These seem to be under-complex times, where only one meaning is attributed to every statement, namely the literal one.

We have known for 3500 years that this is not true. When, for example, the punk band Fear sings a song in which they want to start a war, they (most likely) don’t really mean it. Rather, they want to show you what a hypocrite you are. You are welcome to take the next song at face value.