Lyrics for Idioteque as interpreted by piesupreme

Idioteque Lyrics
Who's in a bunker?
Who's in a bunker?
Women and children first
And the children first
And the children
I'll laugh until my head comes off
I'll swallow until I burst
Until I burst
Until I

Who's in a bunker?
Who's in a bunker?
I have seen too much
I haven't seen enough
You haven't seen it
I'll laugh until my head comes off
Women and children first
And children first
And children

Here I'm allowed
Everything all of the time
Here I'm allowed
Everything all of the time

Ice age coming
Ice age coming
Let me hear both sides
Let me hear both sides
Let me hear both
Ice age coming
Ice age coming
Throw it on the fire
Throw it on the fire
Throw it on the

We're not scaremongering
This is really happening
Happening
We're not scaremongering
This is really happening
Happening
Mobiles skwerking
Mobiles chirping
Take the money and run
Take the money and run
Take the money

Here I'm allowed
Everything all of the time
Here I'm allowed
Everything all of the time

Here I'm allowed
Everything all of the time
Here I'm allowed
Everything all of the time

The first of the children

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PunkrawknEmo4
01-12-2002

Rated +1 
I love this song but will someone explain what it is about please

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2 Replies
qube
01-17-2002

Rated 0 
nuclear war -- women and children first into the bomb shelter, ice age coming (nuclear winter), etc. Not sure about that -- just an idea. I'm not sure what to make of the chorus.

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lunatic96
03-07-2002

Rated 0 
it fits better within the concept of the album which is the first human clone...the clone is in a mental institute (hence the chorus, "here I'm allowed anything all the time") and he's seeing fighting breaking out over the creation of the clones... "the first of children" prolly refers to a clone of the first clone...

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ParaniodAndriod
04-12-2002

Rated -1 
the thing is is that i dont even know. all i know is that the song itself is incredible. it spurs so much stuff in me that just erupts out in pure feeling every time i hear it. esp at "ice age coming". it is impossible to make sense of any radiohead song. i think that is the glory of it.

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LiveUrLife
04-19-2002

Rated -1 
I agree with paranoids last sentence... it is impossible to make sense of any radiohead song and its true, but it just makes the rambling of them all all the better. Anyway this is a great, chill song.

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PaloAlto
04-23-2002

Rated -1 
I heard once somthing like this: It was about Radiohead killing the pop genre of music "ice age coming", and then "throw it in the fire".... Also about how women and children are most effected by pop music... I have noo idea.

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yugaquanto
04-27-2002

Rated 0 
The song explains the pushing and pullings of life. women and children are in a bunker preparing for war, yet people in other lands enjoy the laughing until there head comes off, or eating until they burst. Pollution, and war are destroying the earth, yet mandkind continues to live the life that brings these problems, because they are allowed to. Let me in both sides means let me have my way.

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soowt
05-04-2002

Rated 0 
global warming.
Yhorn(sp?) has talked about global warming at live performances and in interviews, and is very concerned. somewhere hidden in the kid a booklet, or perhaps only on certain kid a booklets, there was supposed to be a list of places where polar ice was melting.

this helps to explain:
We're not scaremongering
This is really happening
Happening
We're not scaremongering
This is really happening
Happening
Mobiles skwrking
Mobiles chirping
Take the money run
Take the money run
Take the money

we're not scaremongering, this is really happening. that seems pretty straightforward to me, towards all the gw deniers. statements about the mobiles, i don't think i even need to say anything about that. and take the money and run, well look how much money is being made by these oil companies. All of this is stuff Yhorn hsa talked about before.

I am pretty sure that this song is about global warming, with an underlying message about privelage at the expense of others.

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1 Reply
greenkar
05-05-2002

Rated 0 
cuban missle crisis

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goodbyeskyharbor
05-13-2002

Rated 0 
wish i could understand radiohead...they are so amazing. too brilliant for me to even attempt to analyze though

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carabing
05-15-2002

Rated 0 
I have to agree with swoot - global warming. For example, "we're not scaremongering...this is really happening" means that global warming is a real thing and not something an environmental group made up to freak people out. Also, "let me hear both sides" refers to the ongoing debate between scientists and politicans about whether or not the problem even exists. I don't quite get the end of the song, and I may not even be right about the beginning, but that's what the song means to me.

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SNYder
05-25-2002

Rated +1 
Originally released: October 2000
Found on: Kid A
Also found on: (live) I Might Be Wrong - Live Recordings

"Idioteque" can be seen in two ways: A blatantly stupid attempt at making a cheesy dance song (hence the name), or genius. What "Idioteque" essentially is, is a dance song, beats, and all. This, of all the songs on the album, is the experimental one that stands out as much as "Electioneering" did on OKC. It will either be your favorite song, or your most hated. However, it can't be ignored.

The song samples a bit from Paul Lansky's 1975 computer-made song "Mild Und Leise." For more info about Lansky and his RH experience, check out his website.

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SNYder
05-25-2002

Rated 0 
http://silvertone.princeton.edu/%7Epaul/radiohead.ml.html

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thereverendcase
05-29-2002

Rated 0 
i heard it is what would the worldwould have been like if the cuban missle crisis happened. it makes sense at least

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GodHatesACoward
05-29-2002

Rated 0 
I think the global warming and pollution thing makes the most sense
(by the way, soowt, its Thom YORKE)

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i_fling_poo
06-02-2002

Rated 0 
man... this band is like soooo awesome. i don't know what this song is about, much less any of their other songs. But what can u expect from a musical genious? U can surely expect music that is far beyond the simple minds of us normal people. i have such a great respect for the members of radiohead, and they continue to amaze me. EVERYONE SHOULD DEFINETLY DOWNLOAD IDIOTEQUE WHEN RADIOHEAD PLAYED IT LIVE ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.... IT'S SOOOOOO GREAT.

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FourEyedLame-O
06-10-2002

Rated 0 
I got a shirt today. It is a Radiohead shirt. On there it says ICE CAPS MELTING and at the bottom it says THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. The this is really happening part is from this song, which leads me to believe it is about global warming.

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holyzarquon
06-10-2002

Rated 0 
i'd like to know what "scaremongering" means...does anyone know?

it's good to see that there are so many people who like radiohead. the world needs more.

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1 Reply
ruben
06-10-2002

Rated 0 
Well add me to the list of Radiohead lovers. I love them lol.
Not too long ago i got the Organism shirt. Im not really sure what scaremongering means I think Thom made that word up.

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holyzarquon
06-12-2002

Rated 0 
well yeah. a monger is a kind of merchant, is that right? i just looked it up in a dictionary, cos i'm not a native speaker.

and we all know, what scare means...maybe thom wants to say that people aren't trading with fear or angst or whatever you may call it, but that the fear is legitimated because we destroy our environment.


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TGZ
07-02-2002

Rated +1 
Well, it's working on (at least) two levels. Sure, on the first level there's the impending nuclear war theme. However, take the title and the way it's spelt - see how it's a pun on the words 'idiot' and 'discoteque' ? Now take into account the industrial sounds, electronic sounds? To me it's using the analogy of someone in a bunker to compare what he feels when he is in a crowded nightclub (discoteque) with the pummeling sounds and flashing lights. It's making a point about the vacousness of people listening to electronic music when the same technology is being used to create hi-tech war. Notice the lines, "Take the money and run", a dig at the nightclub owners who run 'raves' in giant warehouses (many of which ironically used to be aircraft hangers used by the military) - making a quick buck. It's using the theme of literal alienation ( a man alone in a bunker) to the more metaphysical alienation you often find when you are 'alone' in a crowded room of people off their heads (see The Smith's 'How Soon Is Now?').

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Djed
07-03-2002

Rated -1 
When Thom worked in a mental hospital, I think he himself went a little crazy. He stopped caring about anything, epecially people. He might put on some fascade of caring, but really wouldn't have cared if the entire world population died on his account. This song is his way of showing what he thought, like most songs are.

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lyprulz
07-04-2002

Rated -1 
I heard somewhere that Thom just picked phrases that he thought were cool out of a hat for this song...

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insurgento
07-05-2002

Rated 0 
I agree with most ideas 'bout global warming.
About the title (nice work TGZ), perhaps like bibliotheque (library), videotheque (place with movies)... Idiotheque could be a place filled with idiots, telling us we're fools to be ignorant to such drastic problems.

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sommy
07-06-2002

Rated 0 
Well, I definitely think that the title is a poke at dance/electronic/etcetera music - But I definitely think that it's more than a "joke" song, because I think a band like Radiohead doesn't write "joke songs" - When I first looked at the lyrics, I first thought "nuclear war", but that's just my impression.

And whoever it was that said "This is what it would be like if the Cuban Missile Crisis actually happened" - Uh, it DID happen, the US was on alert for about a week back in the late '60s - The missles were moved out after negotiation.

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