Survival

Commenters here before me totally missed the point of these lyrics. If you've listened to even the most mainstream Muse songs, you'd know that these lyrics are sarcastic!

Life isn't a race. There's nothing to win. The only people that feel the need to reveal their strength to the whole human race are those people that want to control you. It's the same power hungry people that keep us in chains that think and act like this.

This song is awesome because it's an official Olympics 2012 song and everyone thinks it's a rah-rah "I'm gonna win!!" triumph of athletes song, but it isn't. It isn't at all. It's making fun of the people who think life is a race and they have to win, at all costs, at the expense of everyone else.

This song is genius. It's a message in disguise and hardly anyone will get it. Good job Muse, good job!

Don't forget to think about this song in context to the album. While I'm sure they happened to coincide with a message of strength for the Olympics, I think this song in context to the album is one of objectivism. "An economy based on unsustainable growth" and all that, this song must be the vantage point of someone who is clearly the one crashing it into the ground. Their selfish, competitive, capitalistic ideals are crashing the world into the ground. I really love it. I love Muse, man, their album themes are so beautiful. I thought things couldn't get any better than Resistance, but I was CLEARLY wrong.

That's just like continuation of Falling Down. They were the small band nobody listened to, but now they managed to be on top. And they don't plan to lose the "fight".

The good thing is that if you put it in the context of the album it can be about all the greedy people who are ready start a fire just to have more money and power and the fact that they'll beat everybody just to achieve their goals.

Nice comeback Muse!

According to Matt the song is about "trying to get into that mindset of being completely determined to win, doing it against all the odds, the conviction and the truth of just wanting to win. I wanted to tune into the competitiveness of it all."[1] It's about "total conviction and pure determination to win."

considering it was written for the Olympics (or at least heavily inspired by it) the lyrics need not be entirely complex. this song serves its purpose to inspire. great song and it subdued my fears of a heavy dub-stepped album. can never say a bad thing about matt's voice, too.

What are the background singers saying? It sounds like "Soul Life, Soul Life..."

And I won't forgive The vengeance is mine And I won't give in 'Cause I choose to strive

Sinister lyrics chosen for Olympics 2012.

I guess they were too late for V for Vendetta.

I agree with both statements. They are by far the worst lyrics Muse have ever had, but it doesn't really matter in the context. Muse have never had great lyrics anyway.

Also, I think it says "thrive" rather than "strive".

With this type of lyrics I could say Matt is able to think like an athlete and it well written for this event. Surely this will spark and lit up the will and determination of the Olympiads.

You silly haters The Olympics is a world event, an event for the masses. Would you expect Matt to write something like "When the Zetas fill the skies, it's just our leaders in disguise" or "Hex, feed the hex on the country you love"?

People, first Before Reading this, Play Survival Again. Then listen to Follow me, then Explorers. In that specific Order. THe only person above that is Close to the Meaning is LATCARF. Yes we all love Muse's sarcasm. The first part is all about ONE's CONFIDENCE. But he inputs a KEY WORDS before the CHORUS:

"I won't forgive Vengeance is mine And I won't give in Because I choose to fight Yeah, WE"RE gonna win"

WE"RE GONNA WIN. Implying if We, the world stepped up as a (MILLION ONE) instead of thinking that ONE PERSON must strive through the world alone kicking & Screaming & dying to get ahead.

MUSE IS implying WE STEP UP AS ONE People! Not u, Not i, WE...