Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Well, the way I see it, doesn't really matter
Because it don't make no sense to all those mad Manhatters
But I do believe that there must come a moment
When even the piggiest pig must get on up and move it
I got this friend named Neil, swears Nixon had a soul
But what I'd like to know is can Giuli do the stroll?
People always ask me, "What's so fucking great about dancing?"
How the fuck should I know? Yeah, even I can barely understand it
But when the music takes over, the music takes control
Here's a message to you, Rudy and you, sir, Mr. Bloomberg
And the rest of you ties-too-tight dudes
Y'all could learn a lesson, by losing inhibitions, yeah
Losing yourself in the music, losing yourself in the moment
Because we have nothing more than this very second
You can't count on the one coming after, no one's sure about the one before
So forget about it, we live here and now, dude, here and now, here and now, here and now
So get on down down down down down down down down down down down down down down
NYC is where the freaks come to be free and if I can't get my freak on see
I'm a hang up Giuliani, he can sick his lackeys on me
But you can't stop a new age dawning
So if you got hips then shake them
And if you got fears forsake them
Giuliani's got his rules but we ain't no fools, let's break them
Let's break them, let's break them down
And on the way we'll make them say
Everybody cut, everybody cut, everybody cut, footloose
Because it don't make no sense to all those mad Manhatters
But I do believe that there must come a moment
When even the piggiest pig must get on up and move it
I got this friend named Neil, swears Nixon had a soul
But what I'd like to know is can Giuli do the stroll?
People always ask me, "What's so fucking great about dancing?"
How the fuck should I know? Yeah, even I can barely understand it
But when the music takes over, the music takes control
Here's a message to you, Rudy and you, sir, Mr. Bloomberg
And the rest of you ties-too-tight dudes
Y'all could learn a lesson, by losing inhibitions, yeah
Losing yourself in the music, losing yourself in the moment
Because we have nothing more than this very second
You can't count on the one coming after, no one's sure about the one before
So forget about it, we live here and now, dude, here and now, here and now, here and now
So get on down down down down down down down down down down down down down down
NYC is where the freaks come to be free and if I can't get my freak on see
I'm a hang up Giuliani, he can sick his lackeys on me
But you can't stop a new age dawning
So if you got hips then shake them
And if you got fears forsake them
Giuliani's got his rules but we ain't no fools, let's break them
Let's break them, let's break them down
And on the way we'll make them say
Everybody cut, everybody cut, everybody cut, footloose
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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and shake that butt... and on the way, we'll make em say... make em say! doo-yoo doo do doo doo-yoo doo do do duh doo...
This song makes my car shake.
I love it.
i always heard "and if you got feet forsake em." maybe that's just me.
The title is a play on the following:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Giuliani
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_Julio_Down_by_the_Schoolyard
"Because it don't make no sense to all those mad Manhatters"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_hatter
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan
it is interesting to note that this play on word also looks looks like "mad man haters"
"I got this friend named Neil, swears Nixon had a soul"
"Where even Richard Nixon has got soul. Even Richard Nixon has got it, Soul" -the song 'campaigner' by: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Young
The deepest lyrics I've ever seen in a dance song ...
In the middle section, that is.
This song makes me want to dance.
And I'm as white as any person could ever be.
That's how good this song is.