In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
All natural and technological processes
Proceed in such a way that the availability
Of the remaining energy decreases
In all energy exchanges, if no energy
Enters or leaves an isolated system
The entropy of that system increases
Energy continuously flows from being
Concentrated to becoming dispersed
Spread out, wasted and useless
New energy cannot be created and high grade
Energy is being destroyed
An economy based on endless growth is un-
(Unsustainable)
The fundamental laws of thermodynamics will
Place fixed limits on technological innovation
And human advancement
In an isolated system, the entropy
Can only increase
A species set on endless growth is un-
(Unsustainable)
Proceed in such a way that the availability
Of the remaining energy decreases
In all energy exchanges, if no energy
Enters or leaves an isolated system
The entropy of that system increases
Energy continuously flows from being
Concentrated to becoming dispersed
Spread out, wasted and useless
New energy cannot be created and high grade
Energy is being destroyed
An economy based on endless growth is un-
(Unsustainable)
The fundamental laws of thermodynamics will
Place fixed limits on technological innovation
And human advancement
In an isolated system, the entropy
Can only increase
A species set on endless growth is un-
(Unsustainable)
Lyrics submitted by EscObAR123, edited by danibehzi
The 2nd Law: Unsustainable Lyrics as written by Matthew James Bellamy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Standing On The Edge Of Summer
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
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Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
What I took away from this song is that the way the governments of the world (particularly the US) are using their resources (energy) is unsustainable in the long run. The world is becoming increasingly technological, and over the next few decades we are going to see even more of our service jobs being done by machines. Machines rely on energy in order to operate, and as Muse points out: "All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases." So unless we can create other realistic sources of energy, (which we are putting in a very limited amount of funding for) we are going to face an energy crisis. Most of the energy we rely on to run our machines today relies on fossil fuels which, as Muse says, are finite: "New energy cannot be created and high grade energy is being destroyed. An economy based on endless growth is Unsustainable."
There's no another way to interpret this song: the message's very clear, unlike the ones in the lyric of their other songs!
That is one SCARY ROBOT!!!! Epic song! Both parts of it are just beautifully put together. Thanks Muse
I will qualify my comment with the statement that the band is literally not leaving this to interpretation. They are proclaiming their nihilism to the world and succumbing to Luddite 'sky-is-falling' fantasies.
Exogenesis is a beautiful masterpiece in story-telling and that's how I will always interpret it. However with this 'song' it's telling me in no uncertain terms that humanity is doomed and if we don't stagnate ourselves voluntarily then we will use up all the energy and die off.
I don't claim to be any kind of scientist but anyone who's even heard of quantum physics knows that the second verse about 'the fundamental laws of thermodynamics' is now outdated nonsense. So just knowing that will tell you that this diatribe is at least partly wrong.
I did not know what entropy exactly was before I looked it up along with 'isolated system' and ended up finding out the first verse is even more ridiculous! 'Isolated Systems' do not naturally exist (unless you count the universe) and entropy naturally flows into 'equilibrium'. Meaning that unless other forces become involved, energy will disperse to 'equalize' across the entire system (universe).
What exactly does Muse think Humans are? Do they think that if we ever run out of oil we'll just sit on our asses and not figure out another energy source? That we'd just let our standards of living fall to 3rd world status without doing everything we could to avoid it? That we'll live forever on 19th century limited crude energy sources?
Even if we did Quantum Physics will probably eventually allow us to recreate unlimited amounts of energy.
Muse makes very good music and I don't have any problem with bands expressing their opinions in their music. However when it's presented in this fashion like it's some kind of serious 'these are indisputable FACTS' in a reporting news kind of fashion I have a huge problem with it. Especially reinforcing this bullcrap 'humans are evil/doomed' trope in whatever fashion it takes.