Annotations for Resistance

Lyric: Hold me
 Our lips must always be sealed
Annotation:
He wants from the significant other not to let him go. Lips being sealed can be interpreted in two ways: one, they should be always ‘that’ close and two, they should never utter a word to anybody about each other. In  1984, they have to ‘keep their lips sealed’ i.e. keep their romance a secret, as love is considered a crime in the novel’s world. If the government found out about them, they would be punished, as specified in the verses.

Lyric: The night has reached its end
 We can’t pretend
 We must run
 We must run
 It’s time to run
 Take us away from here
 Protect us from further harm
 Resistance
Annotation:
Metaphorically, it’s at night when we are safe, when we can do secret things. When the night ends, everybody can see us, so “we can’t pretend”. The only thing we can do is to run, and think that someone or something will save us. As this song and the whole album are influenced by  1984, we all know (spoiler alert!) that although they run and ask to be saved, they won’t be protected from harm.

Lyric: If we live a life in fear
 I’ll wait a thousand years
 Just to see you smile again
Annotation:
In Orwell’s 1984, Winston and Julia cannot show any public signs of their relationship lest it be discovered by the Party; even a stray smile from Julia in public could lead to discovery and torture at the hands of the Party.

Lyric: (It could be wrong, could be wrong) It can never last
 (It could be wrong, could be wrong) Must erase it fast
 (It could be wrong, could be wrong) But it could have been right
 (It could be wrong, could be—)
Annotation:
Winston and Julia are surely going to be arrested by the Ministry of Love for their secret love. They are bound to be broken apart. They cannot have a romantic relationship in the world of “1984”, where love is a crime, like we who live in a normal world and expect love to last forever. Any evidence of Winston and Julia meeting in secret and having a love affair must be concealed or erased.

Lyric: Kill your prayers for love and peace
 You’ll wake the Thought Police
 We can’t hide the truth inside
Annotation:
George Orwell’s  1984 contains a secret police known as the ‘Thought Police’ whose job was to prevent ‘thinkcrime’, more commonly ‘thoughtcrime’, which was simply any thought or action the totalitarian English Socialism, more commonly ‘Ingsoc’, Party did not approve of, such of love or political interest. Orwell described your only free space as “the few cubic inches inside your skull”, which is the only place what one would consider ‘the truth’ could be hidden. In this case, and throughout the album, Bellamy compares life in today’s capitalist world as very similar to Orwell’s dystopian Oceania, Eastasia or of course,  Eurasia. It’s important to notice that Bellamy isn’t an outright anti-capitalist (he  defined himself as a left-leaning libertarian), although  The Resistance as an album undoubtedly has themes against the wealthy and the privileged.  In addition, in a clever wordplay Bellamy mentions here three of the orwellian ministries: Love, Peace and Truth.

Lyric: Love is our resistance
Annotation:
Winston is a diligent worker for the Party while Julia appears a fervent advocate for the Party’s activities and doctrines, but secretly they hate the Party and dream to rebel. Love, a crime in Oceania, is an act of rebellion against the Party, showing that they do not believe in the Party’s lies to control its people. Julia also makes clear that showing her affection for Winston is a highly effective form of protesting against the Party’s disapproval of sexual relationships.

Lyric: (It could be wrong, could be wrong) Are we digging a hole?
 (It could be wrong, could be wrong) This is out of control
Annotation:
As party members, to have a love affair is a serious crime. They are eventually going to get caught and tortured to death in the Ministry of Love (which oversees brainwashing and torture). It’s only a matter of time. Winston and Julia are digging their own graves to fall in love, but they can’t control their love and desire.

Lyric: (It could be wrong, could be wrong) But it should have been right
 (It could be wrong, could be wrong) To let our hearts ignite
Annotation:
It should have been okay for us to fall in love, but it’s too dangerous in the oppressive world we live in. In  1984, passion and love are considered forms of censored thought that would have been punished. They should have the freedom to love each other, but they do not.  This might also be referencing  1984’s “ doublethink”. In Orwell’s words: Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.

Lyric: Or will the walls start caving in?
Annotation:
If a ceiling, roof or other structure caves in, it breaks and falls into the space below. This is just figuratively implying their worries that their hiding place may be exposed and they may get arrested for romantic love, which is a crime in the world of “1984”.

Lyric: Is our secret safe tonight?
 And are we out of sight?
 Or will our world come tumbling down?
 Will they find our hiding place?
 Is this our last embrace?
Annotation:
In  1984, Winston and Julia have a secret rendezvous in a rented room of an antique shop, where there are no “telescreens” for surveillance such that their secret love affair may be hidden from the authorities. They live in fear that the Party may find out about their love and have them punished.

