He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Coin in every pocket
More mouths to fill
So weak in the land
Strong in the will (need)
I'll be your beast of burden
I'll be the seed
I bring you the healer
Feel your disease
I bring dirty water
And make it clean (young)
And you are the cure
I am the drug
And we settle for
A little bit more than everything
We're not elected, but we will speak
We're not the chosen, but we believe
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
Bullets, guns and missiles
A stone and a sling
A motherless country
Of thee I sing (song)
You are the tank and rockets
I am the bomb
I teach you a lesson
Sword for a pen
Reading turn the pages
A history of man (look)
You are tabula rasa
I am the book
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
We're not elected, but we will speak
We're not the chosen, but we believe
And we settle for
A little bit more than everything
I'm a non-state actor
I'm a non-state actor
I'm a non-state
I'm a non-state actor
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
We're not elected but we will speak
We're not the chosen but we believe
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
A little bit more
A little bit more
A little bit more
More mouths to fill
So weak in the land
Strong in the will (need)
I'll be your beast of burden
I'll be the seed
I bring you the healer
Feel your disease
I bring dirty water
And make it clean (young)
And you are the cure
I am the drug
And we settle for
A little bit more than everything
We're not elected, but we will speak
We're not the chosen, but we believe
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
Bullets, guns and missiles
A stone and a sling
A motherless country
Of thee I sing (song)
You are the tank and rockets
I am the bomb
I teach you a lesson
Sword for a pen
Reading turn the pages
A history of man (look)
You are tabula rasa
I am the book
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
We're not elected, but we will speak
We're not the chosen, but we believe
And we settle for
A little bit more than everything
I'm a non-state actor
I'm a non-state actor
I'm a non-state
I'm a non-state actor
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
We're not elected but we will speak
We're not the chosen but we believe
And we settle for a little bit more than everything
A little bit more
A little bit more
A little bit more
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by scorpiona
Non-State Actor Lyrics as written by Chris Cornell Benedict Shepherd Hunter
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Techno Ted
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Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I agree with Naataq. Though the song can be applied to all NSAs from terrorist groups to evangelical organizations, I think it's mostly about the multinational megacorporation who hold control over a frighteningly large segment of the American government (and other governments besides). The ones who keep paying politicians to lobby for lower taxes for multibillion-dollar companies. Kinda like the crackpot Illuminati conspiracies, but real.
"Coin in every pocket, more mouths to feed"
"So weak in the land . . . I'll be the seed"
"I bring you the healer . . . and you are the cure, I am the drug"
"A motherless country, of thee I sing"
"I teach you a lesson, sword for a pen . . . You are tabula rasa, I am the book"
"We're not elected . . . and we settle for a little bit more than everything"