Nature of Humankind

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a grim picture of human nature, starting with a visceral image of internal corruption: "Reptiles crawl in your head." This sets a tone of primal, ungodly impulses taking root, a stark contrast to any notion of inherent goodness. The dominant feeling is one of relentless, destructive ambition, a hunger that drives humanity to conquer and claim territories it has never seen. This insatiable drive is presented as the core of our being, the "nature of humankind" we are compelled to serve. The lyrics highlight a pattern of aggressive expansion, from sailing "over the seven seas" to the imposition of religious and nationalistic ideologies, all under the banner of this inherent human drive. It’s a cycle of conquest and subjugation, where even the act of hailing kings and queens becomes an expression of this fundamental, often violent, imperative. The writing powerfully contrasts outward ambition with internal enslavement. While humans "conquer a land," they also "slave your flesh and mind," suggesting that the pursuit of external dominance leads to a loss of self-control and autonomy. The lyrics imply a betrayal not only of external powers like a "god of the sun" or a "nation" but also of a more fundamental, perhaps natural, state that is lost in the process. This internal betrayal is key to understanding the destructive path described. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that this relentless pursuit of conquest and dominion leads to profound loss. The repeated phrase "We lost the nation" and "we lost the earth" underscores a tragic outcome where the very act of serving humanity's perceived nature results in devastation. The initial hunger for the unseen transforms into a cycle of ruin, leaving behind only what we "should prize" but have instead destroyed.