The Band, whose songs are primarily sung in English, performed their first concert on November 20th, 1989. The band displayed a bewildering array of influences, including Can, Captain Beefheart, Mingus-styled jazz, J.J. Cale, Leonard Cohen and Velvet Underground. Consequently, they incorporate a wide variety of styles into their work. dEUS have become one of the most successful (and influential) Belgian rock bands.
Many musicians became well-known after having been members of dEUS: Stef-Kamil Carlens (Moondog Jr., Zita Swoon), Rudy Trouvé (Kiss My Jazz), Danny Mommens (Vive La Fête), Craig Ward (The Love Substitutes), Jules de Borgher and Tim Vanhamel (Millionaire, solo). The current line-up (as from the album Pocket Revolution) includes Mauro Pawlowski (who became famous as solo artist and before with the band Evil Superstars) on guitars and vocals, Alan Gevaert on bass and Stephane Misseghers on drums.
Erik Drew Feldman and David Bottrill have acted as producers.
dEUS has made 8 studio albums up to now:
Worst Case Scenario (1994),
In A Bar, Under The Sea (1996),
The Ideal Crash (1999)
Pocket Revolution (2005)
Vantage Point (April 21st 2008)
Keep You Close (September 20st 2011)
Following Sea (June 1st 2012)
How To Replace It(February 17th 2023)
Other releases include:
My Sister = My Clock (1995) and
No More Loud Music - The Singles (2001), a best-of compilation.
Before Pocket Revolution (2005), dEUS took a "sabbatical" for over 6 years. In these years, Barman was busy with his second passion: film. He wrote and directed Anyway The Wind Blows, a movie received well by critics in Belgium. The key-song of the soundtrack for the film was Summer's Here by Magnus, a project by Tom Barman together with CJ Bolland.
More info can be found on their official website, www.deus.be
Second Nature
dEUS Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The day is a freight train
Carrier of sorrows
Pleasure and caffeine
Copy/paste, keep or waste
Myriads of options
(Always pick the same flavor anyway)
Freedom is ours
Freedom is choice, choice
Choices that liberate
Day is a freight train
Minutes obliterate
Easier to break through
Meters of concrete
Easier to connect
To a full grown tiger
Sense of entitlement
You act like an accident
The world is your oyster
But it ain't the season yet
Flirt with the absurd
It's absurd to hurt
You know love can be curt
And eager and dangerous
Eager and flirtatious
Through the ages over perfect storms
Rain and snow
Hardship and danger zones
Excavated from the rocks of old
An ageless soul
Soldiered on, flesh and bones
And it's our second nature
And it's our time, your god dethroned
Flesh and bones
And danger zones
Did you get the warning
We're still on the same train
Full of longing
Sugar and nicotine
(
What is here will disappear
When longing is gone
They say
"Freedom is near"
)
Freedom is choice, choice
Choices eliminate
Day is a freight train
Computers communicate
Easier to break through
Top of the pop-charts
Easier to connect to an electric wire
Through the ages over perfect storms
Rain and snow
Hardship and danger zones
Excavated from the rocks of old
An ageless soul
Soldiered on, flesh and bones
And it's our second nature
And it's our time, your god dethroned
Flesh and bones
And danger zones
(It's in our nature, never give in...)[repeated]
And it's our second nature
And it's our time, your god dethroned
Flesh and bones
And danger zones
The opening lines of dEUS's "Second Nature" describe the act of waking up as being like boarding a freight train that's determined to move forward, regardless of whether we're ready or not. This metaphor hints at the inevitability of the passing of time, and the fact that life continues to move forward, often without us feeling like we have much control. The next line, "Carrier of sorrows / Pleasure and caffeine", suggests that although we're not in control, we're also not alone in our journey. The train is carrying both positive and negative experiences, and the singer seems to be suggesting that we should embrace both.
The song then turns to a discussion of choice and freedom, with the repeated line "Freedom is choice, choice / Choices that liberate". The singer acknowledges the multitude of options available, but ultimately suggests that even though we appear to have choice, we tend to choose the same things over and over again. There's a sense of resignation that perhaps our choices aren't as liberating as we'd like to believe. This idea is reinforced with the line "Choices eliminate", which suggests that, over time, our options become more limited.
The song then moves to a more uplifting perspective, describing the resilience of the human spirit over time, using the metaphor of weathering perfect storms and surviving hardship and danger. The chorus repeats the idea that this resilience is "our second nature", suggesting that it's part of what makes us human. The final repeated lyric, "It's in our nature, never give in..." reinforces this idea of resilience and persistence.
Line by Line Meaning
Get up in the morning
Start a new day
The day is a freight train
Time passes quickly and constantly
Carrier of sorrows
The day can be full of sadness and hardship
Pleasure and caffeine
Sources of joy and energy
Copy/paste, keep or waste
We face countless choices in our daily lives
Myriads of options
We have many possibilities to choose from
(Always pick the same flavor anyway)
Despite many choices, we often choose the same thing
Freedom is ours
We have the power to make our own choices
Freedom is choice, choice
Freedom means having options
Choices that liberate
The ability to choose can set us free
Minutes obliterate
Time can pass by quickly and without warning
Easier to break through
Challenging obstacles can be overcome
Meters of concrete
A metaphor for difficulties we must face
Easier to connect
We can build relationships with others
To a full grown tiger
We can form strong bonds with powerful forces
Sense of entitlement
Feeling deserving without effort
You act like an accident
Behaving carelessly or thoughtlessly
The world is your oyster
Life is full of opportunities
But it ain't the season yet
Sometimes the time isn't right for certain opportunities
Flirt with the absurd
We play with unlikely or absurd choices
It's absurd to hurt
Causing pain is illogical
You know love can be curt
Love can be unpredictable
And eager and dangerous
Love can also be intense and unhealthy
Eager and flirtatious
An attraction that is playful and flirtatious
Through the ages over perfect storms
Over time, people face many challenges
Rain and snow
A metaphor for difficult times
Hardship and danger zones
Places where we struggle and encounter risks
Excavated from the rocks of old
Wisdom is gained from experience
An ageless soul
Our inner selves endure despite life's challenges
Soldiered on, flesh and bones
We continue living despite our physical frailty
Did you get the warning
Are you aware of the risks?
We're still on the same train
We're still living and experiencing life
Full of longing
Sorrow and a desire for something better
Sugar and nicotine
Temporary sources of pleasure
What is here will disappear
Nothing lasts forever
When longing is gone
Our sorrow and desire will eventually pass
They say 'Freedom is near'
There is hope that our choices will bring freedom
Choices eliminate
Choosing can lead to eliminating other options
Computers communicate
Technology connects us with others
Top of the pop-charts
A reference to popular culture
Easier to connect to an electric wire
A humorous reference to the dangers of making connections
(It's in our nature, never give in...)
We have a natural instinct to keep going
And it's our second nature
It's natural for us to keep trying
And it's our time, your god dethroned
It's our chance to shine and make our own way
Flesh and bones
Our bodies, which are fragile
And danger zones
Places where risk and difficulty exist
Contributed by Joshua S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jona Koltaj
Goddamn both the lyrics and the melody are so good!!!
StefBarrett1976
One of my fav of dEUS.
Andrius Gimbutas
Genius
Rossco OldeLion
Epic soundtracky goodness.
Rossco OldeLion
Lana. Lana. LANAAAAAAA!!!
Rossco OldeLion
@Gogie Asatryan ...was originally an Archer animated series reference because..."Danger Zone!"
Gogie Asatryan
Del Rey?