"Race for the Prize" by the Flaming Lips

The theme of this song is hope and determination even if the situation fails to support the best outcome. The sound of this song in general is upbeat and happy which alludes to it being about something generally happy. It begins by talking about "two scientists...racing for the good of all mankind...so determined/locked in heated battle for the cure that is their prize.../Theirs is to win if it kills them." These people are determined to cure the whole species of all diseases, and this is an incredibly difficult feat; but they are still trying and are still determined. In the end, it says "forging for the future/but to sacrifice their lives/both of them side by side/so determined." The scientists are about to die, which usually is not the most ideal outcome, but are still going through with this in order to do something much bigger than themselves.