Lyrics
You're just an animal in the zoo
You, like everyone else, are a subject of observation and scrutiny.
Sittin' round feeling persecuted and abused
Feeling oppressed and mistreated while sitting idly.
You're locked up and I'm on the loose
You are confined, and I am free to roam.
But I can't quite tell who's looking at who
Uncertain about who is observing whom.
Cause I'm an animal, too
The speaker acknowledges their own animalistic nature.
But you're locked up in a zoo
Emphasizing the contrast – the listener is in captivity while the speaker is not.
And you look at me and I look at you
Establishing a mutual gaze between the speaker and the listener.
God made the heaven and the deep blue sea
Introducing a theological perspective on creation.
But man picked the flowers and he pulled up the trees
Highlighting human actions such as destroying nature.
God mad the moon and the rain and the sun
Attributing natural elements to God's creation.
But man made the money and the bombs and the guns
Contrasting God's creations with man-made destructive forces.
So we're all animals, too
Asserting the shared animality of all humans.
But you're locked up in a zoo
Reiterating the listener's captivity in a zoo.
And you look at me and I look at you
Continuing the theme of mutual observation.
I'm a prisoner but I got no cage
Claiming a sense of imprisonment without a physical cage.
I'm locked up but I got no chain
Acknowledging a form of confinement without visible restraints.
But the good guys lose and the bad guys win
Expressing a sense of injustice – good doesn't always triumph.
That's why you're looking out and I'm looking in
Explaining the asymmetry in their perspectives.
But we're all animals, too
Repeating the idea of shared animality.
But you're locked up in a zoo
Restating the listener's captivity.
Cause you look at me and I look at you
Emphasizing the ongoing mutual observation.
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