Annotations for Recess

Lyric: And the planes and trains are to blame
 For tempting us to refrain
 And to cut the cord
 Dis every word of the truths absurd
Annotation:
This whole verse makes sense if you take a closer (and open) look at what he’s saying. It may be implying that the planes and trains, products of modern society (note that a cellphone could easily be used with this metaphor, but it seems that Matthew prefers to use older examples of human technological advance), to express his opinion on what started to make us refrain more than before. It’s kind of scaring and eerie how this lyric is written and even more sang by Bellamy.

Lyric: And you’ve kissed my life
Annotation:
How can you possibly kiss someone’s life? Either Matt was barely conscious to write something and wrote “kissed” instead of “missed” (or even misunderstood it at the recording sections) or he knows something we don’t.

Lyric: And you’ve missed my life
Annotation:
This line is dispensed of context or meaning since it doesn’t seem to fit any concept at all and by the fact that Bellamy consumed a high amount of mushrooms around that time.

Lyric: Awake to see you’re never here
Annotation:
Upon waking up from  resuscitation, he finds that no-one is there.  This is probably because they’ve given up on him, thinking he was dead (he resuscitated from seemingly inevitable death). Likewise, he “wakes” up from the veil he put himself under to realize that she was actually never around him – his own wishes blurred reality.

Lyric: Resuscitate in my sleep
Annotation:
To resuscitate is to revive from apparent death or unconsciousness.  This sets the story for the rest of the song – he resuscitates from apparent death in this case.

Lyric: And I wish
 I could believe there was more
 Hope suffocating
Annotation:
A continued reference to death: Matt believes that “when you die, that really is it,” but he wishes he could believe that there was more beyond that for comfort.  His hopes are suffocating (dying) because he only  wishes he could believe that there was more, but he doesn’t in reality – he has already accepted the fate. This is a near-death situation where he isn’t ready to die.

Lyric: Face your hopes and fears
Annotation:
Even  Muse’s official website says that this lyric is “facing hopes and fears”, but if you listen more closely to any version (live or studio) you can hear that it’s “face your…”. It makes sense too – the goal is to face and accept coming death, your  own personal ending. You have to face your reality, because nobody will do it for you.

