Low – Dinosaur Act

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You and your daughter
and your father
flew airplanes

You and your sister
can tell by the back of her hands

It was a dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur act

After expenses
and pulling up fences
no more airplanes

And putting your foot down
a nail shot up like a bright red snowflake

Just like a dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur

ooo...

And all through the dust
you feel that you must hear the strings of a dove

But it's a dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur act
dinosaur

Send "Dinosaur Act" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by blasfemme

Track duration: 04:13


Dinosaur Act song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Brilliant, brilliant song. I love the joy in the chorus - the harmony is just ... epic. Seen footage of them singing this live and Alan was just beaming when he sang it. One to belt out in the shower, I've always found.

    I agree with the cmments above that the song is open to any interpretation and that it may even be meaningless. BUT for me the song seems to tell the story, albeit in a dreamily veilled way, of some sort of tragety. The lines "After expenses and pulling up fences" imples that there was a payout of some sort (redundancy? life insurance? something more sinister - silence money? witness protection?) and that the family had to up sticks and move house. Why move house? A simple downscale due to loss of earnings or was it the fleeing of some sort of scandal?

    So for me those lines are at the heart of the song.
    Flag tony_mon March 31, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:it's
    "you were the daughter"
    and
    "hear the strains of a dove"
    Flag Geckson December 04, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Well, the way I see it, and the way i've heard the band explain it, the song is meaningless. Apparently, they liked the phrase "dinosaur act" and started writing a song around it. The imagery is beautiful, as with most low songs.

    I am sure you can put any meaning you want behind the lyrics, but I don't see a point. I kind of like the idea of no meaning.
    Flag LazyKiddo2525on October 09, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:well the true definition of the term "dinosaur act" is used to describe an act or performence thats been used so often and so long that it was no effect...such as the joke "why did the chicken cross the road?"...no one laughs at that anymore...everyone knows whats coming...so in relation to lyrics...the subject of the song has been called out for being phony and well...uneffectual...that they are transparent in some way...i think the storyline or the verses are mostly just filler
    Flag dislocated1982on April 09, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:always thought it was about the husband/father either suddenly dying or leaving the relationship. his death or departure is the 'dinosaur act.' he's extinct, gone, and the rest of the song is about dealing with that.
    Flag imissiancurtison May 28, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Perhaps is's because they can no longer fly airplanes.
    Dinosaurs are extinct, like maybe the family business.
    "After expenses
    and pulling up fences
    no more airplanes"- maybe the children couldn't support the business anymore.
    Flag 1990on May 06, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:A dinosaur is a huge, long-dead animal... so maybe this is a family of pilots; the younger generations continue with the family trade just because they're supposed to; the passion is long dead. They have the weight of history on their shoulders, but it's all an act.

    Orrrr maybe I am reading way too far into this and it's about dinosaurs.
    Flag walkintothecon December 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Like usual, I have no idea but I love the imagery of :

    "And putting your foot down
    a nail shot up like a bright red snowflake"

    You can almost see the blood... assuming that's what the intention was. :-)
    Flag elwyn5150on October 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Anyone have any input on this song, i can't seem to figure out a meaning??
    Flag xtstlxon April 01, 2005   Link

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