Muse – Mercy

General CommentThe meaning is fairly straightforward if you analyze it in the context of the other songs in the Drones album.

In Psycho and Dead Inside, the protagonist succumbs to the disillusionment that every human being goes through, becoming every bit as jaded and psychopathic as the modern world encourages him to be. In Dead Inside, the protagonist embraces his loss of innocence -- "Now I'm dead inside" and "You've taught me to [...] kill with no remorse" -- hardening himself and becoming a callous, unemphatic human being in order to survive. He was hurt in the past; now he'll hurt others. But he doesn't see it as hurting others -- he thinks he's doing other people a favour, by ridding them of their naivete the same way he lost his.

In these earlier songs, the message is that the rational thing to do while living in a psychopathic society is to become psychopaths ourselves -- it's how we adapt and survive, after all.

Mercy, however, offers us a moment of rebellious self-awareness -- the protagonist realizes that his strategy for survival is hurting him. "Help me, I've fallen on the inside" -- the person that he used to be, noble and hopeful and full of life and humanity, has been replaced by one who's disconnected and incapable of true human connection.

"I tried to infiltrate, but now I'm losing" -- He tried to be like the people who hurt him, but it isn't working because they'll always be better at it than him. They'll always be more jaded, more coldly rational, more psychopathic. Another line that alludes to this is "Men in cloaks always seem to run the show".

Moreover, I think there's a dual meaning to the hook. "Show me mercy" can be interpreted as the protagonist asking to be saved by someone who hasn't succumbed to the psychopathic system -- anyone who's still innocent, still noble, still untarnished. It's a common theme that jaded people are attracted to the innocent, precisely because they want to be saved from the callous way of life that they've created.

The dual meaning, however, is that he could also be asking for mercy in a spiritual sense. There's a few religious allusions in the song ("soul" and "absent gods"), and I think the protagonist is aware of the unfeeling things that he's done, aware of the part he's played in propagating the system -- and he's asking for forgiveness from a (possibly religious) authority figure for his sins.

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  @gne
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  @gne Hello its been sometime you've done this wonderful summary, i have to say its incredible. The first time i heard this song, without knowing anything about the album or the previous songs i felt this song speaks about misogyny and how the problems is deeply imbibed in society so much so that we don't seem to question it and accept its ways despite everything. To summarize i feel this is a woman seeking to breakaway from "the men in cloaks" and the masculine world. Once again thank you for your wonderful description, i hope you find my narrative interesting.

  Flag asim101920on October 10, 2016  

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  @gne I think muse has recently made their songs more obvious in order to grab our attention.

  Flag pollywallson August 13, 2017  

My InterpretationIt's about the radicals who abuse their powers by using their beliefs and choose to to impose new laws based off what THEY think. Your Westboros, KKK, and most religions come to mind with this.

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  @legitkhajiit

General CommentI think he wants mercy from brainwashing from the people in power or 'powers that be' because they have him surrounded are controlling almost every aspect of his life.

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  @jonjonwinny

General CommentIn the context of the other songs of the album being a sort of story, I think of this as a flashback sort of moment when the protagonist starts remembering what first lead them to be exposed to the...thing...that brainwashed them... Goddamit I was on a roll until all thought decided to leave... Sigh...

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  @carolines0

Song MeaningIt's about assisted suicide, but this time to get rid of MENTAL illness, I mean, the song mentioned a pile of different mental illnesses and references to mental health:
Men in cloaks: depression (as they seems like dementors)
Ghosts and shadows: hallucinations (maybe from schizophrenia, maybe from drugs withdrawal)
Eat my soul: Cottard syndrome (as he/she seems to be death in life)
Absent gods: psychosis ("if you talk to God you're religious, if he talks back you're psychotic")
Silent tyranny: paranoia (thinks he/she is being followed, the silent tyranny is the NWO representing the conspiracy theories)
We're going under, hypnotized by another puppeteer: prescription drugs that are given to the patient trying to help him/her, but they are doing more harm than good (antidepressants, Ritalin, Aderall, sedative drugs)
And the awaited rescue is indeed the death, maybe the person is paralytic, sedated, drugged or simply afraid and so that, can't commit suicide.
Well, that's my theory

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  @omar111836

General Comment To get the meaning of a song we first need to learn what words refer to. Anyway here is an interview for the song knights of cydonia "This song, like much of Black Holes and Revelations, is inspired by corrupt political leaders. Matthew Bellamy says its not about any specific leader, but all leaders. Evidence of this is shown in the lyrics, such as "I'll show you a 'god' who falls asleep on the job," referring to leaders who treat themselves like God because they have power." Therefore I think this song is based on politics and absent gods means world leaders. He means world leaders are actually puppets just like in the very much of this song.

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  @salih11158

General CommentIt's about assisted suicide, mercy killing.

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  @telecaster86