Ignoreland

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of societal decay and disillusionment, where power is seized by "bastards" who exploit past divisions. There's a sense of a "downhill slide into abysmal" where "virtuous and true" things are wrecked. The narrator feels lost, like a "lost lamb off the precipice," swept into a system that benefits the few through "trickle down" economics. The repeated phrase "us v. them years" points to a history of manufactured conflict that continues to fuel the present. The core tension lies in the narrator's profound frustration with a media-driven, politically charged environment that feels manipulative and dishonest. The "information nation" is fed "sound-bite gluttons," and the media is "terrified to report" anything outside a narrow, controlled narrative. This leads to a feeling of being overwhelmed and angry, culminating in the repeated, almost desperate, refrain of "Ignoreland." A striking element is the cyclical nature of the "1979" references, juxtaposed with later years like "1980, '84, '88, '92." This suggests a recurring pattern of political and social manipulation that began in a specific era and continues to echo. The lyrics also highlight a performative aspect of power, with figures described as "brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready," embodying a "super U.S. citizen" facade while engaging in "mega ultra power-dosing." Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics stems from their raw, unfiltered expression of anger and helplessness. The narrator acknowledges their own output as "vitriol" and "spleen-venting," but finds catharsis in screaming it out. The repeated "defense, defense, defense, defense" suggests a defensive posture against an overwhelming, perhaps unseen, enemy. The final lines, "If they wasn't there we would have created them / But I'm resentful all the same," capture a complex resentment, a need to assign blame even when the target might be self-created or illusory.