Annotations for Unnatural Selection

Lyric: The lucky don’t share at all
Annotation:
This relates to how some are born into wealth and power, and choose to hold onto their riches instead of spreading it to better society

Lyric: No religion or mind virus
Annotation:
Likens religion to a mind virus in its shared tendency to disparage scientific reasoning (“facts”) in favour of a biased agenda. Furthermore, viruses are usually contagious which means that their influence is increasingly widespread and detrimental.

Lyric: Is this the end of destruction and rampage?
Annotation:
Could be a reference to ending something oppressive and then becoming the oppression for example animal farm

Lyric: Try to ride out the storm
 Whilst they’ll make you believe
 That they are the special ones
 (We have not been chosen)
Annotation:
‘ Riding out the storm’ means succeeding to not be harmed by a situation: Matt says that while the ‘not chosen’ (the common people) are busy facing daily problems (presumably of economic nature, given  The Resistance was inspired by the 2007 economic crisis), the ‘chosen ones’ are eager to keep their position, trying to convince the people they are there for a reason. It’s a harsh criticism to social inequalities and immobility.

Lyric: Counter balance this commotion
 We’re not droplets in the ocean
 Ocean
Annotation:
Taken individually we can feel we are just meaningless droplets, but together we  are the ocean: this line is a call to action similar to the one in  “Uprising”: We have to unify and watch our flag ascend. In another interpretation, on the opposite, Matt reminds us that we don’t have to be useless drops of water that are only significant in larger numbers, we are individuals, and we ourselves can stand up.

Lyric: Just make sure that you are looking out for number one
Annotation:
The rich and powerful don’t give a damn about anyone except themselves, as Matt puts in a very sarcastic manner.

Lyric: Is there a hope that the facts will ever find us?
Annotation:
A sarcastic critic to the reliability of media: of course those in power have a lot of control over information, so Bellamy is stating there is a ton of false information and other sorts of manipulation out there, attempting to keep us away from truth. This is a recurrent theme in Muse songs, such as  “Uprising”: And endless red tape to keep the truth confined

Lyric: Another chance to erase it then repeat it again
Annotation:
Matt may be referencing George Orwell’s famous novel  1984 in which the Ministry of Truth constantly rewrites and falsifies historical events in order to maintain the illusion that the Party never changes its mind nor makes mistakes.  Alternatively, the line attributes society’s misdoings to its inability to address prior mistakes; causing it to inevitably make the same errors. The underlying message is that we need to learn once and for all so that we don’t fall into the same mistakes.

Lyric: They’ll laugh as they watch us fall
 The lucky don’t care at all
 No chance for fate
 It’s unnatural selection
 I want the truth
Annotation:
This song’s a criticism of the extremely rich and their apathy and even disdain for everyone beneath them. Matt, being both the conspiracy theorist and activist, believes that the wealthy are making an effort to keep everyone below them down, and is using this song as a medium to call for action.

Lyric: I am hungry for some unrest
 I want to push it beyond a peaceful protest
 I wanna speak in a language that they’ll understand
Annotation:
An individual who is tired of being unheard and wishes to take the protest beyond a peaceful state in order to catch the attention of the enemy; this is what he means by “speak[ing] in a language that they’ll understand” with violence being the enemy’s “language”.

