City of Delusion

I read a really good analysis that someone made in a Muse forum, connecting this song with the artwork of the cover of the album, Ill try quote some of it.

If we ignore the clouds in the sky and identify the red desert they're sitting in as Mars, they are the knights of Cydonia. They have little horses on the table. This suggests that they represent the four horsemen of the apocalypse, adapted from Biblical times to reflect the problems in our society. Each man represents: religious extremism, gouvernment control, energy crisis, and social injustice. They are playing poker, which: a. is a nod to Muse's newfound fondness of it on the MTVu tour b. implies that they're just passing the time before the world ends.

If you go around the table, starting with the man on the left and quoting City of Delusion you get this: "I will avenge....and justify my reasons with your blood" That guy is covered in religious figures and has a set of set of blinkers. Obvious message being that religious extremists are blind to the bigger picture.

Then the next man whose face we can't see, goes with thhis fraction of the song "I choose to hide from your all-seeing eye". This guy is wearing a suit covered in eyes, representing the 'all-seeing eye' of Illuminati conspiracy theories. Brilliantly, we can't see his face, so we can't identify who's really in control.

Now the guy sitting on the right "Do not deny......that you live and let die." The man on the right is fat and wearing a gold suit, implying wealth and representing the financial inequality of modern society. Interestingly, he's looking to the Illuminatus for his cues which would make it clear that there's a connection between the very rich and those who are controlling the world.

Finally there's the man on the other side of the table. "You'll not rest or settle for less...until you guzzle and squander what's left." He's wearing a suit made of little shiny things. They could be mirrors, a symbol of our vain consumer culture, but I think they're little solar panels. Very symbolically Mr Energy Crisis is staring the Illuminatus (ie our leaders) in the face but the Illuminatus is looking past him. In the context of the poker game the Knights seem to be playing, he's challenging the Illuminatus to do something. This would be very in keeping with the band's references to peak oil.

I totally agree with what this guy thinks, I quoted it from that forum. Its really well thought and totally makes sense :)

i think it's about american-style goverments.

Can't believe What I dont trust All your theories turn to dust I choose to hide From your seeing eyes

stuff like conspiracies, cover-ups etc. and the last two lines could be either spying on us in general or more specifically maybe the Star Wars program?

You will not rest Or settle for less To you guzzle and squander whats left Do not deny That you live and let die

i cant help but think "guzzle and squander" refers to petrol (oil for americans). rest is pretty self-explanatory.

i agree, this song is about american politics. "The city of delusion" is DC.; "fortress your beliefs/ touch the divine" references religious conservatives; the "All Seing Eye" i think has to do with the wire tapping; "all your theories turn to dust "is obviously iraq and the non-existent weapons of mass destruction; and the 4th stanza is a reference to the present war

This is how I interpret:

Stay away from me Build a fortress and shield your beliefs Touch the divine As we fall in line

I dont want any part of this illusion that our government/world religions use to control us. Religion/Government has built a fortress for our beleifs, they use God, the devine, to keep us in line.

Can I believe When I don't trust All your theories turn to dust I choose to hide From the All Seeing Eye

How can I believe all that has been fed to me when I learn of all the lies. Now I must question all that I know. Now I choose not to be a sheep and steer clear of the global elite/illuminati/new world order and their agenda.

Destroy this city of delusion And break these walls down And I will avenge And justify my reasons With your blood

Now that I am aware of the wool being pulled over my eyes I am feeling the revolt build up inside. (Pay attention to the change in music). Its time to wake up and do something about whats happening in the world.

You will not rest Or settle for less Until you guzzle and squander whats left Do not deny That you live and let die

Global Elite/world leaders of the past whose bloodlines make up the current world leaders and media mogules..those who manipulate us will not rest until they have reached thier goals to create a world government. It doesnt matter how they do it...all that matters is their blood having control. They will destroy the lot of us, or divide us and have us destroy one another so that they can live in power when all is said and done.

Destroy this city of delusion And break these walls down And I will avenge And justify my reasons With your blood

We must overcome and tear down these people who manipulate us through the media before they turn us all against one another and send us to our death. Our reasons our justified. Unite. One love.

dawntreader has it. there's authority (the government it seems) and it's lying to you. but people don't like the thought so they build walls to protect themselves from the conspiracy theories

"destroy this city of delusion" wake up to reality

good one with the oil thing. so that verse is him talking to people in general. "you live and let die" is about peoples apathy to the war

This is definitely about the one's who really run the show... The Illuminati. As if the "All Seeing Eye" reference wasn't too much of a giveaway!

This song feels like you're inside 1984.

I think like many others have said that this song is basically about governmental control of the masses, and the lies and manipulation they use to keep everyone under the thumb.

"Can I believe/When I don't trust/All your theories turn to dust" - about having no faith in what our leaders tell us, government lies and propaganda, like the alleged WMDs in Iraq and the justification of war.

"I choose to hide/From the All Seeing Eye" - allusions again to government control and the police state, also I would say a pretty obvious reference to the Illuminati

"You will not rest/Or settle for less/Until you guzzle and squander whats left" - could be about using up all the world's resources with no regard for the future or the effect it's having now, "guzzle and squander" sounds like a specific reference to oil consumption

"Do not deny/That you live and let die" - talking about the global elite taking what they want and leaving nothing for the rest of us

That's how I interpret it anyway. It's a very good song.

"Can I believe When I don't trust All your theories turn to dust I choose to hide From the All Seeing Eye"

what i see in this part is an anti-Illuminati statement (i choose to hide from the All Seeing Eye) that's slipped into a anti-religious context. im really that someone would put anything anti-illuminati in mainstream music, but hey, someone's gotta exist outside their control.

lol i think it's theories...not fairies.