Complicated Creation is a song off of Cloud Cult's 2013 album Love. It's a powerful track that focuses on coping with the pains of everyday existence. Listen to the song below and then take a look at a close read of the song's lyrics:
Lyrics
I called up the moon for a little consultation.
Yes, you know that I'm a happy man, but something in me is burning.
I gotta push it, push it out, (x2)
So much frustration.
The moon called me back
And said "I'll give you some advice: You gotta live a little lighter,
You gotta breathe a little deeper
You gotta suck it, suck it in. (x2)
There's your medication."
If you pray to God for rain,
don't you complain about the lightning.
If you're asking for directions,
don't you moan about the distance.
Must you lose it, lose it all? (x2)
To find your appreciation.
If you rid of all your baggage you will likely float away.
But you can't know beauty if you don't know pain
Gotta feel it, feel it all. (x2)
There's your meditation
You know you are as small as the things you let annoy you.
And you know you are gigantic as the things that you adore.
Some days you give thanks.
Some days you give the finger.
It's a complicated creation.
Analysis
The song begins with the singer addressing The Moon, which can serve as a stand in for God, The Universe, or The World. He states he's a happy man, but still feels dissatisfaction with his life and needs guidance to address his frustration.
The Moon responds to the singer's question with the advice to not take things so seriously. "Live a little lighter" and "breathe a little deeper" can be understood to mean that the singer needs exercise his patience in order to achieve any sense of peace.
The following verse can be read as a continuation of The Moon's advice, as it goes into specifics. These lines hone in on the idea that beggars can't be choosers, specifically in the context of providence. The Moon states here that if one is asking the universe for a favor, they need to be prepared to accept the bad with the good.
The fourth verse serves as a continuation of the point set down in the lines preceding it, which is that there needs to be contrast between fortune and misfortune, or "beauty..." and "pain" in order for either to exist.
The song wraps up with a haunting reminder of agency. The fact that a person is "as small as they things [they] let annoy" them illustrates that annoyance and frustration are things that people opt in to. This is to say that you can choose to not be bothered by certain things, or at least the extent to which you are bothered. On the flip side, the line of being "as gigantic as the things that you adore" is an affirmation that if a person chooses love and positivity, that is what will ultimately define them as a person. The song concludes with a reminder of how unpredictable life can be, how some days it's easy to be grateful and positive and other days there is only bitterness and negativity.
On the whole, this track is a beautiful reminder of the complexity of life and how people need patience in order to suffer through the inevitable misfortunes that ultimately make life more beautiful.