| Radiohead – Give Up the Ghost Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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don't haunt me don't hurt me don't haunt me don't hurt me gather up the lost and sold in your arms in your arms gather up the pitiful in your arms in your arms in your arms in your arms what seems impossible in your arms in your arms i think i have had my fill in your arms in your arms in your arms i think i should give up the ghost into your arms into your arms |
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| Radiohead – Bloom Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Beautiful post. Thank you. | |
| Radiohead – Lotus Flower Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| It's not about his daughter. He said something before he performed the song about his daughter, but didn't say the song was about/for her. | |
| Radiohead – Morning Mr. Magpie Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I didn't find this. Someone else in a Radiohead message board did, but I'll post it anyway: In European folklore the magpie is associated with a number of superstitions[10] surrounding its reputation as an omen of ill fortune. This reputation may derive from the bird's well-known tendency to "steal" shiny objects or its aggressive behaviour toward favoured songbirds. * In Britain and Ireland, there are a number of superstitions regarding magpies[11] * A single magpie is associated with bad luck (see rhymes below) * One should make sure to greet magpies when they are encountered in order to either allay bad luck or encourage good luck as related to the number of birds and therefore their place in the Magpie poem. Common greetings include "Hello Mr Magpie" "How is your wife/where is your wife?", "Good Morning/Evening Sir" and other marks of respect. * Upon seeing a lone magpie one should repeat the words "I defy thee" seven times. * On seeing a lone magpie one should pinch the person they are walking with, if they are alone they are to pinch themselves. The custom in Devon is to spit three times to avert ill luck. * If a lone Magpie is seen, one should salute it to show you respect it. This formality can be forgone if the Magpie looks directly in your eyes, which shows it respects you. * In the 19th century book, A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar, a proverb concerning magpies is recited: "A single magpie in spring, foul weather will bring". The book further explains that this superstition arises from the habits of pairs of magpies to forage together only when the weather is fine. * An old English folk tale states that when Jesus was crucified on the cross, all of the world's birds wept and sang to comfort him in his agony. The only exception was the magpie, and for this, it is forever cursed. * In Scotland, a Magpie near the window of the house foretells death.[12] * In Scottish folklore, in a story possibly related to the above, magpies were long reviled for allegedly carrying a drop of Satan's blood under their tongues. source: wikipedia |
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| Radiohead – Bloom Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| That is what he is singing. I'm 99.9% sure. | |
| Radiohead – Separator Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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it's like i've fallen out of bed from a long, vivid dream the sweetest flowers and fruits hanging from a tree fallen off a giant bird that's been carrying me it's like I've fallen out of bed from a long, vivid dream just exactly as i remember every word, every gesture I've my heart in my mouth like i've fallen out of bed from a long, vivid dream finally i'm free of all the weight i've been carrying and as that woman blows her cover in the eye of the beholder i'm a fish now out of the water fallen off a giant bird that's been carrying me i fell open i lay under at the ? lost your number i once fell over and hid back under and if you think this is over, then you're wrong if you think this is over then you're wrong if you think this is over then you're wrong if you think this is over then you're wrong like i've fallen out of bed from a long and vivid dream finally i'm free of all the weight i've been carrying wake me up wake me up when at last you'll give in when at last you'll give in wake me up wake me up wake me up wake me up wake me up wake me up |
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| Radiohead – Lotus Flower Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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My take on the lyrics: I will shape myself into your pocket invisible do what you want do what you want I will shrink and I will disappear I will slip into the groove and cut me up and cut me up there's an empty space inside my heart where the weeds take root so now I set you free... I set you free there's an empty space inside my heart where the weeds take root so now I set you free... I set you free slowly we unfold as lotus flowers 'cause all I want is the moon upon a stick just to see what if just to see what is I can't kick your habit just to feed your fast-ballooning head listen to your heart we will shrink and then be quiet as mice and while the cat is away do what we want do what we want there's an empty space inside my heart where the weed take root so now I set you free i set you free 'cause all I want is the moon upon a stick just to see what if just to see what is… i will bring (sounds like 'blow' though) this flower into my room slowly we unfold...as lotus flowers ;cause all I want is the moon upon a stick a dance around the pit the darkness sits beneath I can't kick your habit just to feed your fast-ballooning head listen to your heart |
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| Radiohead – Little by Little Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Correction: once you've been 'round you've been around enough |
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| Radiohead – Little by Little Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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This is what I hear: turned so nasty now the dark's there the pillar of my soul the last one out of the box the one who broke the spell little by little by hook or by crook I'm such a tease and you're such a flirt once you've been there you've been around enough little by little by hook or by crook never in earnest never get judged I don't know where it is I should look I crawl inside the box i crawl in with my love the last one out of the box the one who broke the seal obligation complications routines and schedules drag and kill you |
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| Radiohead – Bloom Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think these lyrics are more correct: open your mouth wide the universal sigh and while the ocean blooms it's what keeps me alive so why does this still hurt? don't blow your mind with why/whys i'm moving out of orbit turning in somersaults turning in somersaults a giant turtle's eyes a giant turtle's eyes and jellyfish go by From a whale's perspective, then a human's, then a whale's again. Trying to put things into perspective... about why the world is so beautiful, yet full of contradictions. But there is lots more. I haven't heard it enough. The beginning of the song makes me feel I am in a dark tunnel, in a city, at night. Then it completely surrounds me like the beautiful ocean... all nature. |
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| Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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A lot of people don't know or forget that a lot of what artists do is metaphorical or allegorical, and is not supposed to be taken literally. I think that is the way this song was written. It is probably better just to let the music carry you away than to try to figure out just what it was Thom was trying to say in this song. Of course one can see which symbols were used and try to figure out what the song might possibly mean, but to whom? To the artist who wrote it or to ourselves? Which is most important? |
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| Radiohead – Go Slowly Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I thought it only said 'Oh M...', at least in the Japanese edition. Which cd2 do you mean? I do think that's what he's singing, though. | |
| Thom Yorke – Give Up the Ghost Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Thom alternated singing: 'Don't haunt me' and 'Don't hurt me' in the chorus the last time this was performed, so there's a correction. I really am not sure what this song is supposed to be about except 'to give up the ghost' means 'to die', so I guess that idea is in the song. I am pretty sure there's only one narrator, and he is basically telling this person he's had a full life and--for whatever reason--he is ready to die in her arms. I also think he sings 'in your arms' every time, and not 'into your arms'. And the chorus might possibly be a different 'narrator', but not sure. Beautiful, haunting song. |
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| Thom Yorke – Skip Divided Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I hate to do line-by-line interpretations but maybe in certain songs it's necessary in order to get what they mean. I'm in a skip divided, malfunction I flap around and dive bomb Frantically around your light enveloped in a sad distraction This paragraph means he's trying to get to someone who he is impressed by... instead he fails and it makes him sad. I've got your voice repeating endlessly Could you guide me in Could you smother me This paragraph means he is obsessed by this woman (it's a female because Thom makes it clear in some live versions of this song. He wants this woman to lead the way... he is sexually obsessed with her... hence the choice of the word 'smother'. I swoop around your head But I never hit I'm blinded by your daylight Electric veins have passed through me I thought there was this big connection I only got my name and I got this situation He tries to catch her attention, but always fails... it's not clear whether it's his or her fault, but maybe it's his since he blames it on the fact that he feels she's too much for him. He felt a very strong connection with her and felt it was mutual. All he got was she possibly mentioned his name and then this... I just need a number and location Without appropriate papers and permissions I'm known to bite in tight situations But then head into your French windows I thought there was this big connection They only got my name They only got my situation This is an explanation why he feels intimidated and too insecure to approach this woman. He doesn't feel he has the right to do so, even though her eyes told her she is interested. But that's all he has to go by. I just need my number and location My mole keeps telling me Hey Hey, Hey Hey Hey Hey, The devil may Hey Hey, Hey Hey, Hey Hey You are a fool, you are a fool For sticking round, for sticking 'round And he ends up feeling like a fool sometimes, for trying to get to her, because he feels he might be wrong and she might not be interested in him. Yeah, you are a fool, you are a fool For sticking round, for sticking round I've tried every trick in the book I've tried to look at you every trick in the book how come I lose? He's tried everything to get her to come forward and show more interest, but nothing works. When you walk in the room everything disappears When you walk in the room it's a terrible mess When you walk in a room I start to melt When you walk in a room I follow you 'round Like a dog I'm a dog, I'm a dog, I'm a dog, I'm a lapdog I'm your lapdog, yeah This is obviously about the effect she has on him when they are in the same place... his actions become a disaster. He just can't be his normal self. This woman has too much of an effect on him and he just loses it. He feels like an idiot because he can't stop acting like he's desperate for her and yet it doesn't seem to have an effect on her. I just got my number and location I just need my number and location These two lines have always confused me... Thom mentioned this song is about 'dislocation', which is a pretty confusing term, but I guess it probably has a lot to do with what this song means. |
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| Thom Yorke – Skip Divided Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| It's light, not lie. This is what is in the official lyrics in the album. | |
| Thom Yorke – The Eraser Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| How is that implied in the song? I don't hear that at all. First of all, there's no indication that one of the narrators (or the narrator, if there is only one) is being exploited... not at all. | |
| Thom Yorke – The Eraser Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I agree that there are two narrators, but I believe it's the male who's accused of being distracted in the line: 'you're like a kitten with a ball of wool'. The main (male) narrator is the one who is suspicious of the female's intentions, and yet, I get the feeling when I listen to the song that this narrator has already figured out why this woman is paying attention to him. The fact that it's answered as a response is just a fact of the matter in the song. It makes it more interesting. I agree that the fairy tale Arab princess line is referring to that story, but I think it has to do with the male narrator deciding he will not give up in his pursuit of her... he is saying every time she listens to this song she will remember him, and thus it will be impossible for her to erase him out of her mind. | |
| Radiohead – House of Cards Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Well, the artist who wrote the song said 'this is definitely a love song', so I don't think your interpretation is the correct one, although everyone is entitled to hear a song whichever way they want to. But assuming everyone in here wants to discuss other people's interpretations, I'll tell you what I feel. I don't think that line 'no matter how it ends, no matter how it starts' means the narrator is not 'serious' about starting something with this woman. I think it merely means he doesn't know whether the relationship will work or not. For people who have had serious relationships in the past--especially if they haven't worked--this is a given. We don't know when we first fall in love with someone whether the relationship will work. He's not promising anything. That doesn't mean he doesn't want something long-lasting. It just means he knows we (human beings) are not that easy to live with, we change, our priorities change, our physical appearances change... we don't know how long love with a particular person will last. The song is from the perspective of someone who is already in a relationship and it didn't work out. That's why I think the narrator is being cautious. The woman is also in a relationship that didn't work. Lionel Ritchie send ups don't work in this case... this is about people who have already experienced life and don't fall for all the bs in movies. | |
| Radiohead – House of Cards Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Yes, I think you have the right idea about the song. | |
| Radiohead – House of Cards Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Let's be realistic. If you read the entire lyrics the idea that the narrator is asking his own wife to throw convention aside is not plausible. He is singing to someone outside of his relationship. What you say doesn't make sense. | |
| Radiohead – The Trickster Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| This song is a bit confusing... more like a collection of different thoughts that may/may not have something to do with each other. I think kronue probably comes closest to what it might mean. There's definitely something about loss in a relationship, possibly due by the narrator not making himself 'available' to his love interest. He's lost this person and feels it is his fault. Maybe the narrator is referring to himself as the trickster. The trickster, though--in mythology--is some character that ends up leading things to something positive, so I am not sure that this trickster is anything like the mythological figure, though the writer certainly knows what a trickster is supposed to be about. Like someone said before, a trickster cannot work his 'magic' without there being anyone around. He's alone thanks to his own acts, and thus is rendered powerless and weak. I don't know if anything else can be inferred from the lyrics. | |
| Thom Yorke – Analyse Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Beautiful interpretation. | |
| Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Wow... I love the way you interpreted the changes in the music and the vocals. | |
| Radiohead – All I Need Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I really don't think it's about unrequited love. Or at least from the lyrics I get the feeling that the narrator feels he is loved back. But for some reason this relationship isn't happening. I didn't always understand what the intent of this song was (how it's supposed to make us feel) and I think part of this is why a lot of people don't get that this is a love song, but after hearing what Thom (Yorke) said about this song I think I understand it better. I also read what Thom had to say about the love songs he writes, and that they're not your typical love songs, but some can be pretty acidic. I think this song falls under that category. I think the narrator is feeling frustrated and that's where some of the lines are coming from. It's a love song, yes, but a bit angry. I get the feeling that the narrator thinks he should get over this person... she shouldn't be the only one he can love, and yet she is. He knows deep inside that he is the only one for her and she is the only one for him. | |
| Radiohead – Reckoner Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| You are probably wrong, but I do love your interpretation. I think the idea of a reckoner is just about evaluating our actions in life... computing the good against the bad. I don't think it's necessarily about a God, either. Those of us who don't believe in one still have a conscience, and we still judge our actions. But there is something about the line you mention about the ripples that at first seemed like the end of a relationship... maybe I felt that because it follows Faust Arp. I don't know who the narrator is supposed to be addressing, but I think in the context of the album the song is probably a turning point in the life of this man. I wonder who he is addressing when he sings 'take me with you'. That line truly touches me deeply. | |
| Radiohead – Jigsaw Falling into Place Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Maybe it IS an integral part of the album, and the songs are in progression, but I don't get the sex part. I think the whole scenario for their future together just dissolves when he says the wrong things. It could certainly be that this song is about the same woman he is trying to seduce in the rest of the album, or at least the album does work that way, but like I said, there seems to be no resolution. The last part of the song seems to imply that--if the woman he exchanges glances with is the same one--there is a chance for the future... I guess it depends how you interpret "Videotape"... when he says 'no matter what happens now you shouldn't be afraid', does he mean there is a chance for the future or is this just about 'life being as it is, and maybe in another life'? | |
| Thom Yorke – And It Rained All Night Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Yes, I agree that the song doesn't seem to be about the obvious effects of climate change, but is meant to be about something the narrator is going through personally... and you could say that life is like that... if it's so difficult and painful, how come it has such moments of bliss? | |
| Thom Yorke – The Present Tense Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I think this is about trying to escape one's life through music, etc. so that we keep going without giving up... there's a very strong sense of hope in the future in this song, so even though the music is very sad, it's very positive, very assertive. Love the line 'it's no ones' business but mine'. | |
| Thom Yorke – Lotus Flower Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I guess it's about someone who decides to enjoy a moment in time and take part in something he is not generally allowed to do... just enjoying thinking about what life could be like if only... | |
| Radiohead – Videotape Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Why not romantic love? In the context of the album it's certainly possible. | |
| Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Evolution? I don't hear that. I do think it's about love. As a matter of fact I am sure it's about the moment love is born. The melancholy and confusion and fear in the song are natural when love first appears.. especially when we've even stopped believing we'll ever have it again. | |
| PJ Harvey – This Mess We're In Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Yeah, that's the sense I get from this song. | |
| Thom Yorke – All for the Best (Miracle Legion cover) Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I think the first stanza is probably a clue what the song is about: the loss of someone the narrator loves. It's pretty obvious she's left him, hence the line 'no one looked me in the eye'. He is either convinced that the fact she left is a good thing, or he is trying to convince himself of that. But he is longing for her. He can't help but feel the pain. |
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| Thom Yorke – The Present Tense Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I think it's a stretch to say that the line 'or all this love will be in vain' is about his love for performing, no matter how much he loves music and being in front of an audience. I think the song is about escaping a difficult present life through music and maybe other pleasurable things... it's about escaping so that he can continue carrying on since he seems to feel the future is worth looking out for, and things will get better. | |
| Radiohead – Go Slowly Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Apparently someone asked Thom what that line is, and he said it's 'Ave Maria'. Try it... it could be. | |
| Radiohead – All I Need Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| There are Radiohead/Thom Yorke songs where there is a female narrator. "Atoms for Peace" has a male and a female. I think the narrator in part of "True Love Waits" might be a female. But I guess it depends on what you think is definitely male and definitely female. Thom makes a lyrical distinction once in a while. I think the narrator in this song is anyone and everyone who can relate to it. The emotions are genderless. | |
| Radiohead – These Are My Twisted Words Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I agree too. | |
| Radiohead – The Present Tense Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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this dance this dance it's like a weapon like a weapon of self defense self defense against the present against the present present tense I won't get heavy don't get heavy keep it light and keep it moving I am doing no harm As my world comes crashing down I'm dancing freaking out deaf, dumb, and blind In you I'm lost In you I'm lost I won't turn around when the penny drops I won't stop now I won't slack off or all this love will be in vain stop from falling down a mine it’s no one’s business but mine that all this love could be in vain In you I'm lost In you I'm lost In you I'm lost In you I'm lost Using music to escape a bitter reality. |
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| Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| That's true. And I think it's about finding a balance between body and soul and trusting ones' instincts. If we can't, we're lost. The narrator is torn between these two sides in all of us, but he decides to take the step to change things for the best. Even if ultimately he might not end up where he expected. | |
| Radiohead – Reckoner Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| That's got to be the most perfect interpretation of "Reckoner" I ever read. And I don't doubt this is what it means to the artist who wrote it, since it ties in with the official video the band commissioned someone to make, only to decide not to release it. I think where most interpretations of this song (and the entire album) fail is in deciding that the album is meant as a judgment of whatever it is that happens in the album. It is quite the opposite. The album--to me--is about the bittersweet experiences that life is about, and it is not at all judgmental of whatever it is that pushes us to do what we do. The album reminds me of "Steppenwolf" by Hermann Hesse, but I believe it goes beyond what the book says. And only music and poetry could possibly do that. | |
| Radiohead – 15 Step Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Someone says it's about death. i think it's more about some realization hitting you slowly. | |
| Radiohead – 15 Step Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| It was not a quote. | |
| Radiohead – Faust Arp Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Perfect. | |
| Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I actually agree with your interpretation, but I would add something to it. It's true that the narrator is trapped at the beginning of the album. His fear of sinning keeps him from taking any active part in his life. Even in Bodysnatchers he might as well be dead for what he has become. But this song is his 'awakening', I believe, except although he knows he has to finally act on what he believes in (following this person) he is still paralyzed by his fears. Even in Jigsaw, when he has this 'chance' to change his life, he realizes he is not ready yet. But I think Videotape shows that he has lost his fear. | |
| Radiohead – Videotape Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I don't think so. I think this song celebrates an actual perfect day, and not his entire life. I think the song shows that the narrator has lost his fear of death thanks to experiencing that perfect moment. One's life doesn't begin unless one loses the fear of death. The fear of dying keeps us trapped... not just the actual death but the guilt we live with throughout our lives. We are unable to experience life fully until we realize that this life is all that matters. | |
| Radiohead – House of Cards Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I disagree. The narrator is obviously telling a married woman (and not his own) to go off with him. He and the woman are both in marriages who are about to collapse. I agree with grasswidow103 that you are hearing the message that you want to hear and not what is obviously going on in the song. I mean, it's quite a stretch to interpret 'throw your keys in the bowl/kiss your husband good night' as someone telling his wife to put the spark back in a relationship, especially since he's also telling her that her relationship is going to collapse, to 'forget about [her] house of cards/and [he'll] do [his]'. Let's face it, if that were the motivation behind writing this song, the artist obviously failed, since only you interpret it to mean that he wants to rekindle his relationship with his wife. | |
| Radiohead – Faust Arp Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I don't agree. I think the disconnection (if that's what you want to call it) is within the spousal relationship. The narrator is obviously saying he's had enough of this relationship, regardless of the reasons. The imagery in the song is about something (the relationship) which collapses every day. The 'elephant in the room' is something that is obvious--much too obvious to be ignored anymore. The line 'I love you but enough is enough' is also obviously addressed to the spouse. I must say this is sort of the thing we say to someone before we break our relationship with them, and is sort of trying not to hurt the other person by saying we still have feelings with them, but that is probably not the case. In any case, it's about a relationship that's collapsed and the narrator wants out of it, though he debates between his duty and what he really wants. | |
| Radiohead – All I Need Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I agree with your interpretation and it fits in with what little Thom Yorke has said about it: "it's about that obsession thing", and with what he said about the entire album, about it being about 'wanting to be somewhere you're not'. | |
| Radiohead – Reckoner Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Funny, because although i'm not claiming to be right, the visuals i get are totally non-industrial and completely natural... untouched by technology. But maybe that's just where I want to be. | |
| Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I actually do agree with you now. I do think the album is kind of a response to the roles society assigns for us, and it's embracing a freer kind of life. Good vibe, anyway. | |
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