The Nerve

this song has the best lyrics MM has ever done...ever. blows any other lyrics they've written outta the water. foooo' real

This song talks about how the world is deceitful and we should turn our eyes to God who showed us love and Jesus who shed His blood for us.

I completely agree with lyinkz, but I think it also means that the world was on the right path...whether that is salvation or not is up to you...and that now it is going against everything that made it great and falling into hubristic and corruptious ways. (no I don't think corruptious is a word) The world is being corrupted by the media: "Can you believe this world's just a television blaring, a million devils at once?" and that the world knows it is in trouble but it wants to keep its problem underground for as long as possible and just pretend that everything is...well...just dandy.

I can't really be sure about the meaning of this song 100%, but I am positive that this song has no religious undertones to it. This band fought pretty hard to shake the whole christian rock label and just be appreciated for it's music.

I think it may not strictly be religious, and the band certainly has tried to "shake the whole christian rock label," but that's strictly the genre. It doesn't mean they lost their spiritualness. There is a difference in not wanting to be considered a "Christian" rock band and still believing in God and spirituality and allowing that to show through in your lyrics, which is what I think they do.

Instrumentally a fast and dark song, lyrically a powerful statement. I think the world = the big bureaucratic corporation. With this song they are joining in line with bands/people like Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Bob dylan, Bjork and so on, fighting for a better world. "Set it on fire" sounds like a call for revolution, like V in V for Vendetta blows up the parlement with fireworks, waking up the people bound. Ofcourse the link to christianity is obvious since Paul Meany grew up as a christian.... but the lyrics sound more like a song out of the 60's. Perhaps an outlet for all the frustration Mute Math had to take in the whole process.

Cheers

Regardless of any religious undertones, this song fucking rules. I take it to mean that we're in a regression period and many of us are losing hope and just giving up. It's sort of a kick in the ass, saying "Wake up, world!" type of thing, in my opinion. Great!

I'd like to point out that the lyrics are incorrect, it should be "Can you believe this world's like a glassy eyed swimmer caught sipping another one?"

I immediately thought of John Cheever's short story "The Swimmer", which tells about a swimmer (originally meant to represent Narcissus) who decides he can get home from a party by swimming through all his suburban neighbor's pools, accepting a drink from each as he goes on. his neighbors aren't who he thought they were, his old mistress rejects him, and in the end he is tired and cold, and it's storming - he comes to his home, which is locked, and he realizes...it's empty. It's a nightmarish, surreal description of american life. i think this knowledge...makes that line a whole lot more powerful. I do think they are referencing the story in this song. :)