Interpretations:My Brother The Ape

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Brother Ape[edit]

I think this song is about Paxus. End of story.

Ok, ok, so maybe it's about the close genetic make up between apes and humans. Scientifically speaking, they're both in the same "family" (and kingdom, phylum, class, and order [are we in the same genus?]) and also we all have the same ancestors if you're into evolution (if you're not than I guess you could say God or whoever your god is created everyone and everything, so we're linked that way. If you are part of some religion that doesn't believe a god created everything, I'm sorry for stereotyping you out).

Now I feel it is necessary to describe the process by which single cells eveolved into humans (or at least what I'm under the impression happened, I'm not saying it really did). Once the cells were able to synthisize into something besides the equivalent of a tiny rock, they were all in the water. Water was like their blood and food. It was inside them, in small amounts, and they needed it for life. Eventually, two cells could join together, and stay that way, because both could get water. These double-celled organisms then joined together to create two-cell thick cell walls. Obviously, they couldn't get any thicker because then the middle cells would be lacking water and would die. So, instead they combined to make shapes, but they always had an open space so that every cell had water. Later on, eureka! if some cells made thin tubes and others make shapes, they could create the first vascular systems! Water could travel through these tubes to every cell (as veins, arteries and capillaries do). Eventually these creatures were able to develop legs and walk onto land (when they were no longer dependent on water) and the rest is all natural selection. Apollo

Just to answer the question you asked and clean up the concept for you a bit: Same Genus? No. Humans, Chimpanzees, Gorillas, and Orangutans are the only members of the family "Hominidae": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hominidae also known as "The Great Apes." In other words, Humans ARE Apes, the friendly fellow in the video looked like a Chimpanzee. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee There are 2 (extant) species of each of the other Apes, that is 2 species of chimps, 2 species of gorillas, etc... but only one species of Human alive at this point in time. If Neanderthal Man had survived to the present day, there would be 8 species in the family, and 2 species in the Genus. Also, then we'd need a song called "My Twin the 'thal" ChaosS (talk) 17:12, 13 September 2013 (EDT)
yes, i am quite aware now of the makeup of the homonoid group and i have a pretty strong grasp on the relationships and similarities between us and our ape cousins. i had a big orang-utan phase last year. i wrote this interpretation back in 2009, when i was ~13 and earnest, if a little shallow in my level of comprehension, about science, especially biology. most of the information contained in the "interpretation" above was likely culled from Hemo the Magnificent, which was probably my favourite film when i was ten. although i must say that i am wholeheartedly part of the school that believes that we should not be in a separate genus from our ape cousins — well, maybe gorillas are a little iffy. but i certainly don't think Homo ought to be exclusive. so although you're technically correct, i'm going to have to disagree! -Apollo (colloquia!) 20:50, 13 September 2013 (EDT)

Inspiration?[edit]

I'm imagining JL receiving an invitation to a huge Linnell family reunion in the mid-2000s. He and his wife are having a discussion about going, and he's doing everything in his power to avoid going without actually coming out and saying he doesn't want to go (hence the line "I told you family picnics weren't exactly my idea of fun"). But then he eventually relents due to peer pressure ("everyone but me said they were going to come"). Much as he anticipated, it turns out to be full of awkward moments ("everybody stiffly posing under one tent") and stilted conversations with people he barely knows or has never even met ("you guys are all so strange"). In his mind's eye, they all start to take on different forms à la "Mammal". Thus, the seeds of this song are planted. :-) --MisterMe (talk) 15:50, 13 October 2016 (EDT)