They Might Be Giants: Cage and Aquarium Meaning

Cage and Aquarium Lyrics

Somebody's reading your mind
Damned if you know who it is
they're digging through all of your files
Stealing back your best ideas
You cover your windows with lead
Even keeping the pets outside
Then you hear a moment too late this sound...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 3rd 2015 !⃝

   I agree with the above poster about it being almost prophetic, kinda like 1984 was. All these things make me paranoid more so today than at the time the album came out. I covered my windows with aluminum foil wrapped around a foam sheet. I've even speculated on whether insects might be biological listening devices, literally bugs,lol. Would explain the whole lord of the flies/beelzebub connection since all thye top government officials seem to be lucifarian/(evil hooded child raping, virgin sacrificing types), not neccasarily Satanists as most people think of them but Michael Aquino did start the temple of Set, an offshoot of the church of Satan. And just a few years back he was head of the NSA, also military intelligence very deep int9o psiops. Anton Levey, founder of CHurch of Satan was special ops to if I'm not mistaken. I tend to know more about Aquino though who is supposedly dead now, though he probably just shape shifted into another child murdering/raping government personel since he is probably some sort of immortal reptillian. Lol this is the type of paranoia in the world today and this song is right on about it.
   Another it's right on about is the chorus a funny play of age of aquarious because it's precisely the opposite of all the freedom and advances expected from the age of aquarious, though personally I knew Aquarious was more about technological and scientific advancement, which sucks but whatever.
   Then it finishes with another right on part about "You used to be different but now your the same yawn as your plane goes down in flames. And I've seen it all over too. There used to be alot of radical mo0vements and strong desires to seperate from the mainstream or the system but now it seems people have just kinda got either tired of fighting or only do it in socially approved of ways like non-violent protest, it's bollocks. With occupy that old spirit of rightous rebellion tried to reasert it'self on the human stream of conciousness but in part because of the nonviolent thing and in part because it seemed like the government was possibly trying top set us up so they could declare martial law. I guess either way nothing got accomplished, to my personal dissapointment not one politician was hanging dead from a street light anywhere. What is the world coming too?
2. anonymous

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   May 20th 2007 !⃝

   This seems to be the opposite of "Age of Aquarius", while sounding similar. While the concepts of Age of Aquarius speak of the dawning of a new era of peace and love and freedom, Cage & Aquarium brings forth ideas of paranoia (..somebody's reading your mind...) and apathy (...yawn as your plane goes down in flames...) and imprisonment (from the title).
3. tiggstah

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   Apr 23rd 2007 !⃝

   I think Cage and Aquarium has something to do with animal testing, probably biological warfare.
   
   Perhaps stealing back our best ideas for the biological warfare thing is the "smallpox blankets" for the native Indians. and the cover our widows with lead is fallout shelters. maybe anthrax, it can make you hallucinate and suspicious "someone's reading my mind!! I don't know who it is!"
   
   Maybe I'm just a monkey on my way to making a Shakespear play.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. anonymous

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   Apr 26th 2006 !⃝

   This may not be an interpretation, per se, but Flansy's song seems almost prophetic to me in many ways.
   
   Consider these lyrics:
   
   "Somebody's reading your mind, damned if you know who it is."
   
   Reading your mind seems to be a sort of allusion to the PATRIOT Act back in 2002, which did more to spy on people than to protect the public.
   
   "They're digging through all your files, Stealing back your best ideas."
   
   Another PATRIOT Act reference. During the time it was out and about, the PATRIOT Act granted the government ample access to peoples personal information, including their license information.
   
   "You cover your windows with lead, even keeping the pets outside."
   
   The lead is Duct Tape. Back in 2002, the government's terror alert system managed to reach a high level, at which point Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge advised people to cover their houses with duct tape to prevent biological attacks.
   
   "Then you hear, a moment too late, the sound coming over the phone."
   
   Wiretapping. The whole NSA furor that President George W. Bush is still under investigation for.
   
   I'm pretty sure this isn't what Flansburgh had in mind when he wrote the song back in the 80s, but it's kinda eerie how it all seems to fit into place.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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