The Flaming Lips are known for their lush, multi-layered arrangements, spacey lyrics and bizarre song titles. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which typically feature animal suits, puppets, streamers, video projections and complex stage light configurations.
In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". In 2006, Oklahoma City named a street Flaming Lips Alley in their honor.
The group recorded several albums and EPs for Restless Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they scored a #9 hit on the Billboard Alternative charts (and #55 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart) in 1994 with "She Don't Use Jelly". Although it would be their only hit single, the band has maintained critical respect and, to a lesser extent, commercial viability with sonically majestic albums such as 1995's Clouds Taste Metallic, 1999's The Soft Bulletin, 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and 2006's At War with the Mystics. The Flaming Lips' 12th studio album, Embryonic, was released in October of 2009. A complete cover of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was released in May 2010. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, their collaborative album which features artists like Ke$ha, Bon Iver, Nick Cave and Erykah Badu, was released on Record Store Day, April 2012.
Their next studio album, tentatively titled The Terror, will be released in January 2013.
Their song "Do You Realize??" is the official State Rock Song of Oklahoma.
www.flaminglips.com
The Ego
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, tender, once you see their faces
Oh, they're just like us
Tending their wants
Standing in their places
Oh, their ego is crushed
The only way out
Oh, destroy yourself
There's no way back
There's complete devastation
Oh, there's no way out
There's no way out
How can you destroy your ego?
Would you believe it?
There's no way out
How can I kill your ego?
Would you still believe it?
Oh, the red one's come
Don't shadow changes
Oh, the sparrow looks up
Red spots on the sun
Is there evil in nature?
Oh, the eagles spread claws
An invisible cloud
Makes invisible changes
Oh, an ant takes the crown
A man holds a gun
There's no explanation
Oh, he shoots at the sun
The Flaming Lips's song "The Ego's Last Stand" is a deeply introspective and thought-provoking piece that explores themes of ego, self-destruction, and the relationship between humanity and nature. The song opens with the lines "Oh, tender, once you see their faces, Oh, they're just like us, tending their wants, standing in their places, Oh, their ego is crushed" which alludes to the idea that human beings are just like any other living creature, driven by their desires and needs. The next few lines explain that the only way to overcome one's ego is to destroy it completely, with no way back. The repetition of the phrase "there's no way out" emphasizes the helplessness and inevitability of this process.
Later in the song, the lyrics take a more abstract turn, with lines like "Oh, the red one's come, don't shadow changes, Oh, the sparrow looks up, red spots on the sun, is there evil in nature?" that seem to allude to broader themes about the interconnectedness of all living things and the chaotic nature of the universe. The lyrics "An invisible cloud makes invisible changes, Oh, an ant takes the crown, A man holds a gun, there's no explanation, Oh, he shoots at the sun" suggest that even seemingly insignificant actions can have far-reaching consequences and that the destructive impulses of humanity are ultimately inexplicable.
Overall, "The Ego's Last Stand" is a complex and poetic reflection on some of the most fundamental questions of human existence. By exploring the relationship between ego, nature, and destruction, The Flaming Lips have created a powerful and haunting song that will resonate with listeners long after they finish listening.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four,
Counting starts signaling a direction
Oh, tender, once you see their faces
People's sympathetic nature comes to the surface on seeing someone in pain
Oh, they're just like us
The realization that everyone is equal and similar in that they all have wants and aspirations
Tending their wants
People working to fulfill their desires
Standing in their places
Everyone is where they belong seeking their goals
Oh, their ego is crushed
The human desire to be superior being subdued
The only way out
The exit lies
Is to destroy all traces
Elimination of anything that might be documented is imperative
Oh, destroy yourself
Referencing the eradication of yourself
There's no way back
There is no return to who you were
There's complete devastation
Internal disturbance and distress
Oh, there's no way out
Implies being stuck in an impossible situation
There's no way out
The situation is irrevocable
How can you destroy your ego?
Questioning your abilities to dissolve your self-importance
Would you believe it?
Questioning whether it is believable or not
There's no way out
The decision taken cannot be changed
How can I kill your ego?
Questioning their ability to eliminate someone's egotistical behavior
Would you still believe it?
Questioning the acceptability of their action
Oh, the red one's come
The red symbolizing something dangerous or coming danger
Don't shadow changes
Hiding the eventualities does not make them go away
Oh, the sparrow looks up
Sparrow symbolizing frailty and weakness, it accepts its fate, unlike humans
Red spots on the sun
Ill omens in the sky or Earth's inevitable demise
Is there evil in nature?
Questioning the vicious side of nature
Oh, the eagles spread claws
Eagles, a symbol of power, ready to fight
An invisible cloud
Perils looming in secret; impending doom masked in something benign
Makes invisible changes
An unnoticeable turn of events, but with far-reaching consequences
Oh, an ant takes the crown
A minute, insignificant creature, receives important recognition
A man holds a gun
The power to decide life or death in the hand of an individual
There's no explanation
No justification for an outcome. Life is unreasonable and arbitrary
Oh, he shoots at the sun
An expectation of the impossible, being ridiculous and absurd
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WAYNE MICHAEL COYNE, STEVEN GREGORY DROZD, MICHAEL LEE IVINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ameerkhalifa2892
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Song: Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell
Album: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
I was waiting on a moment
But the moment never came
All the billion other moments
We're just slipping all away
I must have been tripping
Just ego tripping
I was wanting you to love me
But your love it never came
All the other love around me
Was just wasting all away
I must have been tripping
Just ego tripping
I was waiting on a moment
But the moment never came -
But the moment never came -
@occupant123
this album was the soundtrack to my chemotherapy treatments...I'm still here.
@iamhereblossom1588
Glad you're still here. This album was the soundtrack to the mourning of my mother's death.
@johnwilson4677
Thank you for sharing.
@eraven1982
💜 that's wonderful to hear. It's helped me through a lot of PTSD.... Thanks for sharing 🐞 !
@abrahamkim1078
God speed.
@katejones969
Music is so therapeutic. I sincerely hope you’re better x
@Djeispark
Holy shit I was probably 15 or 16 years old when I first heard this song. Now I'm almost 36, and it hits me harder than ever. Talk about a TIMELESS SONG!
@bwwirving5762
King MultiGenre you been ego tripping since?
@anthonycardott3541
19 dude. I'm almost 36 :) :) :)
@jessicadoban2564
Next year for me. Still rips me apart.