Between Angels and Insects by Papa Roach was released on 22 May 2001. It is one of my favorite songs by the band.
I came to know about Papa Roach in 2009 through a friend. Obviously, ‘To Be Loved’ was WWE’s theme song at that point but I never checked it even though I liked the song a little bit.
Personally, this song is one of those songs that were typical of the rock songs produced in that era and everything about the song be it the lyrics, video, rhythm etc is such that it feels nostalgic and reminds you of how life was at that time.
Song Meaning
Between Angels and Insects has a profound message too. It is about how people are running after things they don’t need, are working jobs they hate, wondering about how they can earn more money etc. It is quite true when you look at people’s lives. Unfortunately, for some people it is a necessity and they don’t have options.
It is weird how society shapes people into doing things they feel like they don’t have an option but to follow. The inspiration of this song was taken from the movie called Fight Club which is based on a similar theme. ‘Working jobs that you hate for that s*** you don’t need’ is taken directly from that movie.
The title basically means that humans are between angels and insects. The attachment to base desires like wealth, fame etc makes humans closer to lower beings and detachment from these things elevates them.
