What does Stockholm Syndrome mean?

Muse: Stockholm Syndrome Meaning

Album cover for Stockholm Syndrome album cover

Stockholm Syndrome Lyrics


I won't stand in your way
let your hatred grow
and she'll scream
and she'll shout
and she'll pray
and she had a name
yeah she had a name

and I won't hold you back
let your anger rise
and we'll fly
and we'll fall
and we'll burn
no...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    May 27th 2008 !⃝

    Cha, clearly it is about someone who feels trapped in a relationship and Matt is using the term Stockholm Syndrome as a metaphor for how he feels; that the one he wants to escape is someone he has grown to love, but there's something that has made him feel he needs to get out of the relationship; so he is trapped

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Aug 5th 2006 !⃝

    I don't agree with the first poster. I don't think it's that literal. I think it's more about being in a relationship where you feel trapped, but you can't let go, so you have to stay together, even though sometimes you can't stand it.

    That's my theory, anyway :)

  3. anonymous
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    Jul 16th 2021 !⃝

    Not sure if this comment thread is still active but I recently re-discovered this song after having to break up with a BPD-NPD exgf and the way the lyrics are written make ALOT of sense to me immediately. Pretty much everything you try to do makes someone dealing with that type of mental illness feel abandoned. They always keep bringing you back in though because you feel guilty. It's codependency. You need them as much as they need you but in a very destructive way. Hard to explain unless you've been in that situation. In my case it lasted 6 years and I always wanted to help but nothing ever makes it better. At the end of the day it is killing your soul.

  4. anonymous
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    Nov 11th 2012 !⃝

    Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological mental cage that can tie the hostage to their captor in loyalty, or in any sort of attachment. In this song, the song is sung from the captor's point of view. Also, in the MuseWiki, when the chorus is played backwards it sound like:

    "You can't see me, we sneak off. I lost to love. Please ... save the night wind and high above, I lost to love. Sing, save"

    This means, that ultimately the captor fell in love with his hostage. And even though it's supposed to be about a hostage and an abusive relationship, the fact that he says 'last time', means that their relationship is slowly becoming something other than a mere psychological response.

    In some way, you can say the singers perspective is something to 'Lima Syndrome'.

  5. anonymous
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    Jun 21st 2012 !⃝

    I think the meanings are a combination of being trapped in a relationship and the real stockholm syndrome. Stockholm Syndrome is an actual psychological thing, in which the hostages express empathy towards the captors. This is definitely a bad thing, as hostages aren't allowed to feel sorry for anyone or they will get caught in their feelings and not get the job done. Therefore, they feel TRAPPED between their duties and feelings, unable to decide which one is best to follow. The part "and we'll love, and we'll hate and we'll die, all to no avail, all to no avail" means that it won't matter how much feelings they (the hostage and the captor) show, they won't get anywhere as it's "forbidden love". and the part "I wish I could" means that the hostage/captor wishes to forget the other person so they could move on.

    that's what I think anyway :)

  6. anonymous
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    Dec 1st 2011 !⃝

    Guys .. You're so busy at thinking .. The title is the title for a reason .

  7. anonymous
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    Apr 21st 2009 !⃝

    It's either about 1) a person [most likely a woman] who's in an abusive relationship but cannot leave because she loves the person so much despite the risk 2) a person who has Stockholm syndrome

  8. anonymous
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    Mar 9th 2009 !⃝

    Yeah I agree with the first post that it's about a guy who's trapped by a relationship and he wants out but he can't for some reason

  9. anonymous
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    Feb 1st 2009 !⃝

    Here's what I think:

    A man feels trapped in a relationship by, let's say, his girlfriend. After trying to ditch her, he realizes what he's done and is now ready to commit his time to her.

    My short and simple interpretation.

  10. anonymous
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    Jul 17th 2008 !⃝

    I find its neither of the 1st or 2nd persons, its obviously about the kidnappers feelings after letting the woman he kidnapped go he wants her to forget him yet its impossible its a love that will never work. I'm guessing metaphorically he's talking about how he broke up with someone and they won't let go no matter how much he tries to make them forget him.

  11. franke86
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    Jul 5th 2008 !⃝

    I don't know what the song means but I do know that the album absolution is based on a theme of the end of the world (according to Mathew Bellamy) so interpret from that.

  12. Tlk2themaninchrj
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    Aug 10th 2007 !⃝

    Ok Stockholm Syndrome is a syndrome a Swedish writer wrote about. It's when someone his taken hostage and eventually the victim admires or falls in love with the captor.

    Stockholm is a place in Sweden where a bank robbery took place and there was a big kidnapping of a group of people in the bank. Some of the victims were said to start to admire, look up to, or fall in love the captor after a long period of time. That's were the term came from.

  13. anonymous
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    Jul 13th 2007 !⃝

    Look it up. Stockholm Syndrome happens a lot to hostages. They eventually become somewhat attacked to the people who kidnapped them. Look it up

  14. anonymous
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    Jul 2nd 2007 !⃝

    I agree with the second poster, those who don't I think you're just taking the lyrics too literally

  15. anonymous
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    Jun 2nd 2007 !⃝

    I don't think that it is so literal as you might think.. Matthew isn't that kind of writer. but it's about someone being trapped in a love "prison"

    "this is the last time I'll abandon you
    and this is the last time I'll forget you
    I wish I could " (he'll stay there with her always but don't want to imprison her. but he must)

    It's about kidnapping but in some greater way than what we can come up with.

  16. InsultToInjury
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    Feb 19th 2007 !⃝

    Why isn't about someone actually captured? In my opinion the "she" is a hostage who is in love with the captor but the captor isn't in love with her. Yadda yadda. Then he kills her =) Well if you listen to it and think of my short yet simple theory it might make sense.

  17. anonymous
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    Jan 29th 2007 !⃝

    i prefer to agree with the second poster, because (a) how could this song have any relevance/relatability if it's about literally being captured? and (b) I think it's kind of cool. :)

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