanity's existence - the primal, instinctual nature inherent in all of us, and the societal constructs that have been imposed upon us over time. The first verse sets the stage for this idea, with the lines "Long time, from now, our spirits knew no doubt; to sprawl, unbound, as far as Earth allowed." Here, the band is referencing a time before human beings were "civilized" and had rules and regulations that governed their behavior. The suggestion is that at one point, humans were free to act on their base instincts without fear of judgement or reprisal.
The second verse tackles the ways in which humanity has become divided from its primal nature. The line "The bond is broken 'tween human(s) and their own kin" suggests that human beings have lost touch with the fundamental biological ties that bind us all together. The implication is that this has led to a kind of collective madness, where people are consumed with consumption and materialism. The image of humans as "apes we group as herds" speaks to the idea that we are no longer in control of our own destiny; instead, we are blindly following the crowd, like a mass of mindless animals.
The song's chorus reinforces this idea of conflicting forces, with the lines "Two sides, that still collide, inside our minds, chose one to let the other slide. Prevail, the simian trail, will make you fail, to seize the main details." Here, the band is suggesting that there is a constant battle between our primal nature and our sense of society's expectations - and that if we don't learn to balance these two things, we will ultimately fail to find true fulfillment in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Long time, from now,
It has been a long time since the events being described happened.
Our spirits knew no doubt;
Even then, there was no doubt in our minds about what we were meant to do.
To sprawl, unbound,
To exist without any kind of restraint.
As far as Earth allowed.
We were free to travel and explore as far as our planet would permit.
The bond is broken
The connection between humans and their closest relatives, the simians, has been severed.
'tween human(s) and their own kin
Between humans and the apes, who share much of our DNA.
And stood up from the simians
Humans have evolved beyond their primate ancestors, both physically and mentally.
Here lies the scene for man's first dawn.
This is the moment when humans truly became distinct from their simian relatives and began to flourish on their own.
Two sides, that still collide,
There are two opposing forces at work in the human mind.
Inside our minds,
These forces are both internal and psychological.
Chose one to let the other slide.
One side must ultimately triumph over the other, even if it means disregarding some of our better qualities.
Prevail, the simian trail,
If we allow our internal 'simian' instincts to take over, we will ultimately fail in our quest for enlightenment and self-improvement.
Will make you fail,
Following our base animal instincts will ultimately bring us down and cause us to stumble.
To seize the main details.
If we allow ourselves to be lead by our 'simian' desires, we will miss the bigger picture and fail to understand the most important things in life.
Strength of the mind, still undermined,
Despite our potential for great intellectual and spiritual achievement, our minds are still held back by our primal impulses and desires.
Has driven blind
Because we are blinded by our own desires and urges, we have trouble seeing things as they truly are.
Levels the thoughts to breed, to eat,
We are too focused on basic survival and reproduction to truly let our minds soar and achieve great things.
Consume, and buy
Our desire for material possessions and monetary gain keeps us chained to a mundane existence, rather than striving for something greater.
And as apes we group as herds,
Like our primitive ancestors, we still tend to form groups and follow the crowd, rather than thinking for ourselves.
A social mass of trash
Despite our potential for greatness, we often act in base and unenlightened ways, contributing to a world filled with strife and destruction.
Ready to obey blindly and
Rather than thinking for ourselves and pushing for something new, we often blindly follow the traditions and beliefs of those who came before us.
Strangle the same wrath.
In doing so, we often end up trapped in a cycle of violence and destruction, never having the chance to truly rise above our primal instincts and achieve something greater.
Contributed by Cameron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.