OK Go – Hello, My Treacherous Friends

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Sitting for lunch in a square in this town
(this town that I'm new to),
new fellow from my new town sat me down
and explained it to me:
how when I spin from him I spin from myself,
the center can double the speed of the crust.
Thank you, my treacherous friends.
I'm cringing for myself when I cringe for you.

Hello, my treacherous friends,
and thank you for joining me here tonight.
I brought you all here to discuss, as I must,
how grateful I am for your insights.

With regard to my newborn arachnid kids,
there's something we must discuss:
perhaps we should sit them down and explain
how not to be saved.
Perhaps you could help me to demonstrate
how your center can keep up its sickening spin.
Thank you, my treacherous friends.
Perhaps for my children your surface will smile.

Hello, my treacherous friends,
and thank you for joining me here tonight.
I brought you all here to discuss, as I must,
the fate of my children, the spiders.

Hello, my treacherous friends,
and thank you for joining me here tonight.
I brought you all here to discuss, as I must,
how pleasant has been this demise.

Send "Hello, My Treacherous Friends" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by qshapadooy

Track duration: 02:59


Hello, My Treacherous Friends song meanings
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32 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:When I hear this song, I imagine him talking to a group of people, imaginary or not, in a small dark room at a table, like when the villians plan for world domination. "Hello my treacherous friends, thank you for joining me here tonight.." I know that's not what it means, but I absolutely love the maniacal feel to the mental image : D
    Flag o0oshineyon January 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Is it really about a cabin trip? I was hoping for a deeper meaning. oh poo.
    Flag Popatire23on June 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:claret, that actually makes a lot of sense
    because the original name for this track was "A Christian, Two Friends, and Some Spiders" (on the Appendices album, I think). But since I don't know about the Christian thing, maybe it has something to do with Elected Potato's theory as well.
    Flag gypsis.allurumon May 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The center can't double the speed of the crust; the outer edge of anything spinning are always spinning faster than its center. So the "new fellow from my new town" probably said something that was a logical fallacy, was either lying or stupid, leading to the line "I'm cringing for myself when I cringe for you" because the narrator is both cringing for himself (since he has to sit there listening to untruths) and for the man talking to him (since he's making a fool of himself).

    The chorus (which, omitted from the posted lyrics, repeats itself with some modification) makes me think of a crime lord or mafioso. Still, it makes sense in the context of thanking his "friends" for showing him untruths (which, though wrong, are still helpful insights since they serve to demonstrate what is not the truth).

    The line about teaching the spiders how not to be saved is almost certainly ironic. "Let's teach them your falsehoods, maybe you can demonstrate your irrational assertions for them."

    It could be about evangelical Christianity, but that's not necessarily so based solely on the lyrics. The story about vacationing in a building full of spiders is compelling, and the spider-children analogy was probably too cool sounding to pass up.
    Flag thriggleon February 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think this song is about the people you think are your friends, that actually talk shit behind your back. They aren't their to help you become a better person, but use your life as a new source for gossip. It's sarcastic when he says he is thankful for their insights.
    Flag amykon September 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Is it just me, or does this song have a Radiohead feel to it?
    Flag scaredycaton September 11, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:no, dammit. it was his girlfriend.
    Flag shorty101helpon April 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:oh, and what i said before. Damian said that. but that's not his exact words.
    wait, it was his roommate. not his wife.
    Flag shorty101helpon April 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is actually about something that happened on like a trip or something with his wife. He was out getting something and his wife was like at the cabin or something and she called him and said that there were spiders everywhere and Damian told her to just kill them. She said she can't kill them so then later he called her from the cabin and said that there were spiders everywhere and she told him not to kill them. That's where the arachnid kids thing came from. His wife treated them as her kids. It's really funny. And Damian wants to kill them so he says to teach them not to be saved. And as for the new town thing. that' s probably because they went somewhere for vacation. lol.
    Flag shorty101helpon April 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It says on the cd that it's called "Hello, My Treacherous Friends" so the title is definately correct.
    Flag shorty101helpon March 11, 2007   Link

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