Chimpanzees in Canopies

Song Meaning

The lyrics begin with a curious, almost ethereal question: "Does it echo underwater?" This immediately sets a tone of searching for resonance in a muted, perhaps hidden, world. The scene quickly shifts to a vibrant, idyllic natural setting, hinting at a lost or longed-for paradise. This vivid, almost primal vision of "blue rope swings" and "lime green twins up cherry trees" is sharply contrasted with the narrator's direct emotional statement: "I hate this thing called time." This declaration establishes a central tension between a desire for timeless, uninhibited freedom and the constraints of linear existence. The imagery further develops this sense of natural, unburdened being, with "Chimpanzees swing alternately in canopies" and "yodelling through mountain springs." The phrase "Eden it seems" explicitly links this state to paradise, yet the subtle "it seems" adds a touch of distance, suggesting this perfect state might be fleeting or a memory. The description of "Creatures dance, intrinsic trance, we fall asleep" evokes a surrender to a natural, unthinking rhythm. The ending powerfully reinforces the conflict between this idyllic past and present reality. The narrator declares, "I hear the same call time," followed by the relentless, almost hypnotic repetition of "Calling, and they're calling, and they're every morning." This shift from hating time to hearing its constant, inescapable summons conveys the burden of daily life, pulling the narrator away from that "intrinsic trance" and back to a world where time dictates.