The album has political and sci-fi undertones, with the lyrics covering topics as varied as political corruption, alien invasion, New World Order conspiracies as well as more conventional love songs.
The album sold 115,144 copies in its first week in the UK, which was more than the first week sales of Muse's previous album, Absolution. The album is also a BPI double platinum album, and was nominated for a Mercury Prize. Five singles were released in the UK, of which three were released in the US. A world tour followed the release of the album that included dates in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and most of Europe and Asia.
Take a Bow
Muse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bring corruption to all that you touch
Hold, you'll behold
And beholden for all that you've done
And spell, cast a spell
And cast a spell on the country you run
And risk, you will risk
You will risk all their lives and their souls
And burn, you will burn
You will burn in hell
Yeah, you'll burn in hell
You'll burn in hell
Yeah, you'll burn in hell for your sins
Ooh, and our freedom's consuming itself
What we become is contrary to what we want
Take a bow
Death, you bring death
And destruction to all that you touch
Pay, you must pay
You must pay for your crimes against the earth
And Hex, feed the Hex
Feed the Hex on the country you love
And beg, you will beg
You will beg for their lives and their souls
And burn, you will burn
You will burn in hell
Yeah, you'll burn in hell
You'll burn in hell
Yeah, you'll burn in hell
You'll burn in hell
Yeah, you'll burn in hell for your sins
The lyrics of Muse's song "Take a Bow" are scathing admonishments of corrupt government leaders who bring destruction and chaos to the world. The song opens with the repetition of "corrupt," "bring corruption to all that you touch," suggesting that the main subject of the song is a person of immense power and influence whose actions have far-reaching consequences. The lyrics then move on to describe the actions of this individual, including casting spells and taking risks that endanger the lives and souls of others. The lyrics escalate in intensity, accusing this person of bringing death and destruction and committing crimes against the earth.
The chorus, "Take a bow," is a sarcastic gesture, suggesting that this person should revel in their own destruction and the suffering they have wrought. The final verse of the song is especially harsh, accusing this person of begging for the lives and souls of others, only to burn in hell for their actions. The lines "our freedom's consuming itself" and "what we become is contrary to what we want" are poignant reminders that the actions of this individual are not occurring in a vacuum but have wider implications for society.
Overall, "Take a Bow" is a powerful critique of corrupt leaders who use their power and influence to bring harm to the world. The lyrics pull no punches, delivering an impassioned plea for justice and accountability.
Line by Line Meaning
Corrupt
You are corrupt
You corrupt
You bring corruption everywhere you go
Bring corruption to all that you touch
Your influence spreads evil and deceit to everything and everyone linked to you
Hold
You hold power
You'll behold
One day you will have to face the consequences of your actions
And beholden for all that you've done
You will have to take responsibility for everything you have caused
And spell
You cast spells
Cast a spell
You manipulate and control others using your wicked ways
Cast a spell on the country you run
You corrupt and influence your own nation with your evil influence
And risk
You take risks
You will risk
You gamble with the lives and souls of others
You will risk all their lives and their souls
You are willing to endanger others for your own gain
And burn
You will burn
You will burn
You will be punished for your wickedness
You will burn in hell
You will suffer eternal damnation for your crimes
Yeah You'll burn in hell
There is no escaping the punishment you deserve
You'll burn in hell
Your fate is sealed
Yeah you'll burn in hell for your sins
Your sins have earned you a place in the afterlife of torment
An our freedom's consuming itself
Our desire for freedom is ultimately leading to our own destruction
What we become is contrary to what we want
Our actions often lead us away from achieving our desired goals
Take a bow
Accept responsibility for the destruction and chaos you have caused
Death
You bring death
You bring death
Your actions lead to the demise of others
And destruction to all that you touch
Everything you influence falls apart and crumbles
Pay
You must pay
You must pay
You have a debt to society that must be repaid
You must pay for you're crimes against the earth
You have committed crimes that have harmed the planet and its inhabitants
Hex
You cast hexes
Feed the hex
You continue to use your powers for evil
Feed the hex on the country you love
Even the nation you profess to love is not safe from your wickedness
Yeah and beg
You will beg
You will beg
You will plead for mercy
You will beg for their lives and their souls
You will beg for the safety and salvation of those you have harmed
Yeah and burn
You will burn
You will burn
You will suffer the consequences of your actions
You will burn in hell
Your punishment will be eternal
Yeah You'll burn in hell
You will pay for your sins forever
You'll burn in hell
You will suffer endlessly
Yeah You'll burn in hell
The weight of your actions will be felt for eternity
You'll burn in hell for all your sins
Every wrongdoing you have committed will be punished without mercy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Matt Bellamy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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