Thoughts of a Dying Atheist (song)
| Muse song | |
|---|---|
| Name | Thoughts of a Dying Atheist |
| Album/single |
|
| Length | 3:11 |
| Alternative titles | Scaring Me |
| First live performance | 3rd September 2003 |
| Latest live performance | 7th May 2005 |
| Recorded | Grouse Lodge and Air Studios, London, 2003 |
| Writer/composer | Matthew Bellamy |
| Producer | Rich Costey |
| Song Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endlessly | < | Thoughts of a Dying Atheist | > | Ruled by Secrecy |
| Album Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hullabaloo (2002) | < | Absolution (2003) | > | Black Holes and Revelations (2006) |
Description
Another song where Bellamy is in character, dealing with his atheism. As the title suggests, it concerns the thoughts of a dying atheist, who is scared because he does not believe in heaven or hell or any postmortem plane of existence. Now, at the moment of his death, he must face the disheartening non existence he had come to believe in.
The song also underlines Matthew's belief in real things who can not be seen, the rare feeling some people have as if (passed away) people are around them (and trying to talk to them) "I know you're in this room, I'm sure I heard you sigh" Does his early-ghost-talk-days come out in this song?
Just before the bridge, at 2:04, Wolstenholme can be heard jumping into the pool at Grouse Lodge recording studio as Howard hits his cymbals.[1]
Matthew Bellamy's definition of Thoughts of a Dying Atheist
"Songs like Thoughts of a Dying Atheist, sing about the idea of trying to maintain an atheist belief whilst trying to deal with the idea of life after death at the same time, is a very difficult thing to do I think."[2]
Live
Though a very rare song live today, Thoughts of a Dying Atheist was performed rather often on the Absolution tour. 2003 in particular featured Thoughts of a Dying Atheist in the vast majority of setlists, only skipping promotional dates and no full gigs. Several pro-shots from 2003 exist as a result. Apart from the first gig of the year, Thoughts of a Dying Atheist was played at every non-promotional concert in January and February 2004, though it was dropped from setlists for March 2004.
Trivia
Thoughts of a Dying Atheist was once a working title for Megalomania.
Lyrics
Eerie whispers trapped beneath my pillow
Won't let me sleep, your memories And I know you're in this room, I'm sure I heard you sigh Floating in between where our worlds collide
Scares the hell out of me And the end is all I can see And it scares the hell out of me And the end is all I can see Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, whoa
And I know the moment's near And there's nothing we can do Look through a faithless eye Are you afraid to die?
‘Cause it scares the hell out of me And the end is all I can see And it scares the hell out of me And the end is all I can see Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, whoa
And it scares the hell out of me And the end is all I can see And it scares the hell out of me And the end is all I can see Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, whoa
References
- ↑ Sound on Sound 200412
- ↑ Edge 103.9 Absolution Documentary
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