Do We Need This?

I think this song is about how people are kept alive in hospitals on machines, and how sometimes its painful for these people to be kept alive, or they don't want to be kept alive, but other people are keeping them alive because THEY dont want to lose the ill person. I think its about how selfish people can be, and how people can put other people through misery for their benefit. Maybe Matt is talking about how we keep on developing our technology tod make them live longer, when maybe we should stop and think about whether we really need to do this, and maybe whether the person actually wants to be kept alive?

i agree with 'forfeit the game' "afraid of losing" = keeping a dying loved one alive "too many young and too many old" refers to euthanasia and unhealthy babies.

too many distant she's on a screen Should be "she only exists when shes on a screen"...

this song reminds me of my boyfriend who questions our relationship all the time, which makes me doubt his feelings. and to me, this song is about doubting feelings.

I think it's about an internet relationship (C'mon..."She only exists when she's on a screen, he's only alive inside a machine"?), and how easy it is to proclaim your love and necessity for the other person over the internet. The song is someone in the relationship questioning and doubting the authenticity of the other person's alleged feelings.

The live version of this song is amazing. Everything comes out perfect, I wonder if it has a video.

naa i think you are on the wrong path! "too many young and too many old too many people left you in the cold you want everyting to change" that is about people of a society, their fears, created due to news and stuff(like "new studies show that in 50 years there are too less workers(-> too many olds and too less youngs and so on) "too many people left you in the cold" is different to the lines above it, because it is about a personal disappointment. It means, "too many people disappointed you(either emotionally(once you loved broke up or something) or well like friends who didnt keep a promise). "you want everyting to change 'cause you are afraid of losing " so the points above are leading to this part. Because they are afraid of losing their security(not in the way of being threatend but in a way of losing your job and stuff) "she only exists when shes on a screen" that could have 3 meanings. 1) she isn't real in the physical way 2) she is but needs all the attention 3) she is but she is faking her personality "he's only alive inside a machine" hmmm hard one ;/ yeah mybe about pc/internet life, talking to someone over icq/msn whatever, but you have no "real" contact with him, or it is about machinisation "we want everyting to change 'cause you are afraid of losing " same as above, but here it is "we"...that changes through out the song ^^ " tell me, do you really need this? and tell me, do you really care? and tell me, do you really need this? and tell me, do you really care? I don't think you really need this I don't think you really care and I don't think you really need this and I don't think you really care " i think this is about consumtion, and the society which buys think they dont need, they dont care about if it is not there "too many young and too many old too many people left you in the cold you want everyting to change now I'm so afraid of losing" i think he is afraid of the way everyone wants the system to change, which he thinks is wrong...hmm yeah, it is about mhh a capitalistic society, kinda

the live version of this is pretty good, and bellamy makes minor changes to the lyrics all over - too many young and too many old too many people trapped you in your hold you want everyting to change 'cause you are afraid of losing she only exists when she's on a screen he's only alive inside a machine we want everyting to change 'cause we are afraid of losing tell me do you really need this? and tell me do you really care? tell me do you really need this? and tell me do you really care? i don't think you really need this i don't think you really care and i don't think you really need this and i don't think you really care too many young and too many old too many people left you in the cold we want everything to change now I'm so afraid of losing yeah yeah yeah i thinks that's how it goes