Hoodoo

First, I'm amazed that people can get a political meaning from this song. I know art is left up to broad interpretation, but this song strikes me as an obvious relationship song. But still, kudos to those who went outside of the box.

That being said, I'm also going to project all over this song, but I have what I think is a pretty good lock on the meaning behind Hoodoo. First, what is a hoodoo? The primary definition is a rock formation, specifically a large boulder held up by a much thinner elongated rock structure (like a tootsie pop on a skinny paper stick). Matt you clever bastard. It's about a heavy relationship that's doomed to fall apart, but the two of them are holding it up anyway for whatever reason, and it's causing much stress. So pretty much an amalgamation of what a lot of people have already mentioned.

I agree with deadtex that the intro is like the beginning of a new love with the guitar solo. The first verse deals with the two meeting and, going against their better judgement, decide to go ahead and pretend that they are completely happy in the relationship, "regressing into a dream" and "building a new reality." I'm guessing the girl this is directed to isn't quite as on board as him to keep up this facade, so he's trying to assure her that she will be protected from trouble and pain, and he gets frustrated that she just can't let their problems go, even though he's supportive and saying "choose the other path" anyway (do what makes you happy, even if that means leaving me).

Then he's reflecting on why everything fell apart, but is still remaining supportive, even offering to take the blow, or what I assume would be to take the emotional toll of the fallen relationship. Then of course, the last verse pertains to his realization that he should have changed his ways to help keep them together.

But I could be completely wrong and this is about the government. As previously stated, it's Muse, so who knows.

I really like the Western kind of feeling its got. Muse just can't be kept in genres. Aweseome, it reminds me to that Nancy Sinatra song "Bang Bang." Or something. The strings guitar and piano sound just perfect. It's going to be a great album. CAKE.

Opinion:

Excellent use of instrumental variety. Differs from the rest of the album in its slow pace and lazy, relaxed vocals. The most interesting aspect, however, lies in the possible interpretations of the (not surprisingly) ambiguous lyrics.

Personal Interpretation:

Spoken to a former love interest ~

Come back into my life again, let's start from scratch. Forget reality let's live a dream together. Follow your instincts.

You shouldn't be afraid this time. I'll make sure you don't get hurt again. Why can't you see there's no need for a crisis? Everything's okay.

How did it come to be, that our relationship was doomed? (i.e. tied to a railroad). It's really up to you to set us free...let our souls, our bodies fade away (into the dream). Everything will be okay.

The final verse confirms this interpretation, in my eyes.

It's retrospective. He was loved, and made a mistake, wasn't able to be the better man - leading to the end of the relationship.

In this song he begs for another chance, tries to convince and almost manipulate the girl into trusting him. Yet there's a touch of desperate hopelessness, as if he realizes he's asking too much.

A satisfying interpretation? It seems to work for me.

If this song is about politics then the vibe I’m getting is that is could be a song written from the viewpoint of a leader who has been voted out or overran by anarchy after making a disastrous decision. The second half of this album is about anarchy/an uprising with City of Delusion as the climax. Hence this song is the post-mortem by the toppled leader. Hypothetically it could be about Bush/Blair refecting on their decisions after a voter backlash.

“Come into my life Regress into a dream”

i.e. look at things from my point of view for a moment

”We will hide Build a new reality Draw another picture Of the life you could have had”

They were trying to build a new world by introducing democracy into other countries, the theory being that this will make the world a better place. Therefore they were drawing another picture and hiding from reality.

”Follow your instincts And choose the other path”

But the voter backlash/anarchy arised and nobody wanted to follow them anymore, and they (the people) chose the left path.

”You should never be afraid You're protected from trouble and pain Why, why is this a crisis in your eyes again”

The leaders asking the public “well I was trying to keep you safe. Why are you angry with me? It’s not like war broke out in this country, it only happened far away”

”Taught to be How did it come to be Tied to a railroad”

Tied to a railroad being a metaphor for a disastrous situation i.e. Iraq showing no signs of stabilising years after the attempt to bring them peace.

”You'll have to set us free Watch our souls fade away Let our bodies crumble away Don't be afraid I will take the cold for you”

i.e. I will take responsibility for all the s*** that’s gone on because, after all, that’s my job as your leader.

”And i've had recurring nightmares That I was loved for who I am”

In other words he’s dreaming that the public would lay off him because he thought he was doing the right thing and he was a genuinely good person. After all, if Iraq had have run smoothly with few casualties no-one would be complaining. But there was no way for them to know that things would turn out this bad. Our leaders are human too.

”And missed the opportunity To be a better man”

Fairly self explanatory, he is wondering what could have been and what he could have done differently, as we all do after we stuff something up.

I'm thinking the same as NeroDragon. I think the writer is talking to a former lover or a love interest as well as to himself.

He wants her to come back in to his life. He misses the old times even if some of them might not have been so good. He might have said or done something that has hurt her feelings. Now he regrets it. Maybe she has done stuff too ("Why is this a crisis in your eyes again") or she made a fuss about things that didn't even exist or he just didn't understand what she was up to. Now he still wants her and wants to work things out but he needs her help to figure things out. The last lines indicate that he fears he had a chance to be with someone who didn't want to change him. It's all about misunderstanding and interpreting the other person in the wrong way.

That's all, cheers.

i love this song and he definately says ' i will take the blow for you'

Taught to be = Come to be You'll have to set us free = No one to set us free Let our bodies crumble away = And our bodies crumbling I will take the cold for you = I will take the blow for you

Beautiful song. Sounds like some relationship issue. But the end sounds sort of like it could be about the government. It's Muse, so you never know.

The correct lyrics are:

"Come into my life Regress into a dream We will hide And build a new reality

Draw another picture Of the life you could've had Follow your instincts And choose the other path

You should never be afraid You're protected From trouble and pain Why, why? Is this a crisis In your eyes again?

Come to be How did it come to be? Tied to a railroad No love to set us free Watch our souls fade away And our bodies crumbling Don't be afraid

I will take the blow for you

And I've had recurring nightmares That I was loved for who I am And missed the opportunity To be a better man."

alright, thanks.

I think this song is about moving from one life to another, as in, getting tired of an unhappy life and changing to a better one. In this song I think it's someone talking to themselves or their conscience.

"Come into my life Regress into a dream" The person is looking at the life they have and seeing the misery and sorrow. They want to change and forget about the bad stuff.

"We will hide Build a new reality" The person wants to hide from the misery of the past life and build a newer, better life.

"Draw another picture Of the life you could have had" The person is thinking over and over again about what would happen if they stayed the way they are, i.e. "the life they could have had" if they don't change.

"Follow your instincts And choose the other path" As opposed to doing what they normally would, the person is telling them to do the opposite to do the more moral or the better thing to do.

"You should never be afraid You're protected from trouble and pain Why, why is this a crisis in your eyes again" This bit is like the conscience telling him that he has nothing to fear and that good will come of his change, possibly because he can't sink any lower or it can't get any worse (protected from trouble and pain, i.e. because it's so bad it can't get any worse. the hardship protects him from anything more horrible happening.) His conscience also asks him why it's such a big deal for him to change if only good can some of it.

"Taught to be How did it come to be Tied to a railroad" The person is saying that he was made to be like this but that he didnt think it would be so bad for him at a later stage.

"You'll have to set us free Watch our souls fade away Let our bodies crumble away" The person is asking his conscience for help in changing himself and fixing what he did wrong, because he thinks it might destroy him to do it.

"Don't be afraid I will take the cold for you" The conscience renforces the fact that he should worry about what will happen because it can only get better and that he will help the person by "talking the cold" or helping him make the tough decisions that he needs to make.

"And i've had recurring nightmares That I was loved for who I am And missed the opportunity To be a better man" This is my favourite part of the song. I think it means that while the person wants to change and that he hated what he is and what way his life was, he wouldn't change what HAD happened because he knows now that he'll be a "better man" for it.

How can the lyrics be corrected? I have the BH&R lyric book right in front of me!