She had something to confess to
But you don't have the time
So look the other way
You will wait until it's over
To reveal what you'd never shown her
Too little much too late

Too long trying to resist it
You've just gone and missed it
It's escaped your world

Can you see that I am needing
And begging for so much more
Than you could ever give?
And I don't want you to adore me
Don't want you to ignore me
When it pleases you
Yeah, and I'll do it on my own

I have played in every toilet
But you still want to spoil it
To prove I've made a big mistake
Too long trying to resist it
You've just gone and missed it
It's escaped your world

Can you see that I am needing
Begging for so much more
Than you could ever give?
And I don't want you to adore me
Don't want you to ignore me
When it pleases you
Yeah, and I'll do it on my own


Lyrics submitted by blukske

Muscle Museum Lyrics as written by Matthew James Bellamy

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Muscle Museum song meanings
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56 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    Absolutely love this song- absolutely adore Muse. They'll make it big someday- i'm sure

    muse_chikon February 20, 2002   Link
  • +5
    My Interpretation

    Okay so I'm starting to think it's about how no one would give Muse attention in the early days. Everyone would just go on in their life and no one would go to their gigs. (Like the music video. Everyone is doing their own thing, and Muse is on stage performing for no one.)

    "She had something to confess to, But you don't have the time so look the other way" I feel like "she" is Muse. Usually when you confess to something, you have something to show. Muse had their band to show, but no one had time and just looked the other way.

    "You will wait until it's over to reveal what you'd never shown her, too little much too late" I think that maybe their city or maybe record deals would wait till their early stage is over and wait till Muse got big to offer something (which is something you'd never shown her), but it's already to late. They have their fans, fame, record deal, etc.

    "Too long trying to resist it. You've just gone and missed it. It's escaped your world" Their city spent too long trying to resist listening to their music and watching their gigs. And now that they want to see Muse because they're bigger, they're already gone and they missed their chance to see them. Muse has escaped their world, as in Teignmouth.

    "Can you see that I am needing and begging for so much more than you could ever give" Here it's kind of how it was for Muse earlier. They were needing people to come to their gigs and begging for so much more attention in their city than they could ever give.

    "And I don't want you to adore me." Here he doesn't want people to like their band in Teignmouth because they never appreciated Muse until they got big. Matt doesn't like this about their city.

    "Don't want you to ignore me when it pleases you" This goes back to the earlier Muse when everyone ignored them. Because now they want Teignmouth to ignore them, but before they really wanted Teignmouth to notice them. This is what Muse was thinking before they got big.

    "Yeah, and I'll do it on my own" Here he's saying that Muse didn't need their own city's support to get them big. Muse did it all on their own with their hard work.

    "I have played in every toilet, but you still want to spoil it to prove I've made a big mistake" Muse has tried getting gigs everywhere they possibly could around town, but the citizens of their city spoiled every chance for Muse by not showing up. And to Matt this was starting to prove that Muse has made a mistake by making their whole life Muse.

    "You will never make it" This is probably the thought that's been in their mind the whole time they were trying to get somewhere. They were starting to think that they'll never make it because no one in their city is supporting them.

    This is what I thought of the lyrics, tell me what you think of my idea. :)

    DesandLayon June 12, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Matthew Bellamy once said in an interview that the song is actually about the time the band spent at home in Devon, trying to make it. Putting 120% of their energy in performances for 5 people at the local pub, but not even being given the chance to show what they could. The song is to be about the frustrations they experienced when scrubbing toilets for a living...not even being given the chance.

    Karmapdon May 06, 2003   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    OK, I've found out. But, if anyone wants to know, it's this: if you search for “muse” in a dictionary, in most cases, the word before it is 'muscle', and the word behind is 'museum'. Nice.

    Alteron March 12, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the only song on Showbiz i personally think that's about a girl would have to be Unintended. other then that, the album surfaces around growing up in Devon and what they had to do to be accepted amongst the town and have a chance to play their own music without being called "Radiohead copycats".

    the word muscle has more meaning then just a tissue in the body. muscle means strength or force. if you have watched the video, everyone is pretty much suffering in one form or another, or probably doing something that they are being forced to do. the song is a reference to probably living in a so-called "muscle museum", being forced to do something you don't want to do and i think that is what Matt was trying to say when he wrote it.

    dyingatheistxxon November 21, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    When I first Watched the video, I Thought it was about People that put on a tough appearance and act superior to people in general, when deep down inside they are scared and alone. Like all their "muscle" is all just for show, like at a "museum", rather than showing the world their true sad colours.

    Sebbithon April 11, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    "Bellamy said that the meaning was the "conflict between the body and the soul or mind"[2] - the Freudian idea of inner conflict between want and conscience. He later stated that the meaning somehow involved people in the future no longer having bodies.[2] This idea came from a book that he had read.[2]" This comes from the muse wikia approved by the band so i guess it is a bit of the truth, even though the song can prfectly have several interpretations and mine is different, i'm just passing by to say that it's Matt point of view on the song :)

    MuseRiseson October 08, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think muse are pretty big already! in some parts of the world anyway! this is a great song! muse are so dark and edgy! i love it

    Dean Martinon February 28, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is about a person asking for something more in a relationship. He is sick of putting in all the work and obaying orders and not getting anything but complaints in return. The person has decided he can do without that and ends the relationship in the song. I find this ong very powerful this gives the sense that the person does have very strong feelings and like he says can make it on his own without her.

    Shezzieon April 29, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this is the first muse song that i ever heard. I live in perth australia which is a cultural HOLE and so its rare to hear beauty like muse. i came across it by accident. after i heard it i bought showbiz, and i love every song. when origin of symmetry came out i was blown away by it. Matt Bellamy has an amazing voice and the other two guys are excellent musicians. I love them, they are the best. I owe it all to muscle museum being their ambassidor, so i could hear them and what they're about. I can't describe how good muse is.

    jimmytheexploderon May 01, 2002   Link

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