Murder by numbers

The police had a song off Synchronicity called "Murder by Numbers".  On the surface it seems to be taken right from a Hitchcock movie, but maybe the meaning is more subtle.  

At a  concert in Oakland CA  (Sept 10, 1983) he says "this song is about the cynical manipulation of large numbers of people".

While the song could be taken at face value - a serial killer, the later lyrics mention:

Now you can join the ranks of the illustrious

In history's great dark hall of fame

All our greatest killers were industrious

At least the ones that we all know by name

But you can reach the top of your profession

If you become the leader of the land

For murder is the sport of the elected

And you don't need to lift a finger of your hand.

Now while this can refer to the leaders of countries that caused mass death and genocide, Sting also mentioned Jimmy Swaggart, the TV evangelist, said it was written by the devil, but did not get the irony.

Maybe the murder is of truth.  It starts with small lies, then progresses to bigger ones, then finally becomes the apparent reality where you can no longer tell the truth from lies.

Hmmm - wonder how that fits in today's world.