The song Cracker Island was released by the band Gorillaz on June 22, and the lyrical analysis started right away. The Gorillaz band is made up of four members – Noodle, Russel, Murdoc, and 2D, and their music videos offer a deep and involved lore that is tracked by fans across numerous the net. For each song, there is a deeper meaning that is part of the wider story for the fictional band, a story that has been developing for decades. Here, we are going to get into some of that lore and analyze the Cracker Island meaning behind the lyrics.
Cracker Island Meaning
Bandmember 2D introduces Cracker Island in the song as a place of mystery. This is an island where a cult developed – one that 2D is a part of, says RollingStone. In earlier parts of the Gorillaz story, the organization was called “The Last Cult”, and they asked fans to become a part of it on a website they created.
In this song, the cult is described with some small details, including what the cult does for 2D, what being in the cult means to him, and the kinds of drawbacks to the cult life.
Symbolic?
Once you start to analyze the Cracker Island lyrics meaning, it seems obvious that they are symbolic in nature. You have to dig deep for their real meaning.
Look at these lyrics that start off the song:
On Cracker Island it was born
To the collective of the dawn
They were planting seeds at night
To grow a made-up paradise
Where the truth was auto-tuned
The cult was born on the island, which is what the first line refers to. The cult came out of an ancient community, referred to as the “collective of the dawn”. They created a kind of “made-up paradise” and promised to their followers a world that was partly synthetic. That is what the line about auto-tune refers to. This could be referring to an artificial paradise that is just as manmade as the sound of autotune, which is used to stabilize singing voices in music.
In the end, I had to pay (What world is this?)
In the end, I had to pay (I purged my soul)
In the end, I had to pay (I drank to write)
I’ve got nothing more to say (I drank to write)
The cost of being in the cult was 2D’s soul, but the cult gave him a new world. The remainder of the song tells us what that world might look like:
In the end, it will be great (Beneath the hills)
I’m like a ship between the tide (I saw myself)
I held on, I surprise (Beneath the void)
In the end I’ll be okay (Forever cult)
Nothing more to say
The promised word has yet to arrive, so there is little indication of what the world will look like, but it appears to be a better one – “in the end I’ll be okay”. After future Gorillaz releases, we may have a better idea of what this world is going to be. The story will likely progress, and the upcoming album may explain some of that to us.
The hidden meaning of Cracker Island seems to hint at a brighter, better future world to come. The artificial changes could be responsible for creating that world, at least in part. Those changes are not of our choosing, which could refer to our present world, which feels like it has gotten out of control. Future Gorillaz songs may clue us in more as to how the lyrics in this song connect to our world and perhaps what their dream is of a future for everyone.
The Complete Cracker Island Lyrics
On Cracker Island it was born
To the collective of the dawn
They were planting seeds at night
To grow a made-up paradise
Where the truth was auto-tuned (Forever cult)
And it’s sadness I consumed (Forever cult)
Into my formats everyday (Forever cult)
In the end, I had to pay (What world is this?)
In the end, I had to pay (I purged my soul)
In the end, I had to pay (I drank to write)
I’ve got nothing more to say (I drank to write)
They taught themselves to be occult
They didn’t know its many strategiеs
They taught themselvеs to be occult
They didn’t know its many strategies (Fantasies)
What world is this?
What world is this?
On Cracker Island it was raised (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
By the collective from the grave (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
It only came out at night (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
It ate up their paradise (Paradise)
Where the truth was auto-tuned (Forever cult)
And it’s sadness I consumed (Forever cult)
Into my formats everyday (Forever cult)
In the end, I had to pay (What world is this?)
Out there on my silver lake (I was not there)
In the end, it will be great (Beneath the hills)
I’m like a ship between the tide (I saw myself)
I held on, I surprise (Beneath the void)
They taught themselves to be occult
They didn’t know its many strategies
They taught themselves to be occult
They didn’t know its many strategies (Fantasies)
On Cracker Island it will die (Forever cult)
Join the collective in the sky (Forever cult)
And on the shining bolt of light (Forever cult)
Go out to paradise (What world is this?)
Where the truth is auto-tuned (I purged my soul)
And it’s sadness I consume (I drank to write)
Into my formats everyday (I drank to write)
In the end I had to pay (Forever cult)
In the end I had to pay (Forever cult)
In the end I’ll be okay (Forever cult)
Nothing more to say
Nothing more to say
Nothing more to say
Listen to it on Apple Music.
Last Updated: February 13, 2023
