Illuminated lyrics

I feel it is a message in order to overcome fear and the un-known.

A. W. E. S. O. M. E!!! Don't be afraid of tomorrow,just take my hand.. I'll make it feel so much better tonight,theeeooo

This song has three phases of meaning to me.

The first verse describes how we hide from reality and delude ourselves into security "waste some time" "don't be afraid of tomorrow". Perhaps the last line of the first verse is a reference to how my generation uses sex as an escape from reality.

The second verse describes how the singer was hit with the harshness of reality - being exposed, bare, naked and uncovered to the blinding light of a destructive society and government.

The third verse is about how even though we know the truth, we continue to lie to ourselves, convincing ourselves that our world is not headed towards calamity at the hands of the irresponsible. It's suggested that we can move on from this delusion by admitting we, as a society (perhaps), or just ourselves, might be wrong, and that we should try to change; "come on, give it a try".

The last two verses to me mean that we understand the difficulty of the task ahead of us; we understand that our world is going to be harsh and punishing due to what we've inflicted upon it, perhaps what the global elite of the rich and powerful have convinced us into believing. But we've overcome the delusions and rather than being blinded, we are the blinders; when aware and informed, we are the destructive (to special interests, big business, the rich and the selfish etc) and we can defeat what stands in our way.

Perhaps the fact that the band is from manchester, one of the ex industrial areas of britain worst hit by successive neo-capitalist governments has coloured their views. The sense of environmental cataclysm, i suspect, might be a result of growing awareness that we are heading towards catastrophe, unless we change our ways.