I think this song is about the double edged sword “advances” in society and technology can be. The most obvious example in the song is nuclear research.
It starts out with the excitement of an accomplishment:
"Look at the light we're giving you, And the darkness we're saving you from."
They had harnessed a renewable, clean, seemingly endless supply of energy. This was going to end our dependence on fossil fuel. The world’s dependence on non renewable resources was over!
Then comes the realization:
"Now we've built it, now it's ticking"
The narrator is trying to protest continued research because it has become apparent this development could be the end of mankind. She is attempting to “put the atom back together”, or to undo what the splitting of the atom has done.
I think this song is about the double edged sword “advances” in society and technology can be. The most obvious example in the song is nuclear research.
It starts out with the excitement of an accomplishment: "Look at the light we're giving you, And the darkness we're saving you from."
They had harnessed a renewable, clean, seemingly endless supply of energy. This was going to end our dependence on fossil fuel. The world’s dependence on non renewable resources was over!
Then comes the realization: "Now we've built it, now it's ticking" The narrator is trying to protest continued research because it has become apparent this development could be the end of mankind. She is attempting to “put the atom back together”, or to undo what the splitting of the atom has done.