Stay, wait for me
Build a fortress and shield your beliefs
Touch the divide as we fall in the ravine

Can't believe
When I don't trust
All your theories turn to dust
A truth to hide
From you seeing red

[Chorus]
Destroy this city of delusion
Break these walls down
I will avenge
Justify my reasons with your bloody hand

You will not rest
Settle for less
Until you guzzle and squander what's left

Do not deny
Where you live
And led alone

[Chorus: x2]



Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death, edited by florspring

Track duration: 04:48

"City of Delusion" as written by Matthew James Bellamy

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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City of Delusion song meanings
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46 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Muse has to be the only band in the world right now that can put violent lyrics in a song and make it sound well buitifulll I mean "Justify my reasons with your blood" But Matt does it in such an elegant way :)

    I mean they also do it in "Stocholm syndrome" and "assassin" too! LONG LIVE THE ALL MIGHTY MUSE!!!
    Flag SeargentGooon May 04, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:"Can I believe
    When I don't trust
    All your theories turn to dust
    I choose to hide
    From the All Seeing Eye"

    what i see in this part is an anti-Illuminati statement (i choose to hide from the All Seeing Eye) that's slipped into a anti-religious context. im really that someone would put anything anti-illuminati in mainstream music, but hey, someone's gotta exist outside their control.
    Flagged redninja1993on September 29, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think like many others have said that this song is basically about governmental control of the masses, and the lies and manipulation they use to keep everyone under the thumb.

    "Can I believe/When I don't trust/All your theories turn to dust" - about having no faith in what our leaders tell us, government lies and propaganda, like the alleged WMDs in Iraq and the justification of war.

    "I choose to hide/From the All Seeing Eye" - allusions again to government control and the police state, also I would say a pretty obvious reference to the Illuminati

    "You will not rest/Or settle for less/Until you guzzle and squander whats left" - could be about using up all the world's resources with no regard for the future or the effect it's having now, "guzzle and squander" sounds like a specific reference to oil consumption

    "Do not deny/That you live and let die" - talking about the global elite taking what they want and leaving nothing for the rest of us

    That's how I interpret it anyway. It's a very good song.


    Flag rudegirl92on September 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song feels like you're inside 1984.
    Flag SparkleNShineon June 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is definitely about the one's who really run the show... The Illuminati. As if the "All Seeing Eye" reference wasn't too much of a giveaway!
    Flag Jeffrey91on March 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Gosh, to me this song is so blatantly political (specifically the Iraq war). Such an amazing song, I love the middle-eastern themed backing music. Matthew is an absolute genius.

    "Build a fortress and shield your beliefs" and "Until you guzzle and squander what's left" (oil anyone??) probably explain the political motivations behind the song better than any other lines.
    Flag nature2on December 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Matt Bellamy is an atheist. When you take that into account, this song seems easy to decode.



    "Stay away from me"

    Talking to religion. Saying he wants nothing of it.

    "Build a fortress and shield your beliefs"

    Saying your beliefs (or lack thereof) are your own but sometimes you are attacked for them.

    "I choose to hide
    From the All Seeing Eye"

    Once again taking atheism into account it is easy to see that the all seeing eye is God.

    "Destroy this city of delusion"

    It may be a reach but I think Bellamy wants to rid the world of religion...




    Flag thefischeron November 22, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This is how I interpret:

    Stay away from me
    Build a fortress and shield your beliefs
    Touch the divine
    As we fall in line

    I dont want any part of this illusion that our government/world religions use to control us. Religion/Government has built a fortress for our beleifs, they use God, the devine, to keep us in line.

    Can I believe
    When I don't trust
    All your theories turn to dust
    I choose to hide
    From the All Seeing Eye

    How can I believe all that has been fed to me when I learn of all the lies. Now I must question all that I know. Now I choose not to be a sheep and steer clear of the global elite/illuminati/new world order and their agenda.


    Destroy this city of delusion
    And break these walls down
    And I will avenge
    And justify my reasons
    With your blood

    Now that I am aware of the wool being pulled over my eyes I am feeling the revolt build up inside. (Pay attention to the change in music). Its time to wake up and do something about whats happening in the world.

    You will not rest
    Or settle for less
    Until you guzzle and squander whats left
    Do not deny
    That you live and let die

    Global Elite/world leaders of the past whose bloodlines make up the current world leaders and media mogules..those who manipulate us will not rest until they have reached thier goals to create a world government. It doesnt matter how they do it...all that matters is their blood having control. They will destroy the lot of us, or divide us and have us destroy one another so that they can live in power when all is said and done.


    Destroy this city of delusion
    And break these walls down
    And I will avenge
    And justify my reasons
    With your blood


    We must overcome and tear down these people who manipulate us through the media before they turn us all against one another and send us to our death. Our reasons our justified. Unite. One love.
    Flag lightsaberon January 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Stay away from me
    Build a fortress and sheild your beliefs

    I have my own opinions

    Touch the divine
    As we fall in line

    I am finding the truth that we are all losing individuallity

    Can I beleive
    When I don't trust

    Why should I beleive in somthinh I don't want to?

    All your theories turn to dust

    There is no excuse for what they have done

    I choose to hide from the all seeing eye

    I don't beleive in America as a whole (if you don't know where I got america from, find a $1 bill and look on the capstone of the pyramid on the back... I think it was origionally a freemason sybol, but I may be wrong, and it's becoming irrelivant to the song)

    Destroy this city of delusion
    Break these walls down

    Reveal America for what it is

    I will avenge

    I won't let you get away with this

    Justify my reasons with your blood

    Somthing needs to be done about you

    You'll not rest, settle for less
    'till you guzzle and squander what's left

    You'll keep going until you have less than no reason to continue

    You're not divine
    Yet you live and let die

    You're playing god

    Then the rest is repeated with several changes in wording
    Flag Ipwnurfaceon January 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It seems to me like the entire chorus is sung as something George W Bush would say to his soldiers, every line fits perfectly:

    "Destroy this city of delusion
    And break these walls down"
    -Those who believe differently from us suffer from delusions, tear them down. Intolerance at its simplest.

    "And I will avenge"
    -The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are afterall about revenge after 9/11))

    "And justify my reasons
    With your blood"
    -It's political suicide to criticize the military's actions in the US now, you'll be accused of "not supporting our soldiers. As such, the blood of US soldiers has been used to justify the war in Iraq. Afterall, if you dare claim it was a war for no reason, you turn the sacrifice of the soldiers into nothing"

    I think the verses are sung from the POV of someone protesting against Bush, it's like a debate of sorts with Bellamy singing both sides.

    This theory goes in line with the bush criticism on Knights of Cydonia ("how can we win, when fools can be kings") and Take A Bow ("spell, cast a spell, cast a spell on the country you run") as well as Exo-Politics and Assassin as mentioned.
    Flag moshyon August 31, 2008   Link

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