Unsustainable
Muse Lyrics
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In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system increases.
Energy continuously flows from being concentrated to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless.
New energy cannot be created and high grade energy is being destroyed.
An economy based on endless growth is unsustainable
Unsu-
Unsustain, unsustain, unsu-
Unsustainer, unsustainer
Unsu-
Unsustain, unsustain, unsu-
Uns, uns
You're unsustainable
Unsustainer, unsustainer, -sustainer
The fundamental laws of thermodynamics will place fixed limits on technological innovation and human advancement.
In an isolated system, the entropy can only increase.
A species set on endless growth is unsustainable
Unsu-
Unsustain, unsustain, unsu-
Uns, uns
Unsustainer, unsustainer
Unsu-
Unsustain, unsustain, unsu-
Uns, uns
You're unsustainable
The song Unsustainable by Muse is a thought-provoking commentary on the consequences of human advancement and the unsustainability of an economy based on endless growth. The lyrics reflect on the fundamental laws of thermodynamics, which dictate that all natural and technological processes eventually lead to a decrease in available energy. The concept of entropy is also referenced, which states that in all energy exchanges, the entropy of an isolated system can only increase. Thus, energy is continuously flowing from concentrated to dispersed, resulting in waste and uselessness. High-grade energy is also being destroyed, and new energy cannot be created.
The song is a critical message that an economy based on endless growth is unsustainable and that the laws of thermodynamics place fixed limits on technological innovation and human advancement. The lyrics suggest that a species set on endless growth will ultimately lead to its own destruction. The use of repetition in the chorus emphasizes the unsustainability of our current path and warns of the dire consequences of continuing on this unsustainable path.
Line by Line Meaning
All natural and technological processes proceed in such a way that the availability of the remaining energy decreases.
Energy depletes over time as natural and technological processes occur.
In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves an isolated system, the entropy of that system increases.
A system will inevitably become more disordered without a constant input of energy.
Energy continuously flows from being concentrated to becoming dispersed, spread out, wasted, and useless.
Energy will inevitably become more dispersed and less concentrated over time, resulting in waste.
New energy cannot be created and high-grade energy is being destroyed.
The amount of energy available will always be limited, and the energy that we use is being depleted.
An economy based on endless growth is unsustainable
A society that is focused solely on constant economic growth is not sustainable in the long run.
Unsustainer, unsustainer, -sustainer
The idea of continued growth and advancement is not sustainable.
The fundamental laws of thermodynamics will place fixed limits on technological innovation and human advancement.
There are inherent limits to what humans can achieve, and these limits are set by the laws of thermodynamics.
In an isolated system, the entropy can only increase.
Without external input, an isolated system will inevitably become more disordered.
A species set on endless growth is unsustainable
A species that focuses solely on constant growth and advancement will not be able to sustain itself in the long run.
You're unsustainable
Continuing on this path of unsustainable growth is not feasible or desirable.
Contributed by Gavin W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cakeless Coder
KajurinP haha had almost the same thing happen to me! I'm still in school, and my science teacher is like "has anyone heard of the second law of thermodynamics?"
everyone who listens to muse puts hand up, with a combined laugh in relisation that we have been prepared
teacher: "so, outline it for us (thinks we have no clue)"
us: the 2nd law of thermodynamics is basically that the entropy of a system can only increase"
teacher: "yeah, that's about it (annoyed that we knew)"
mind you, we still do basic stuff, no fancy specialised physics here (although I wish we did)
ChordHouse
I started hating this song, now is one of my favorites, music and lyrics ( the msg of the song is so truth and reflects a lot about or current system and way of life ) are so powerful, they nailed it with this song!!
Alvaro DCN
+Ivan González Same do I
PeepsILoveEllie
+Ivan González so truth such truth much truth
jakesnjake
+AweMire yawn, this song sucks
Kristin S
That last line "you're unsustainable" is FANTASTIC. Because it's easy to sit back and say "OOH humanity is so bad" but this line tells you that YOU are also part of the problem. And then the music cuts off and you are left with this lingering unsettling feeling. This song is ridiculously underrated.
Mezzanine
Kristin S fucking insightful, not forced at all nor unintentionally hilarious. Absolutely.
Myotic Tesseract
And then it leads into Isolated System.
Think
Mirrored by the fantastic intro. Musically brilliant.
r g
When is that line?
King Dave
this song is with 8 mil clicks way too overrated because it sounds shit. A good song is supposed to sound well. The message is good though.