The inspiration for "Cog in the Machine" came from the classic idea of being part of a greater system and living under the inherent control of that system. In the classic 1927 move "Metropolis" our hero witnesses an accident at the factory where the workers are injured. He is also injured in the accident when he experiences a dream sequence where the factory workers are sacrificed to the machine. In the end, the workers revolt against the control of the city and destroy the very machines that keep them alive. But there is a price to be paid for their destruction. Even though the story of "Metropolis" is almost 100 years old, I believe there are many parallel ideas from the film that continue to exist in society today.
Lyrics
So
So long to what I want to believe
It's not the way I thought or how it seems to always know me
Better than I know myself
In a world where I awake
Say that you know my name
Say that you know my life my fears my
Say that you are the same
And now I see that
I am a cog in the machine
The wheel is turning in motion
As the gears spin around
and the teeth grind down to nothing left
Nothing left of me
Seen
Unseen and to which never ends
I realize that I am one of many came before me
All the way to when it began
Now I see where I stand