Animals
Rakes The Lyrics
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Who have lost our hair.
Retained some of our teeth,
And gained a choice
We'll chase food, money and sex,
Until satisfied.
And when its time to rest,
We are all animals [Repeat: x4]
Well its hard enough to retain control,
When our instincts are egging us on,
With biologists and chemists reducing our souls,
To four letters
And when we think about it,
We're like a masterpiece,
Whose glimpsed, the artist?
We are, the machines,
Carrying our various genes.
Then discarded,
When the job is done.
We are the disciples,
Who have lost our way.
Kicked from our pedestal when Darwin burnt the book
We are all animals [Repeat: x4]
Well its hard enough to retain control,
When our instincts are egging us on,
Biologists and chemists reducing our souls,
To four letters
Will genes replace Genesis?
We're like a masterpiece,
Whose glimpsed the artist?
We like to think we're at a special place, the stars revolve around the human race,
But we're just mammals, just, primates
Like chimps or guerrillas
We see the hair on our face,
And look at another primate,
You and I, we relate
The song "Animals" by Rakes The talks about how humans, despite considering themselves superior to animals, are just another form of animals that have evolved differently. The lyrics suggest that humans have lost touch with their primal instincts and drive, resulting in a loss of control over their lives. The opening lines of the song "We are the animals, who have lost our hair, retained some of our teeth, and gained a choice" suggest that humans are merely animals who have evolved differently, particularly by gaining the freedom to make choices for themselves.
The second verse of the song refers to how humans are driven by basic needs such as food, money, and sex until they are satisfied, and then they ask themselves "what's next?". The song points out that despite the advances in science and technology that distinguish humans from other animals, humans are still slaves to their instincts and drives. The line "With biologists and chemists reducing our souls to four letters" suggests that humans are becoming increasingly defined by their genetic makeup, rather than spiritual or emotional qualities.
The song also makes reference to Darwin's theory of evolution, where human beings are described as descendants of apes, and therefore, just one of many primates. The song argues that mankind has lost its way, being kicked from the pedestal when Darwin burned the book. Overall, the song seems to encourage listeners to embrace their animalistic tendencies, rather than trying to suppress them, as it is impossible to escape their evolutionary history and genetic makeup.
Line by Line Meaning
We are the animals,
We, human beings, are a part of the animal kingdom.
Who have lost our hair.
Unlike other animals, we have lost most of our body hair.
Retained some of our teeth,
Although we have evolved, we still have similar teeth structures as some animals.
And gained a choice
We have the ability to make choices and to control our own lives.
We'll chase food, money and sex,
As animals, we have primal desires such as the need for food, money, and sex.
Until satisfied.
We will continue to pursue our needs until they are fulfilled.
And when its time to rest,
We take breaks and rest after fulfilling our needs.
Ask 'whats next?
After resting, we then ask ourselves what we need to pursue or achieve next.
We are all animals [Repeat: x4]
This line is a repetition and a reminder that we are all part of the animal kingdom.
Well its hard enough to retain control,
It's challenging to control our primal instincts and desires.
When our instincts are egging us on,
Our primal urges push us to act a certain way.
With biologists and chemists reducing our souls,
Scientists reduce humans to their biological and chemical composition.
To four letters
Our DNA, which forms are genetic makeup, is formed of four letters, A, T, C, and G.
And when we think about it,
When we contemplate our existence as humans.
We're like a masterpiece,
We are unique, intricate, and complex creations of nature.
Whose glimpsed, the artist?
We ask ourselves if there is a higher being, an artist, behind our creation
We are, the machines,
We operate like machines, carrying out our daily routines and fulfilling our needs.
Carrying our various genes.
Our genes determine our physical and mental characteristics.
Then discarded,
Once our needs are met, we live out our lives and are eventually forgotten.
When the job is done.
Once our genetic purpose is fulfilled.
We are the disciples,
We are meant to follow the laws of nature and evolution.
Who have lost our way.
As a society, we have been ignoring the balance of nature and our role in it.
Kicked from our pedestal when Darwin burnt the book
Darwin's theory of evolution challenged the belief in divine creation and changed our perception of the world.
Will genes replace Genesis?
We question whether science will replace religion and creationist beliefs.
We're like a masterpiece,
We are still unique creations of nature.
Whose glimpsed the artist?
The question is still unanswered.
We like to think we're at a special place, the stars revolve around the human race,
We have developed an ego that makes us believe we are at the center of the universe.
But we're just mammals, just, primates
In reality, we are just another species of mammals, a part of the primate family.
Like chimps or guerrillas
We share similarities with other primates in our physical and genetic composition.
We see the hair on our face,
We see a commonality between ourselves and other primates, such as facial hair.
And look at another primate,
We recognize other primates as part of our evolutionary family.
You and I, we relate
We are all connected by our biological and evolutionary heritage.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN DONOHOE, JAMES HORN-SMITH, LASSE PETERSEN, MATTHEW SWINNERTON, MATTHEW JAMES SWINNERTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind