Lyrics for Dollars and Cents as interpreted by shut

Dollars and Cents Lyrics
There are better things to talk about
Be constructive
Bear witness
We can use
Be constructive
With your blues

Even when it's only
Warnings
Even when you're talking
War games

Why don't you quiet down?
Why don't you quiet down?
Why don't you quiet down?
Why don't you quiet down?

You don't live in a business world
He never goes and he never stays
We'll have goals in a liberal world
Living in times when I could stand it, babe

It's all over, the baby's crying
It's all over, maybe I can see out of here

All over, the planet's dead
All over the planet, so let me
Out of here

All over, all over, all over, all over

Quiet down
(We are the dollars and cents and the pounds and pence and the mark and yen and yeah, we're going to)
Why don't you quiet down?
(Crack your little souls, we're going to crack your little souls)
Why don't you quiet down?
(We are the dollars and cents and the pounds and pence and the pounds and pence and yeah, we're going to)
Why don't you quiet down?
(Crack your little souls, we're going to crack your little souls)
We are the dollars and cents

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  • 39 Comments
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Beowulf_Xtreme
05-20-2002

Rated 0 
About someone who cares about no one else and all they want is money and they just won't shut up about it.

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sean7711
07-24-2002

Rated 0 
when thom says that we are the dollars and cents, i think it means that we're controlled by the CEOs and business execs and stuff. When he sings "why dont u quiet down?" its kinda like the CEOs telling us to do our job so then can make their money

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stain
08-02-2002

Rated 0 
money cracks people's song.radiohead's not the first one telling this.just most people don't really realize it.
the phrase "be constructive" is very interesting.i used to think a lot but do nothing,so all my friends always tell me to be more construtive,to get some work to do.i think it's the same feeling thom's expressing.
about "all the planet's dead":it's like a isaac ashimov's idea,in one of his stories,he told about people thinks they can go to another planet after we drained the earth drie,just like a small boy went under a tree during the rain and thinking:"if this tree starts dripping,i can find another tree."

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Pobo
04-17-2003

Rated 0 
As you may of notice, the "why don't you quiet down?" part is some sort of argument. I don't know if it is between boss and worker, but I'm pretty sure it is important to this song's meaning.I can't fully hear what the person in the background is saying. This is my guess "and you always promise me".

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-Benco-
04-10-2004

Rated 0 
those lyrics are wrong, all the correct album set lyrics are at www.greenplastic.com if they would let corrections be submitted, alas

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Soundspot
04-11-2004

Rated 0 
or you could not spam the site with other URL's

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1 Reply
Pixie_zorilor
05-05-2004

Rated 0 
this song is really obsessing me.This song doesn't needs words.The message is in music.I think it tells how wrong materialism is.(sorry for my english)

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Niam
06-21-2004

Rated 0 
im obsessed in this song too! i cant stand materialism basically the world is full of consumers

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radiohead1125
09-17-2004

Rated 0 
Wow, who came up with lyrics... whoever wrote that screwed up the meaning. First of all it doesnt say "bear witness, we can use" it says "their weapons, we can use" and at the end it says "crack your little souls" not "kill." This song is a threat to those in control of our society that the people could knock over the entire capitalistic system simply through economics. The line Why don't you quiet down? is the reaction to thoms message. All the types of currency represent the people of the world. Basically i think this is what thoms saying... hey their anarchists anyways! Niam... your a materialist too... all of us are.

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Amnesiac24
10-15-2004

Rated 0 
I always ask myself how differents views of the whole world we can have, me in Argentina, South America and lot of you in developments countries. You really donīt realize how strong are messagges like "D&C" in societies that are still discussing about capitalism or socialism...

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deryk
11-09-2004

Rated 0 
radiohead 1125 makes sense. it's within our power to stop the advancement of capitalism by not spending our hard-earnt money with these massive corporations. shop local!

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Phrogex
11-16-2004

Rated 0 
This has got to be one of the best songs Radiohead's ever done (along with "Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was...", "Street Spirit", "The Bends", and "Amazing Sounds of Orgy"). It sounds beautifully brooding, with a modern twist in it. I love this beautifuly repetative resonance! It has a modern jazzy feel to it, and at the same it has a rock beat. It has a desperate tone to it that cries out to you. It seems to me that Thom must have been influenced by Miles Davis, or Talk Talk (after all, their favorite artist is Mark Hollis). This song is very close to perfection!

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Redefine
01-05-2005

Rated 0 
simple, the whole ethics and philosophy behind big buisness, and thom saying "quiet down" go away your fucking us up

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Ne Plus Ultra
01-28-2005

Rated 0 
This is Radiohead's take on Capitalism.

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Fake Addict
04-11-2005

Rated 0 
Some people say that Thom Yorke is anti-capitalism

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Kralia
05-04-2005

Rated -1 
so?

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Marquez
06-02-2005

Rated 0 
Sort of anti-capitalist/globalization anthem

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Wallamanage
08-15-2005

Rated 0 
I always thought this was about the slave trade. "We are the dollars & cents" i.e. you trade in us (slaves)

I'm probably completely wrong.

But there ya go.

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whj247
04-11-2006

Rated 0 
i think it's about someone troubled by selling their soul for money.

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Poli19
05-16-2006

Rated 0 
I kidna dont care what the song is about i never got the reason behind radioheads political songs and this proves why cause it makes no sense to me, but what i do love about this song is the extordanrlay varied weird gohstly sounds that are created i find them so epic and weird yet comforting, to me anyway.

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Poli19
05-16-2006

Rated 0 
I kidna dont care what the song is about i never got the reason behind radioheads political songs and this proves why cause it makes no sense to me, but what i do love about this song is the extordanrlay varied weird gohstly sounds that are created i find them so epic and weird yet comforting, to me anyway.

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Nonlinear314
07-12-2006

Rated 0 
radiohead, thom in particular, is against globalism and the central banks, the IMF, the WTO, and other organizations that are moving us towards a one world government. And he should be, just like every one of us should be. The agendas of these people are not in the interest of the people, the people are their dollars and cents. It seems to me, like a lot of people I know, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

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cisco_kid
10-06-2006

Rated 0 
Have you guys ever noticed the similarity between the melody in this song where it goes

"????
he never gos and he never stays
????
Better in times when I could stand back"

and the bridge in optimistic

I'd really like to help you, man
I'd really like to help you, man
Nervous messed up marionettes
Floating around on a prison ship

I think this is interesting because of the similar themes in the two songs (materialism, the soulless nature of capitalism, many others i'm probably missing) but am not sure if it was intentional or not, or if there are any other parallels. Anyone care to help out?

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simack
10-15-2006

Rated 0 
I think that it's about telling the lower working class to take a stand against the government, Be constructive "We can talk and and complain about things so why not stand up and do someting?" Their weapons we can use "We are their army", Even when you're talkin'
War games..'You can make all the threats in the world but it wont do anything", You don't live in a business world
He never goes and he never stays. "You not a part of them so stop running around in circles about it. All over, the planet's dead
All over the planet, " We are the econemy we are the dollars and cents and its stuffed up like this all over the world.

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Painbearer
10-18-2006

Rated 0 
I don't imagine the incredibly ingelligent middle class Thom making statements to the lower class. He would have making such statements if he was lower class as them. It sounds a little flat. I think he is making statements to all the people who let themselves be used for money.

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