The Temper Trap is an indie rock band which formed in 2005 in Melbourne, Au… Read Full Bio ↴The Temper Trap is an indie rock band which formed in 2005 in Melbourne, Australia. Now based in London, the band consists of Dougy Mandagi (vocals, guitar), Jonathon Aherne (bass), Toby Dundas (drums) and Joseph Greer (keyboards, guitar).

In October 2013, an official statement confirmed that lead guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto parted ways with the band

The Temper Trap's debut album, Conditions, was released in 2009 and contains the singles Sweet Disposition, Fader, Love Lost and Science of Fear. Sweet Disposition became an international hit after appearing in the film “(500) Days of Summer”, reaching the Top 20 in multiple countries. Sweet Disposition also appeared on "Greek".

The band's self-titled second album was released in 2012, spawning the singles Need Your Love and Trembling Hands. The album debuted at #1 in Australia and has garnered positive reviews from around the globe.

The title track from the band's third studio album, Thick as Thieves. was released as its lead single in February and peaked at number 92 in Australia. On 11 April 2016, the band released the second single, "Fall Together", the same day the album was officially announced on their Facebook page. The album was released on 10 June 2016, marking their first release in four years.

In May 2018, The Temper Trap supported American rock band Imagine Dragons on the Australian and New Zealand legs of their Evolve World Tour. This included performances in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, and Wellington.

Science Of Fear
The Temper Trap Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Brakes on
Brakes on
The car is running empty
Brakes on, brakes on
The car is runnin' empty
Downhill
Head on
This crash is comin' slowly

Downhill
Head on
This crash is comin' slowly
Move
Or watch the slow death of your way of life

There's a science to fear
It plagues my mind
And it keeps us right here
And it keeps us here

My ears
My eyes
My brain is slowly bustin'
Black smoke
Red sky
The television's sayin'
Downhill
Head on another crash is comin'
Downhill
Head on another crash is comin'
Move
Or watch the murder of your way of life

There's a science to fear
It plagues my mind
And it keeps us right here
And the less we know
The more we sit still
My baby's stuck on a road
That leads to nowhere
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere, nowhere

Brakes on
Brakes on
Brakes on
Brakes on
Brakes on
There's a science to fear
It plagues my mind
And it keeps us right here
And the less we know
The more we sit still, sit still
My baby's stuck on a road

That leads to nowhere
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere, nowhere

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Temper Trap's song 'Science of Fear' discuss the fear of the unknown and the dangers of keeping still in the face of impending disaster. The repetition of the phrase 'brakes on' reflects a sense of being stuck or trapped. The car that is 'running empty' and moving 'downhill' towards a crash signifies a society that is deteriorating without any real change or direction. The use of the metaphor 'slow death of your way of life' implies that people are dying on the inside, losing their sense of purpose and direction.

The lyrics go on to describe various sensory experiences, such as the singer's ears and eyes hurting and the sky turning red, indicating that something catastrophic is about to happen. The repetition of 'head on' reinforces the message that the disaster is unavoidable. The line 'And the less we know, the more we sit still' highlights the danger of not having enough information and the reluctance to take action.

Overall, 'Science of Fear' is a commentary on the human condition and the perils of inaction. The lyrics suggest that fear can be a paralyzing force, but the only solution is to face it head-on and take decisive action.

Line by Line Meaning

Brakes on
The singer wants to slow down and prevent something bad from happening.

Brakes on
The singer repeats the previous line for emphasis.

The car is running empty
The situation is not sustainable and will lead to a bad outcome if not addressed.

Brakes on, brakes on
The artist continues to urge caution.

Downhill
The situation is getting worse and there is little time to stop it.

Head on
The situation will collide with reality and have a major impact.

This crash is comin' slowly
The situation will not happen suddenly, but gradually build up to a breaking point.

Move
The artist urges action to avoid a bad outcome.

Or watch the slow death of your way of life
If no action is taken, the current way of life will slowly deteriorate and die off.

There's a science to fear
Fear is not just an emotion, but something that can be studied and understood.

It plagues my mind
The singer is experiencing a lot of fear and anxiety.

And it keeps us right here
Fear can be paralyzing and prevent people from taking action.

My ears
The singer is paying close attention to what's happening around them.

My eyes
The singer is watching for signs of danger.

My brain is slowly bustin'
The singer is under a lot of stress and pressure.

Black smoke
Something bad is happening or about to happen.

Red sky
The situation is becoming more dire.

The television's sayin'
The singer is getting information from the media about what's happening.

Downhill
The situation continues to deteriorate.

Head on another crash is comin'
Another major event is about to happen and the artist can't stop it.

Move
The artist still urges action to prevent the worst outcome.

Or watch the murder of your way of life
If no action is taken, the current way of life will be destroyed and replaced by something worse.

And the less we know
The less informed we are about the situation, the worse it will be.

The more we sit still
If we don't take action, we will be stuck and unable to stop the bad outcome.

My baby's stuck on a road
The singer is worried about someone they care about who is in a bad situation.

That leads to nowhere
The situation has no good outcome or resolution.

There's a science to fear
The singer repeats the same line to emphasize the importance of fear in the situation.

It plagues my mind
The artist is consumed by fear and anxiety about what's happening.

And it keeps us right here
Fear is preventing people from taking action and making the situation worse.

And the less we know
The same line is repeated to reiterate how important knowledge is in resolving the situation.

The more we sit still, sit still
If no action is taken, the situation will only get worse and people will be stuck.

My baby's stuck on a road
The same line is repeated to emphasize the artist's concern for someone they care about.

That leads to nowhere, nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
The situation is hopeless and there seems to be no way out.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ABBY MANDAGI, JONATHAN DAVID AHERNE, LORENZO SILLITO, TOBIAS JAMES DUNDAS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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