Complex By Degree (Where We’re Going)

Song Meaning

Robert DeLong's "Complex By Degree (Where We're Going)" is less a song and more a philosophical koan set to a beat, a sonic exploration of what truly separates us – or, more accurately, what doesn't. The track relentlessly dismantles conventional notions of distinction, systematically negating the usual suspects: fire, logic, talk, even sentience itself. DeLong isn't interested in easy answers or feel-good affirmations. He's after something far more unsettling: the realization that the categories we create to define ourselves are ultimately porous and unstable. The repetition of "We are complex by degree" becomes a mantra, an acknowledgement that our differences are a matter of incremental variation rather than fundamental essence. It's a subtle but crucial distinction. The lyrics then move into even thornier territory, dismissing God, violence ("Killing"), and love as potential differentiators. DeLong isn't just challenging scientific or rationalist viewpoints; he's taking aim at the very foundations of human morality and spirituality. The raw declaration "I am a human! And I am an animal!" underscores this tension, highlighting the inherent duality within each of us – the simultaneous existence of primal instinct and refined intellect. It's a confrontation with our own internal contradictions, a refusal to sanitize the messy reality of human existence. The final verse doubles down on this theme of undifferentiation. Music, art, even individual relationships are deemed insufficient to create true distinction. The paradoxical line, "Cause there is nothing that is different," is the song's ultimate provocation. It's an invitation to discard the illusion of inherent separation and to recognize the shared complexity that binds us together. "Complex By Degree" isn't a comforting anthem; it's a challenging, thought-provoking meditation on the nature of identity and the limitations of human categorization. The song meaning resides not in easy answers, but in the fertile ground of existential inquiry.