Editing Countdown to Extinction (section)

==Lyrics==
Like its predecessor, many of the songs on the album have political and military undertones.{{sfn|Harrison|2011|p=60}} However, the opening track "Skin o' My Teeth" was speculated being about suicide,{{sfn|Arnett|1996|p=49}} a theme which differs from the rest of the album.
"[[Symphony of Destruction]]", with lyrics written by [[Dave Mustaine]] inspired in part by the movie [[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|The Manchurian Candidate]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/megadeths-dave-mustaine-my-life-in-15-songs-118539/symphony-of-destruction-106619/ | title=Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: My Life in 15 Songs | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=11 January 2017 }}</ref> details a story about a regular citizen as the head of a puppet regime, as the country is run by a phantom government.<ref name="Loudwire">{{cite web|url=http://loudwire.com/best-megadeth-songs/|title=10 Best Megadeth Songs|work=[[Loudwire]]|first=Graham|last=Hartmann|date=13 September 2012 |access-date=30 September 2012|archive-date=19 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919182818/http://loudwire.com/best-megadeth-songs/|url-status=live}}</ref> The song was noted by critics for its great social and philosophical impact.<ref name="Ultimate Rock"/> "Architecture of Aggression" explores the nature of global conflict;{{sfn|Barelian|2005|p=1959}} Mustaine revealed that the song was about former Iraq president [[Saddam Hussein]], who was engaged in the [[Gulf War]] at the time.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rene|first=Sheila|title=Sodom and Gomorra|url=http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/interviews_highway1995.html|work=Highway666.com|publisher=Rockmetal.art.pl|year=1995|access-date=November 5, 2013|archive-date=May 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511045321/http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/interviews_highway1995.html|url-status=live}}</ref> "Foreclosure of a Dream" deals with economic concerns and social inequality. According to music critic Eduardo Rivaldivia, "perhaps no other Megadeth song in history deals as directly and soberly" with these issues.<ref name="Ultimate Rock">{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/megadeth-songs/|title=10 Best Megadeth Songs|publisher=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|first=Eduardo|last=Rivaldivia|access-date=30 September 2012|archive-date=15 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915075238/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/megadeth-songs/|url-status=live}}</ref> The song sampled then-U.S. president [[George H. W. Bush]]'s infamous "[[Read my lips: no new taxes|Read my lips]]" speech, making a statement about taxation endangering the "[[American Dream]]".<ref name="Contact Music">{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/press/megadeth-countdown-to-extinction-live-to-be-released-worldwide-on-september-24th-2013|title=Megadeth 'Countdown To Extinction: Live' To Be Released Worldwide On September 24th 2013|work=[[Contact Music]]|access-date=30 September 2012|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201200/http://www.contactmusic.com/press/megadeth-countdown-to-extinction-live-to-be-released-worldwide-on-september-24th-2013|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Billboard'' praised the track, along with "Symphony of Destruction", for being "socially conscious" and described them as "powerful statements for hard rockers".<ref name="Billboard 2"/>

The fifth track, "Sweating Bullets", shows Mustaine's battle with his inner selves, which is presented throughout a conversational singing style.<ref name="Loudwire"/> "Sweating Bullets" was written during the second recording session and was released as the album's third single.<ref name="WordPress"/> Its lyrical theme deals with paranoia.<ref name="Patch"/> David Ellefson commented that the song's lyrics were "psychotically perfect" and sounded like "the inside of a crazed lunatic's mind".<ref name="WordPress"/> The title track was inspired by environmental concerns about the future of the planet, as well as criticisms of trophy hunting and the negative impact that it has. The name was suggested by Nick Menza, who had read a story in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine entitled "The Countdown to Extinction".<ref name="Goldmine"/> "High Speed Dirt" focuses on skydiving.<ref>{{cite web|title=Story Behind The Song - Megadeth's Countdown To Extinction|url=http://www.martyfriedman.com/info_archive_detail.php?id=13&det=84|publisher=Marty Friedman|date=September 18, 2002|access-date=November 1, 2013|archive-date=July 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714165534/http://www.martyfriedman.com/info_archive_detail.php?id=13&det=84|url-status=live}}</ref> "Captive Honour" is a song about prison and abuse that happens there, such as rape on new inmates,<ref name=Yahoo>{{cite web|url=http://voices.yahoo.com/best-90s-album-countdown-extinction-megadeth-3067691.html?cat=33|title=Best '90s Album: Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth|publisher=[[Yahoo! Music]]|first=Melissa|last=Lawson|date=April 10, 2009|access-date=30 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029211405/http://voices.yahoo.com/best-90s-album-countdown-extinction-megadeth-3067691.html?cat=33|archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref> while "Psychotron" was written about the [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Deathlok]].<ref name="booklet 2">{{cite book|title=Countdown to Extinction liner notes|year=2004|pages=4–5|publisher=[[Capitol Records]]|edition=remastered}}</ref> The album's closing track, "Ashes in Your Mouth", concentrates on the negative aftermath of war.<ref name=Yahoo/> The longest song on the record, it is performed at intense tempo and features [[shred guitar|shredding]] guitar leads.<ref name="Loudwire"/>