Parasites
T.R.I.B.E. Lyrics
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Words & Music by
Thomas R. COSGROVE
No one can give like an organ donor,
The gift of life is sometimes worth a deal,
The kidney freaks and the liver flukers,
Deprive the earth worm of a modest meal.
Holy smoke cried the undertakers,
We need a reason for to celebrate,
For scavengers and the pale tomb raiders,
The earth it swallows and regurgitates.
Rows of crows line up on graveyard fences,
They cloak and crouch under the grey bleak skies,
The menace grows with the intense suspenses,
They’ve got their eyes fixed right upon the prize.
Who was the one who killed the innocent robin,
I said the crow with my claw and my beak,
He ate the worm that I wanted to gobble,
I was so strong and he was so weak.
A buzzard rises high above the din and the racket;
He hangs and hovers over legions of black,
A plague of flies decend on multitudes of maggots,
As clutching claws prepare a final attack.
The tumult dies at the ending of the evening,
Dust and feathers settle on the gravestones,
The parasites and the earth worms are dreaming,
They’re lying underneath the moss with the bones.
The lyrics to T.R.I.B.E.'s song Parasites paint a bleak picture of the circle of life and the struggle for survival in a world where various entities compete for resources. The first stanza uses the metaphor of organ donors and their life-giving gifts to introduce the theme of consumption and deprivation. The kidney freaks and liver flukers, which likely refer to parasites, take away what the earthworm needs for sustenance. This line highlights the idea that one creature's gain can come at the cost of another's loss.
The second stanza uses the imagery of scavengers and tomb raiders to emphasize the brutal nature of survival. The earth, depicted as an entity that swallows and regurgitates, is a metaphor for the cycle of life and death. The reference to holy smoke cried by undertakers could be interpreted as a somber recognition of the inevitability of death, or even a celebration of it as a means of renewal.
The third stanza introduces the visual of rows of crows surveying a graveyard, waiting to prey on the weak or recently deceased. The robin and crow characters in this stanza represent the struggle for resources between animals. The lyrics suggest that in the animal kingdom, the strong prevail at the expense of the weak. The final stanza brings the song full circle, returning to the concept of the earthworm and parasites. The line about parasites and earthworms dreaming while lying beneath the moss with the bones is a reminder of the cycle of life that began in the first stanza.
Line by Line Meaning
No one can give like an organ donor,
The ultimate act of giving is donating your organs, which can be a life-changing gift for someone in need.
The gift of life is sometimes worth a deal,
Life is precious and often requires sacrifice, whether that be giving an organ, making lifestyle changes, or taking medication.
The kidney freaks and the liver flukers,
Kidney and liver diseases can cause havoc on a person's body and make them feel like they are not in control of their health.
Deprive the earth worm of a modest meal.
Even small creatures like earthworms can be affected by the ripple effects of sickness and disease.
Holy smoke cried the undertakers,
Undertakers are often tasked with honoring those who have passed away and ensuring their final resting place is respectful and dignified.
We need a reason for to celebrate,
Despite the sadness that often surrounds death, there can still be moments of joy and gratitude for the life that was lived.
For scavengers and the pale tomb raiders,
Animals like crows and buzzards may feed on the remains of the deceased, but they also serve an important ecological function in breaking down organic matter.
The earth it swallows and regurgitates.
Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, as the earth absorbs nutrients from decaying matter and uses it to nourish new life.
Rows of crows line up on graveyard fences,
Crows are often associated with death and can be found in large numbers around graveyards and other areas of death and decay.
They cloak and crouch under the grey bleak skies,
The imagery of cloaking and crouching reinforces the idea that crows are ominous and foreboding creatures.
The menace grows with the intense suspenses,
As the tension and anticipation builds, so too does the feeling of danger and unease.
They’ve got their eyes fixed right upon the prize.
The prize is likely the carrion (dead animals) that crows feed on, but it can also be interpreted as a metaphor for their overarching role in the ecosystem as scavengers and clean-up crew.
Who was the one who killed the innocent robin,
While death is a natural part of life, it can still be senseless and tragic when innocent creatures are caught in the crossfire.
I said the crow with my claw and my beak,
From the perspective of the robin, the crow is seen as a predator with sharp talons and a sharp beak.
He ate the worm that I wanted to gobble,
Even in death, competition for resources can be fierce, whether that be carrion or even the smallest creatures like earthworms.
I was so strong and he was so weak.
The robin sees itself as the victim of an unfair and imbalanced fight, where the stronger predator emerged victorious.
A buzzard rises high above the din and the racket;
Buzzards are a type of vulture that feed on carrion and can often be seen soaring through the skies looking for their next meal.
He hangs and hovers over legions of black,
Buzzards are often associated with darkness and evil, and their presence can feel ominous and foreboding.
A plague of flies decend on multitudes of maggots,
Insects like flies and maggots help to further break down organic matter and speed up the decomposition process.
As clutching claws prepare a final attack.
The imagery of claws suggests that even in death, there is still a sense of danger and competition for resources.
The tumult dies at the ending of the evening,
As evening turns to night, the frenzy and chaos of life and death come to an end, and the world becomes still and silent.
Dust and feathers settle on the gravestones,
Death can be messy and chaotic, but over time, the remains settle and become a peaceful part of the landscape.
The parasites and the earth worms are dreaming,
Even the smallest creatures have a role to play in the cycle of life and death, and while they may not have consciousness in the way we do, they still play a vital role in the ecosystem.
They’re lying underneath the moss with the bones.
In death, all creatures eventually return to the earth and become part of the soil, contributing to the growth of new life in the cycle of nature.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Thomas COSGROVE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alex Dunkel
You really missed an opportunity to hammer home the point that sushi needs to be flash frozen. The "fresh" fish craze and the lack of enforcement of USDA regulations create an unsafe environment, regardless of how high-class a restaurant might be. This is why I make my own sushi at home and buy only from stores whom I've drilled about the definition of "sashimi grade". (Very, very few have passed my tests.)
Most meat department employees are like ordinary people. They'll think any fish can be eaten "fresh", and that somehow makes it safer. Very few of them know the importance of flash freezing and how long the fish needs to remain frozen according to USDA rules.
And if you think sushi restaurants would know better, think again. They often buy their fish from the very stores I pass on for food safety reasons.
The social pressure for "fresh" fish is preventing suppliers and restaurants from learning about food safety and making our sushi safer to eat. I can't even have this conversation at the stores or restaurants because of the horrified looks it draws from the patrons -- not because we're talking about parasites, but because I dared suggesting that frozen fish was better and safer. That's how bad it is.
So please make a follow-up to this video. You'd be doing sushi lovers a huge favor.
Will Dahl
I'm a plant biologist in training (just graduated college). Here are some fun facts:
The flower at 2:20 is beetle pollinated. It releases the stench of decaying corpses. It heats itself metabolically to mimic the conditions of a dead body. Many flowers do this.
I also don't think it's "epiphytic" – which is the term when a parasitic plant grows exclusively on the structures of other plants. Most if not all members of the orchid family, for instance, are epiphytic. You can find them growing in notches in tree branches. This flower probably grows on the forest/jungle floor, so beetles have easy access to pollinate it.
Also, parasitic is relative – the symbiotic relationships between flowers and fungi, for instance, involve a series of sanctions. The fungi take residence in the roots (for further reading, start with arbuscular mycorhizzal fungi). Mycorhizzal = "fungus root." About 20-30% of global photosynthetic sugar output goes to feeding these fungi, and the vast majority of plants have symbiotic relationships similar to this. It supplies them with phosphorous and various nutrient compounds. This is a well established relationship evolutionarily, and it works because the plant cordons off the fungi, and supplies it with oxygen and sugar. If it's not getting enough nutrients out of the fungi, the plant will kill it by stopping its supply of food and oxygen.
Just some food for thought.
Vision33r
I can guarantee that 90% of sushi places don't follow the traditional Japanese sushi preparation techniques. Dangerous places are buffets where they just cut the fish straight from unpacking them. Master sushi chefs are trained to wash and clean the fish and slice them with a vinegar rinse knife to ensure parasites will get killed. They are supposed to examine the fish to ensure it is fresh and the flesh is tight and not loose or have holes inside. That is sure sign of fish being invaded by parasites. A Japanese master sushi chef takes 6 years to train to be a certified master sushi chef. In the US, they have one day course that is basically like sitting home and watching youtube. It is not training!
Hana c
good comment
Hana c
but damn I have eaten sushi in a buffet. Regret 100+ but still worth it.
Thomas Tang
Don't think washing and cleaning the fish, slicing with a vinegar rinse knife and examining the flesh will ensure you aren't eating live parasites or their eggs. Like he said in the video you have to freeze the flesh solid for days to kill all the parasites and their eggs!
Hmr SC
@Thomas Tang yeah, i doubt it too. but still the fact is, japan is one of the country with highest life expentancy in the world. And they eat raw fish. Or is it in their genes? Since they eat sushi since ancient times their body evolved to build immunity against parasite in fish? Idk.
dra6o0n
@Hana c It has less to do with bad training and more to do with the fish being exposed due to shoddy natures of restaurants in general in Capitalist Corporate America.
But the first clue should be the temperature of the sushi or sashimi prepared... If it's lukewarm for no reason, that's a warning sign.
DrSipp
I’ve eaten sushi many many times, I’ve eaten at many different restaurants, and ONLY time I’ve ever gotten sick was because I ate at Denny’s
dumb kid who knows to much
Damn American!
Utu Be
I ate sushis all my life it's my favorite food and I never got sick
Kermit The Frog Jedi Master
Who eats Sushi at Denny’s?? That is like weirdest place to eat sushi. Pancake roll: A chunk of pancake with rice outside it and dipped in soy sauce.😂😑