This one seems pretty self-explanatory to me. It's about social control and the systems that keep us from fully experiencing life. "the opiate of the masses" is Karl Marx's description of religion. It means that it keeps people passive. The same is true of blind consumerism and retail therapy. We feel a lack of authentic experience in our lives because we live within these systems of pacification. He's basically saying that we're all guilty of it. We willingly buy into religion, consumer culture, believing what we're told to believe. So is it any wonder that our lives lack any true meaning? This song is a wakeup call and it's probably my favorite on the album.
This one seems pretty self-explanatory to me. It's about social control and the systems that keep us from fully experiencing life. "the opiate of the masses" is Karl Marx's description of religion. It means that it keeps people passive. The same is true of blind consumerism and retail therapy. We feel a lack of authentic experience in our lives because we live within these systems of pacification. He's basically saying that we're all guilty of it. We willingly buy into religion, consumer culture, believing what we're told to believe. So is it any wonder that our lives lack any true meaning? This song is a wakeup call and it's probably my favorite on the album.