Gojira’s “Born for One Thing” Lyrics Meaning

From the onset the listener is made aware that “Born for One Thing” is philosophical in nature. And by the time all is said and done, they should be able to recognize its religious qualities also. Indeed the track is said to have been influenced by Far Eastern philosophers whom Joe Duplantier, Gojira’s frontman, once studied. And at the forefront of the piece lies the notion that we human beings “were born for one thing”. And that one thing would be “fac(ing) the greatest fear of all”.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Gojira's Born for One Thing at Lyrics.org.

The Fear of Dying is the Greatest of All Fears?

Now what exactly constitutes said fear is not specified by the singer. But the general consensus within the animal kingdom would be that “the greatest fear” points to the dread of death. So stated otherwise, the thesis sentiment of this song is that the primary goal in life is to conquer the fear of death.

Now Gojira does not actually go about detailing how such can be accomplished. Rather it is more like they are idealizing a certain type of lifestyle as the antithesis of spending one’s entire life fearing the inevitable. And that would be what has been classified as an anti-consumerist modus operandi. 

Lyrics of "Born for One Thing"

Basically, although it may not come forth abundantly in the lyrics, what the band is espousing is a type of lifestyle where we do not attach ourselves to material things. For according to Joe’s personal explanation of the tune, doing so traps our spirits “between dimensions” in the afterlife. So in order to avoid this unenviable fate, the implication is that one needn’t be overly attached to anything material to ensnare them in the physical world upon passing away.

Moreover, the band further goes on to imply that most of us live life in a “blur”, which reads as if we are being victimized by adherence to the rat race. And as such, we often find ourselves unhappy and discontent, or as the vocalist medievally puts it “wishing the life of another self”. So afterlife aside, even in the here and now, they are asserting that being materialistic decreases the quality of existence.

In Conclusion

The lyrics ultimately end with the notion that what unites us all is our mortality. So apparently, the singer’s overall purpose is to make sure that we’re spending our time on the earthly plane properly. And in his eyes, doing so involves detaching, as much as reasonably possible, from the materialistic aspect of being.

In all, “Born for One Thing” can be defined as a pure religio-philosophical tune. And it is one whose lyrics are based on a powerful anti-consumerist ideology – one mixed with references to the afterlife.

Music Video

The music video to this track, which was directed by Charles De Meyer, takes place inside of a museum.

Gojira

For those who may be unaware of the artist at hand, Gojira is a band from France that formed back in 1996. Between then and the release of this track they’ve had only one lineup change. And since 1998 the group has consisted of lead vocalist Joe Duplantier and his brother who goes by the name Mario Duplantier. Mario is the band’s drummer. The other members of Gojira are as follows:

  • Christian Andreu (guitar)
  • Jean-Michel Labadie (bass guitar) 

And as for the band’s unique name, it is the Romanized Japanese spelling of Godzilla. Actually the crew were originally called “Godzilla” themselves.

When did Gojira release “Born for One Thing”?

The project which this track is featured on, “Fortitude”, marks Gojira’s seventh-studio album. And it is the first one they dropped since 2016’s “Magma”. The said 2016 project won the 2017 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Album. That same year, it was was nominated for a Grammy.

At the time of the release of “Born for One Thing”, on 17 February 2021, it was the second single from “Fortitude”. The first was “Another World“. And conspiracy theory buffs may be interested to know that only 666 copies were made of the Limited-Edited Opaque Olive Green LP version of the album, which was available via preorder.

The entire album was recorded in a part of Queens, New York known as Ridgewood, where Joe Duplantier’s Silver Cord Studio is situated.

Writing Credits for “Born for One Thing”

The entire band is given credit for writing this song, with Joe Duplantier being singled out as its producer. He is also the one who put together the single’s eye-catching cover art. And the label that gave us “Born for One Thing” is Roadrunner Records.

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