Last Of The Curlews

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of existence as a fragile, uncertain state, beginning with the stark observation that "we are elaborations of carbon." This sets a tone of impermanence, further emphasized by the contrasting images of "changing moons" and "honey in the lion," suggesting a blend of natural cycles and primal, perhaps dangerous, forces. The narrator feels a sense of "empty providence" and "monkey house fear," highlighting a feeling of being trapped and driven by instinctual anxieties despite a perceived lack of guiding purpose.