of Montreal – Enemy Gene

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  Lyric Correction:It's "homo-luminous" not "home and loneliness".
  
  I'll admit that I was stumped on the lyrics at first, but it definitely doesn't sound like "home and loneliness" to me.

  Flag EternalOctoberon November 04, 2011   Link

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  My Interpretation:Hm. I like the gay and religious readings of the song.
  
  I read "the Enemy Gene" as a reference to XY vs. XX. "Everything's half a part, what can it mean?" as opposed to "apart". Really though, it's just good lyric writing because in a way, it's a bit of everthing.

  Flag PapaBrainon March 31, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Actually folks, this song is actually about this mind blowing aspect:
  
  Humans are creations that can achieve (and actually make up the thought of) having complete peace and love amongst one another. Yet, because of the very way we are created, we naturally DON'T achieve the thing that only humans can be capable of as a special existence.
  
  I thought this was a cool song for the reason of interpreting this song in this way.

  Flag catsviewon December 06, 2010   Link

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• +1
  My Interpretation:Enemy gene is the gay gene.
  
  First stanza is about homosexuals who are trying to fit in and have a hetero romance, but it's not working for them.
  
  The zombies are trying to expose the homosexuals, mindlessly bashing that which they don't know.
  
  Homosexual love is breaking the machine, and the narrator wants society to evolve past the capitalist governmental "gods". the narrator feels bad about being gay because society has ingrained a deep hatred of homosexuality into him and his people, and at the same time wants to move beyond sexuality. The "everythings born in shame" claims that everyone has facets they're ashamed of, not just him/her.
  
  It's just a lot of conflict and the narrator can't think straight, he's skeptical of rationality ever surviving in such a cruel world.
  Particle-wave duality expresses the narrator's conflict about conflict, he's gay, has to have "not-gay" properties at the same time under different tests.
  
  
  ...I like the above poster's interpretation better.
  
  

  Flag belgianbroncoon October 23, 2010   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:To me, this song is about religion, uncertainty, control, corporate slavery and a kind of spiritual atheism. He talks about the "con" which is this hollow, artificial, unsustainable, modern western life. How there is no 'home' or community. Just loneliness from our false, us vs. them, selfish ignorant materialism. The loneliness from sitting home alone drinking beer watching sports. Keeping yourself ignorant. He talks about 'zombies' expecting so little. The fact that so few here know what the 'particle wave duality' is is saddening. (In quantum physics matter is a wave and particle at the same time. The collapse of the wave function is also very interesting.) That explains the lyrics, Everything's half apart, what can it mean?, and 'Everything's half a dream, how can it be?'. I believe the zombies also represent the indoctrinated religious people and unaware corporate slaves. They have such a small impoverished narrow view of life and miss the awesomeness of science and the true beauty of nature. Which explains, 'How can we ever evolve When our gods are so primitive? They destroy the film'. The 'film' the stage, our lives... Religion is a meme virus. 'They destroy our hope for peace, hope for love, oh'. 'Love breaks the machine' This speaks to abandoning religion and false divisions among us. Love also breaks the machine of capitalism and the it's sister the military industrial complex as well as bigotry and racism. 'I know that we'll never survive This little victory' Talks about how people often rise up against injustice, usually the systems of indoctrination resume control of their minds and they eventually forget. 'How can we ever evolve When our gods are so primitive?' One last thought here, spirituality's true realization is not the mediocre mythologies of religion and gods judging us. It is much more vast and astonishing. The universe isn't a jealous space person who cares if you go to church or follow ridiculous rituals, it doesn't tell you to hate gays or people who don't follow your particular mythological space fairytale. Once again, the religions of today are primitive, they keep human kind from reaching it's true potential. They just tell you to keep your head down and wait for the afterlife... The time on earth is short and relatively unimportant compared to the eternity in hell or heaven you may face. I urge anyone reading this to reconsider what benefits you have really gained with religion.
  
  I leave you with this quote by Steven Weinberg,
  “Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.”
  
  Peace and love to all!
  

  Flag theblackstarorderon October 19, 2010   Link

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• +2
  My Interpretation:Whoever transcribed this song.... wow way to miss its whole point. Its "Particle-wave duality," not "Part of its duality." This song is about not being equipped to answer big questions or even understand ourselves in the face of an unknowable universe ("How can we ever evolve if our gods are so primitive?")
  
  Of course, somebody reading this site might never pick up on that because you missed the whole quantum physics connection. And this site is supposed to help you find Song Meanings? Seriously, I can't facepalm hard enough over that error.

  Flag tgwittyon September 15, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:This whole album is about religion. They sound like love songs at first but Kevins writing is multilayered to say the least.
  
  The 'enemy gene' is the capacity for love and devotion. It changes your decision making (irrationality, 'breaking the machine')
  
  'everything is born in shame, it’s not just me, particle wave duality' I think this physics reference is being used as an analogy as to 'no matter how different we think we are from other people or religions we are all capable of love and devotion' or we all have the 'enemy gene' which is not necessaarily a good thing ('how can I trust my fractious heart').

  Flag carriedhomeon September 14, 2010   Link

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    -2

    Whoever transcribed this song.... wow way to miss its whole point. Its "Particle-wave duality," not "Part of its duality." This song is about not being equipped to answer big questions or even understand ourselves in the face of an unknowable universe ("How can we ever evolve if our gods are so primitive?")
    
    Of course, somebody reading this site might never pick up on that because you missed the whole quantum physics connection. And this site is supposed to help you find Song Meanings? Seriously, I can't facepalm hard enough over that error.

    Flag tgwittyon September 15, 2010  
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  General Comment:"aren’t you sick of the con, not quite Homo-Luminous"

  Flag carriedhomeon September 14, 2010   Link

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  My Interpretation:I feel like the 'enemy gene' could be homosexuality. I'm not sure, but is Georgie FRuit gay? I know he had two sex changes.

  Flag bellasongon September 13, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:It's "particle-wave duality."

  Flag jxm15700on September 02, 2010   Link

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