His official web site is www.iambowman.com.
Dawn of Man
Michael Guy Bowman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was walking the beach
I was racing the wave
It knocked me off my feet
I fell into the tide
It spat me back on the sand
I laughed without a clue
It's been a long long time
Since my life was spared
It's been a long long time
But I'm still not scared
It was the dawn of man
I held the bone in my hand
I was as hungry as death
Wandering through the sand
I met a wild boy
My bone came down the a crack
I tasted flesh and blood
And swore I'd never look back
It's been a long long time
But I had just begun
It's been a long long time
Out in the African sun
It's been a long long time
Since I learned that skill
It's been a long long time
Since my very first kill
If anyone is out there to see what we have done
Can somebody tell me what we are to become?
Our tiny lives
They fly right by
This goodly frame
It does not care
If we live or die
It was the month of June
In Tienanmen Square
The tanks were on TV
But I was not yet there
The guns they all went "pop"
We heard the screams and shouts
I was brought into this world
As they were taking me out
It's been a long long time
So many people to mourn
It's been a long long time
Since the day I was born
It's been a long long time
And yet no time at all
It's been a long long time
And yet no time at all
If anyone is out there to see what I have done
Can somebody tell me what I am to become?
Our tiny lives
They fly right by
Who were they?
And next to them
Who the hell am I?
The first verse of Michael Guy Bowman's "Dawn of Man" describes a nostalgic moment from childhood, when the singer was knocked down by a wave while racing it on the beach. He laughs in relief when he is spit back onto the shore, not appreciating the gravity of the situation in the moment. The second verse represents a departure from this carefree experience, instead drawing us back in time to the "dawn of man," when the singer is wandering in the sand, holding a bone and feeling as "hungry as death." He meets someone he calls a "wild boy," who he kills and tastes, forever changing him. The third verse is less related to the narrative of the previous two, instead offering a reflection on the transience of life in light of events like the Tienanmen Square massacre.
Taken together, the three verses suggest a progression: from blissful ignorance and innocence to a violent moment that changes the singer forever, to a meditation on the nature of humanity in the face of collective trauma. The recurring refrain -- "It's been a long, long time" -- serves to tie these themes together across different times and places, emphasizing the distance between the singer and the events he describes. The final lines, in which the singer seems to question his place in the world, drive home this sense of alienation.
Line by Line Meaning
I was about fifteen
I was a young teenager at the time
I was walking the beach
I was taking a leisurely stroll along the shoreline
I was racing the wave
I was running towards the oncoming wave
It knocked me off my feet
The wave caused me to lose my balance and fall over
I fell into the tide
I was carried away by the current
It spat me back on the sand
The tide carried me back to the shore and deposited me on the sand
I laughed without a clue
I didn't fully understand how dangerous the situation was, so I laughed in spite of it
How lucky I was to land
I saw how fortunate I was to have ended up back on land and out of danger
It's been a long long time
Many years have passed since then
Since my life was spared
Since I narrowly avoided a potentially deadly situation
But I'm still not scared
Despite facing danger in the past, I am still not afraid
It was the dawn of man
This was a time in prehistory when humans were just beginning to emerge
I held the bone in my hand
I was in possession of a weapon, which symbolized my newfound power
I was as hungry as death
I was driven by a fierce hunger for survival
Wandering through the sand
I was wandering aimlessly through a desert landscape
I met a wild boy
I encountered another human who was living in a primal, untamed state
My bone came down the a crack
I used my weapon to strike the other person, injuring or killing them
I tasted flesh and blood
I committed an act of violence that resulted in the other person's injury or death
And swore I'd never look back
I made a vow to myself to keep moving forward and never regret my actions
But I had just begun
Although I had committed violence, I was just starting to understand my own power
Out in the African sun
I was living in a harsh, unforgiving environment where only the strong survive
Since I learned that skill
Since I first discovered my own capacity for violence
Since my very first kill
Since the first time I took another person's life
If anyone is out there to see what we have done
If there is a higher power or force that is watching over us
Can somebody tell me what we are to become?
Can someone give us guidance or direction in terms of our purpose or destiny?
Our tiny lives
Our individually insignificant existences
They fly right by
They pass by quickly and without much notice
This goodly frame
The natural world around us
It does not care
It is indifferent to our individual struggles and lives
If we live or die
If we survive or perish
It was the month of June
This event took place during the month of June
In Tienanmen Square
The location of a significant historical event related to human rights and political activism
The tanks were on TV
The event was widely publicized around the world
But I was not yet there
I had not yet been born at the time of this event
The guns they all went 'pop'
The sound of gunfire during the event was loud and ominous
We heard the screams and shouts
The sound of people protesting or reacting to the violence was equally disturbing
So many people to mourn
So many people have lost their lives or suffered in some way as a result of human conflict
Since the day I was born
Since the moment of my arrival on this planet
And yet no time at all
Although many years have passed, it feels like time has moved quickly
If anyone is out there to see what I have done
If there is a higher power or force that is watching over me and my actions
Can somebody tell me what I am to become?
Can someone give me guidance or direction in terms of my purpose or destiny?
Who were they?
Who were the people that came before us and what did they accomplish?
And next to them
In comparison to the great figures of history, where do I fit in?
Who the hell am I?
What is my place in the grand scheme of things and what will I be remembered for?
Contributed by Evelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.