Munich

Feelings and inadequecies make people the easiest things to break when handled wrongly by certain people.

I believe the song is trying to sum up some things that have happened in Munich over the last century (rise of Hitler, the Munich Massacre during the Olympics). Munich has been an example of human fear and weakness.. well, just think about it.

At first, I wasn’t sure what this song was about. I enjoyed everyone’s take on it because it helped shape what my interpretation of it is. Yes, it is absolutely about the murders in Munich. If athletes are in the video, I have little doubt that is what they were focusing on. It is also very much about relationships and the two tie together. Munich is the extreme example of how bad things can go when fragile people, which all of us are, are broken. It is the example of the horrible results of relationships gone bad and it is hard to imagine a worse relationship than that one. I feel this song is exploring the boundaries of relationships between groups of people and individuals. So, while we have situations like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which impacts some people more than others, at an individual level we all have relationships. I think this is somewhat of a reminder/warning to people to be cognizant of the impact you have on people and people’s fragile state and how you can have a positive impact by assuming a nurturing role in someone’s life, “with one hand you calm me” and how you can have a negative impact “you’ll speak when you’re spoken to”. To me, the “you’ll speak when you’re spoken to” line is about emotionally abusive relationships and this line which closes out the song is kind of a cautionary command to us all to do what we can to make an effort “force it” to have healthy relationships with people. Because “it breaks if you don’t force it, it breaks if you don’t try.” I think the song is a frightening reminder of how delicate the human psyche is and that most atrocities that happen can be linked to bad/unhealthy relationships between groups and individuals.

Maybe about a relationship breaking up? He says how she's careless and treats people badly, but he was still glad it happened. He thinks about how they fail when you don't try. She breaks up with him and (maybe someone else) sits there with him and calms him down while he's upset and angry. Or something...

does anyone else think this song could relate to domestic abuse or rape within a relationship? there's the whole 'speak when you're spoken to' thing, 'one hand you calm me, one hand i'm still'... and the part where he says 'it breaks if you don't force it' could well be about forcing someone into sex as a means of ignoring the problems in the relationship.

ed said that the song is not at all about munich. they haven't even been there the time they wrote it. they just made it and were looking for a title and "munich sounds funny". that's why.

"People are fragile things, you should know by now Be careful what you put them through"

How can you say that this song is not about munich and their culture in general. this line sums up perfectly the rise of the fascists!

Great song!

when i first heard this song i thought it was about relationships etc. after reading the suggestion that it is about Munich's past, this seems to make more sense, even if the song was not originally written about it. the line "it breaks when you don't force it" makes me think of how the Nazi party gained power in Germany legally (i.e., it wasn't forced). also, the lines "with one hand you calm me, with one hand i'm still" reminds me of news footage of Hitler giving speeches and saluting, silencing the crowd.