The Legendary Pink Dots are a Netherlands-based band formed in August 1980 … Read Full Bio ↴The Legendary Pink Dots are a Netherlands-based band formed in August 1980 in the UK who, although distinctly underground, have been musically influential over the years. The band name was derived from pink dots of nail varnish on the piano in their squat, where founding members Edward and April lived. The band has as its focal point vocalist Edward Ka-Spel, who is, along with Phil "The Silverman" Knight, one of the original remaining members of the band. In the mid eighties the band resettled in the Netherlands, where they still reside today. Apart from Edward and Phil, the line-up has gone through many changes. Members such as Ryan Moore, a Canadian bass player, who joined in 1991 after the recordings of the Last Man to Fly with the Tear Garden (he joined as a session musician), went on to form their own labels and musical projects. See Twilight Circus and M Records. Their music is nothing if not original and it is difficult to categorise, but comparisons may be drawn with bands like Pink Floyd and Can.

Their sound has been described as an amalgamation of psychedelic rock, industrial, synth-pop and avant-garde. They have released over 40 records and continuously tour the world.

Members of the band have also collaborated with Nurse With Wound, The Dresden Dolls, Jarboe, HNAS, Jim O'Rourke, Skinny Puppy's cEvin Key, forming The Tear Garden. Ka Spel accompanied Skinny Puppy for a small part of their 1988 European 'Head Trauma' tour in Sweden. Key also appears on the 1994 album 9 Lives to Wonder.

Zoo
The Legendary Pink Dots Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No pets allowed! No pets allowed! That's what the placard said so they left
Us out her floating upside down, our ankles bound. Protective coating, cos
We're very cute - but sinters here don't hesitate. They shoot! (It's
Raining crocodiles). And I really want to sleep with you but cannot stand
Them watching. They encourage us outside the glass - throw barbie dolls and
Stockings. Oh, but I'll retain my dignity and gaze up at the moon until my
Buddies come and rescue me. We will rise! We will find a place that's just
For us.

Overall Meaning

The Legendary Pink Dots's song "Zoo" appears to be a metaphor for the human condition--our struggles with confinement and surveillance, our desire for connection and freedom, and our attempts to preserve our dignity and individuality in the face of overwhelming pressure to conform. The opening lines, "No pets allowed! No pets allowed! That's what the placard said so they left us out," suggest that the singer and his or her fellow "pets" (i.e. humans) have been excluded or rejected by some kind of authority figure, perhaps society as a whole. They are floating "upside down," unable to move freely, with their "ankles bound" and a "protective coating" designed to make them more appealing to their captors. Despite their apparent cuteness, they are in mortal danger--the "sinters here don't hesitate. They shoot!" Meanwhile, they are subject to constant observation and mockery from those on the outside, who "throw barbie dolls and stockings" at them like they are mere objects or curiosities.

Amidst this bleak and oppressive environment, the singer longs for intimacy and companionship, but fears that they will be watched and judged by their captors if they dare to pursue it. Despite this, he or she vows to "retain my dignity and gaze up at the moon," holding onto their sense of self and hope for liberation. The final lines of the song, "We will rise! We will find a place that's just for us," suggest that the singer and their fellow "pets" will eventually escape their confinement and find a way to create a new, more fulfilling life for themselves.

Overall, "Zoo" is a powerful commentary on the ways in which humans are often trapped and oppressed by the systems and institutions that are supposed to protect us, as well as our capacity to resist and transcend these limitations.

Line by Line Meaning

No pets allowed! No pets allowed! That's what the placard said so they left Us out her floating upside down, our ankles bound.
We were not allowed to be pets, and so they left us floating upside down with our ankles bound because we were not compliant with their expectations.

Protective coating, cos We're very cute - but sinters here don't hesitate. They shoot! (It's Raining crocodiles).
Our cuteness comes with a protective coating, however, these people do not care and are willing to harm and kill us just because they can. It's like raining crocodiles, dangerous and unpredictable.

And I really want to sleep with you but cannot stand Them watching.
I desire to be close to you, but the constant surveillance of these people is too much for me to handle.

They encourage us outside the glass - throw barbie dolls and Stockings.
The people taunt us and try to lure us outside of our enclosure by throwing toys at us.

Oh, but I'll retain my dignity and gaze up at the moon until my Buddies come and rescue me.
Despite the degrading treatment from these people, I will keep my dignity and continue to hope for a rescue from my fellow creatures.

We will rise! We will find a place that's just For us.
We will not be held down forever, we will rise and find a place where we can live freely and without fear.

Contributed by Sophia G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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