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The fifth ape

from Man in the Mirror (2010) by Utopia Now

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This song focuses on the simple truth (which seems to trouble many) that we are animals – not in a metaphorical sense, but quite definitely and literally (apes - great apes - to be precise). Like it or not, but every time you go to the Zoo, you are actually visiting very close family (obviously you’re related to all the animals and plants in any Zoo of the world, but the four other great ape species are your ancestors of only a few million years – not even a blink in evolutionary time!). This arbitrary human distinction between humans and animals is as meaningless as the distinction between, say, elephants or mice and animals. A quick look at the phylogenetic tree of life makes this obvious.

lyrics

- The fifth ape -

Meet the entire family:
Orangutan, gorilla, human, bonobo, chimpanzee.
True, that list includes you.
So get down from your throne,
the facts have been known for more than a century.

Chorus:
What a deluded bunch are we,
ignorant of our own pedigree.
What a twisted identity
based on a warped genealogy.
Is universal kinship all that bad?

Bridge:
Hand in hand, line up all the generations.
But 300 miles to the great divergence
between us and our common ancestor.
So when in this short continuum did you become special?

Chorus:
What a piteous world is this
when truth is shunned by the populace?
Who will come to science’s defense
when bunk is heralded as common sense?
Take your place in the great narrative.

You’re the fifth ape.
But the fifth ape.

credits

from Man in the Mirror (2010), released June 25, 2010
Music and lyrics written, recorded, and performed by Stephan Serowy.

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Utopia Now Berlin, Germany

Utopia Now started out in 2006 but had been known under the name Indigo since 2002, sharing the stage with bands such as Lagwagon, Anti Flag, A Wilhelm Scream, No Trigger, Good Clean Fun, Venerea and many more. However, the band was short-lived and split in 2007. Today the band lives on in the form of an online solo project by the band’s founder, singer, and songwriter, Stephan Serowy. ... more

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