The 'But If You Close Your Eyes' meme is centered around the 2013 hit song 'Pompeii' by the British band Bastille. It gained massive popularity as a visual gag where a specific country, state, or object is edited out of a map or image while the chorus plays. As the lyrics suggest, the subject disappears, humorously implying that the world might be better off—or entirely unchanged—without it. While it began with geographical humor and 'deleting' countries, it has since evolved to include historical comparisons, fictional universes, and political satire, serving as a versatile tool for internet users to comment on the perceived significance of various entities.