 Recording the album after 11 September attacks gave the band a fresh perspective : " The new songs are reflective of new attitudes . [ They tell listeners ] not to be frightened . Anybody can achieve whatever they want to . " Most of the song lyrics are about urgency . Martin has commented that previous songs were more relaxed since they were in a comfortable state of mind : " Perhaps there 's a bit more urgency on some of these songs . And that 's born from all the places we 've been and the things we 've experienced . " Martin has explained , in relation to the theme of urgency , that the album 's title means " doing something on impulse " . Several songs on the album are about relationships . These tracks are based on reality , but according to Martin , they were written with a fictional twist : " Songs are like fairy tales : they have a beginning and an end and you can make it all work perfectly . Real life doesn 't work like that " . 
