Wow and Flutter

Song Meaning

These lyrics chart a profound shift from youthful certainty to a stark understanding of impermanence. It's a quiet dismantling of deeply held beliefs, moving from personal mortality to the transient nature of powerful institutions. The narrator grapples with the idea that nothing truly lasts forever. The central tension lies in the contrast between an initial, unquestioning belief that "life was endless" and the dawning realization that "we are mere mortals." This personal awakening quickly expands, suggesting that even the most formidable structures—like the perceived eternal presence of "IBM" or the perpetual float of "The US flag"—are subject to the same decay. The lyrics suggest a world where even dominant ideologies, like a "cold opponent," eventually recede. The craft here is particularly effective in its use of repetition and blunt imagery. The chorus, declaring "It's not eternal, imperishable" and "interminable," acts as a mantra, driving home the core message. The striking phrase "The dinosaur law" offers a vivid, almost scientific metaphor for obsolescence, implying that what once dominated can become extinct. This unsentimental language strips away any romantic notions of lasting power. Ultimately, the power of these lyrics comes from how they systematically dismantle perceived eternities, moving from the individual to the societal. The final lines, "Look at the symbols, they are alive / They move, evolve, and then they die," serve as a concise, almost clinical summary. It's a profound, yet unsentimental, acceptance of constant change, making the listener reconsider what they assume to be permanent.