"Race for the Prize" The Flaming Lips

The theme for this song is that ambition can consume you. On the surface, the song is about two scientists who are looking for the cure to a disease or make a big discovery. It is clear that they are competing to see who can develop the best cure the fastest. The lyrics suggest that in the beginning of this race, their goal was to better humanity and not necessarily to defeat each other. However, as their race progresses, they are not as concerned with how much good their discovery will do as much as defeating their opponent. Their ambition to win the prize of the discovery consumes their lives. The lyrics constantly mention the scientists' wives and children, and this suggests that their ambition prevents them from fulfilling their roles as husband and father. The will to win has overcome the desire to do good, which distorts the purpose of their research and corrupts their mentality. Near the end of the song, the lyrics suggest that this discovery could consume the lives of one or both scientists, and it is clear that they press on without any regard for themselves or others, only their prize. The ambition has consumed their minds and bodies as well as their relationships with their families and altogether destroyed who they were as people.