I sit in silence for some time and think about the world
And it seems to be a marketplace where we can buy and sell
The lives no less than infants held in a corporate hand
They're given what they 'cannot have'
Supply becomes demand
And everywhere I look I see the multinational
There's something shining in their eyes
Violating the earth and using up its resource
Just to build a new franchise
Erosion complete the cycle never to repeat
Now will they realise
Fast food may be an eating revolution
But it's rape has spawned our world demise.
You think they're going to tell you exactly what they're doing?
The mask they wear's a good disguise
When charity's a fashion you really got to wonder
Are they struggling to sell fries?
Overworked and underpaid indignity is commonplace
So now we sympathise
But in our selfish habits and wasteful mass consumption
We become the one's we criticise.
It's lies we're telling to ourselves the lies they energise
The raised fist of hypocrisy is seen in all our lives
Megacorporation's produce our daily lives
And I want to boycott all of this and break the chain of lies
But is corporate remonstration to answer to oppression?
I want to know the reason why
The weight of the world is on our generation
When we're living off their borrowed time
Anarchy becomes an immediate reaction
And indifference follows close behind
But neither possess a bonafide solution
To the pain that seethes inside.


Lyrics submitted by Cherub Rock

All Systems Down song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

2 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is obviously speaking of the greed and carelesness of the giant Multinational companies, paying particular attention to the likes of Mc Donalds and Burger King, an amazing song, with amazing political relevance, by one of the most fiercely independent, and individual thinking bands around today, Seraphs Coal rocks, their album rocks, and this song rocks! Keep it up fine young australian talent, and Dan Jones surely has a rare talent, as a drummer myself i know that it is sure as hell hard to drum and sing at once, and he doe sit at blisteing pace, without missing a beat, and with perfection in the pitch of his voice.. Brilliant

    emokid86on September 06, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is my favourite off the first EP, it's such an incredibly well-written song. I love the way the end of the song describes the different solutions punk bands (and revolutionaries) before them have tried ("corporate remonstration" and anarchy). This makes them different from other bands because they're not just angry about it, they think about how other people's solutions affect the world

    Cherub Rockon September 16, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Plastic Bag
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.