 The lyrical themes on the album explore a variety of subjects, from nuclear holocaust ("Set the World Afire") to revisionism and censorship ("Hook in Mouth"). Still, the majority of the songs are accompanied by the same sentiment of disillusion and nihilism as their previous two albums. Unlike traditional topics related to heavy metal music, the song "In My Darkest Hour" contains emotional lyrics which deal with loneliness and isolation. Dave Mustaine revealed that he tried to write about subject matters that were in touch with reality, including social issues and taboo topics. The lyrics on Megadeth's cover of "Anarchy in the U.K." were slightly mistaken because Mustaine claimed he had heard them incorrectly.
