anonymous January 16th, 2007 07:43PM  
This is part one of three which goes as following,
1. Ego Brain 2. Roulette 3. Streamline, because they're in order on the album. Get it? Good.

Ego Brain is about this guy, he's basically in a philosophy debate(life is like a dream, drifting on a stream), then, he meets this girl and she turns this guy's world upside down(As I turn to sand you took me by the hand...) showing him the world isn't just about finding the meaning(watch my world dissolve). Which leads up to roulette.

anonymous January 22nd, 2009 02:28AM  
Ego Brain at the most general level is about how our modern lives are unsustainable, precariously balanced on a system entirely reliant on non-renewable resources. Eventually this system will break down, leaving no replacement for itself.

"Life is but a dream,
Drifting on a stream, a stream,
Consciously it seems,
All of what remains,"

"Ego Brain" itself refers to the self-centered nature of man. "Man made shame, love after it rains" could be referring to the notion that mankind has sown these seeds of destruction, and that no one will care until after disaster has struck.
Because no one is willing to admit there is a problem, life as we know it will crumble. The problem is real, we all know the problem exists, yet we choose to ignore it:

"You see my pain is real,
Watch my world dissolve,
And pretend that none of us see the Fall,"

"As I turn to sand" refers to man's eventual self-destruction.
"You took me by the hand" is an extremely ambiguous line; it most likely refers to a "savior" of mankind, perhaps referring to religion maintaining order when civilization breaks down. Alternatively, "you" could be referring to the main cause of the problem; big corporations, big governments, the "system" which keeps the rest of humanity under their thumb in the name of profits and power. Rather than using that power to avert disaster, they use their power to simply sedate the population for its impending euthanasia, distracting it with meaningless rhetoric, such as "love prevails over all".

"I am just a man,
Fighting other men,
For land, for land,
While I turn to sand,
In spite of the pain"

This passage is referring once again to mankind's destructive nature, this time naming war, rather than over-consumption through rampant consumerism. Despite the destruction wreaked upon not just ourselves but the planet as well, humans have not stopped fighting.

This is a general interpretation of the song, the lyrics may hold completely different intended meanings, or specific passages may hold more specific meaning, referring to specific people and events, but this is what I've made of it.

redrain March 19th, 2009 05:52AM  
i think this song is about a man who try to find his self-existence an the meaning of life by social experience, maybe a relationship. but what he found, maybe after being betrayed or being used by others, that human doing things based on their ego, even for those things they said the done in the name of love. People are living in sins an keep doing it, and in fact human being is a realist being, their nature to be egoist and fight other for power, either there is love or not. he just then feel the value, feeling, norms are just a dream and feels empty

anonymous October 6th, 2009 02:14AM  
I think this song actually isn't about politics. Yeah, I know, a strange concept for a System of a Down song, but bear with me.

"Life is but a dream
Drifting on a stream, a stream
Consciously it seems
All of what remains"

Our lives are carefree and easygoing, no problems now, but, although it seems like everything is fine there are problems and, eventually, we all must face them.

[Skipping the chorus for now]

"I am but a man
Fighting other men for land, for land
While I turn to sand
In spite of the pain"

Then we see the world as it is: harsh and full of war. We're hurting ourselves to no avail, alas it is man's nature to kill one another. This stanza leads right into the chorus...

"Ego brain
Man-made shame
Shame, love after it rains"

Here we declare man's egotistical nature and what a shame it is.

"You see my pain is real
Watch my world dissolve
And pretend none of us see the fall"

And when you're desperate because of the self-destructive nature of man, we're all too caught up with our own ego to help those around us, so we simply ignore the pain and suffering.

"As I turn to sand
You took me by the hand
And declare that love prevails over all"

And then someone does the right thing, and then we realize that what we're doing is all wrong. Why fight and spread hate when we can cooperate? Even the deepest chasms can be overcome because love prevails over all.

Considering the moving power-ballad style of the song, these potent lyrics about mankind not only spread a powerful message, they form one of the best songs ever created, in my opinion.

misterwise March 17th, 2010 12:59PM  
I think this song is about foolish pursuits, stemming from mans' vanity. Instead of following the natural good things we are privy to since birth, such as life and love, man insists instead on creating politics, war, and man-made interests that further are distancing from what we should really concentrate on. Life is to short to create added problems for ourselves: "Life is but a stream, drifting on a dream". Life is fleeting, and nebulous, to be enjoyed as we float down it, and pass into afterlife. Man's ego gets in the way of this natural flow, and we eschew love, peace, and natural concerns for things that we invent, and THINK are important, hence he man-made shame.These manmade concerns bring pain, as people die or fight for causes they don't fully understand or believe in. These causes become transparent, as people see they are fighting for a bullshit cause (could be oil or religion). THis is where their view of the world dissolves. But they have supported this cause, so they have to believe that none of them see it falling, revealed as a falsehood, since the fought for and believed in it.THe sand line could refer to death from war (dust to dust), or to becoming pliable an open to the truth once false prophets are revealed.And in this pliable state, putty in the hands, a woman brings the truth that love and natural human concerns trump the bullshit politics and war. Love prevails. Then we revisit the idea of war in "I am just a man, fighting other men, for land, for land". This is kinda my take on it, anyways. I think it is a message that man's need for ego and cause will trump the natural blessings we enter this world with; we will always get in the way of our own happiness.