The Meaning Behind "The Death of Western Civilization (Live Like Animals)" by dbcooper

I typically don’t like to give too much away when it comes to the meanings behind the lyrics of songs - I purposely try to make things as accessible to as many people as I can. I’m also used to people telling me, “I don’t get it.” And, that’s okay sometimes. However, in this case, Travis and I had a personal exchange and he stated that if anyone ask, I should just share what I texted back to him. Outside of myself, no one spends as much time with my music as Travis does, so I figured if he asked, it was worth sharing with everyone.

Travis Dolan:

Man, it looks great and sounds great! I know you were saying that this is the song that you’re going to try and get some coverage on, I think it’s a spectacular choice! Considering the words that you’re using, and the thought process behind it, but I personally want to know your thoughts find the track and how you came up with the analogies that you use

Jeremy Climer:

So, no pun intended, but it kind of became its own animal.  The first lines came from the beginning of the Joy Division documentary.  They were talking about post-war Manchester and 18 story housing projects and people being crammed in like animals and I just kind of said out loud, “18 stories, have we lost the plot?” and then patted myself on the back for the clever word play and wrote that down for later. 

After that a whole lot of cultural arguments started swirling around in my head.  We’re at a point where I sometimes don’t know who’s on the “left” and who is on the “right”.  Example, last night I saw a story about the mayor of Boston sending a hit list to the police and having them arrest her enemies.  This left-wing Democrat sounds like Richard Nixon (or Abraham Lincoln).  Up is down and down is up. While I personally find myself between two extremes, we live in a world of extremes: one group who denies that COVID exists at all and humans have zero impact on the environment, but then another group who threatens to kill people for not wearing masks and want you to become vegans and walk everywhere (meanwhile they’re not giving up any of their comforts either).

How did we get here?  Well, the free marketplace of ideas that allow people to say whatever stupid shit they want to, whether it’s a bold lie, or a truth delivered with anger, is what it is: free.  It can be ugly, but it’s free.  Trying to lock down people, or “cancel” people because they hold an idea you don’t like isn’t about the idea, it’s about control.

So, with that context now out of the way - the wolf represents both our animalistic nature that a free society keeps in check, but that a controlled society unleashes on the weak.  Rome, is arguably, the birthplace of western civilization that created all of these ideas.  The mythology is that two twins, Romulus and Remus were orphaned and they were nursed by a she-wolf who kept them alive and they grew up to found the city of Rome.  The reason people seek to control others is selfishness - every one thinks “They” will be the ones in control, so therefore controlling others is acceptable (they’re not so in favor of it when they’re the victims of it obviously) and Narcissus, according to Roman mythology, saw his reflection in a pond and fell in love with himself.  No matter what anyone says about “progress” or “civility” or anything, no matter what political affiliation someone claims, there are only two groups in my book: those who want to be free and live peacefully amongst people different than them, and people who want two classes of people.  And if it’s number two, then the inevitable result is that we live like animals.