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I've had these jeans since I was born
And now they're ripped and now they're torn
And all my friends have skateboards
I want the toys of other boys
I want a knife and a gun and things
But mom and dad will not give in
And I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
I can't put the needle in
No I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
And now I know just what it is
It's called disease and it's got my head
It always runs where I hide
Too scared too talk, too scared to try
Too scared to know the reasons why
And all my friends say bye bye
And I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
No I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
And I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
No I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
And now they're ripped and now they're torn
And all my friends have skateboards
I want the toys of other boys
I want a knife and a gun and things
But mom and dad will not give in
And I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
I can't put the needle in
No I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
And now I know just what it is
It's called disease and it's got my head
It always runs where I hide
Too scared too talk, too scared to try
Too scared to know the reasons why
And all my friends say bye bye
And I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
No I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
And I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
No I can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Can't put the needle in
Lyrics submitted by shut, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Track duration: 04:13
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His friends want him to do drugs, but he is too scared to try. So he wants to be cool, but he can't/isn't, because he is too scared. And because he doesn't fit in everybody thinks he is autistic or something.
Or the autism IS the reason that he is too scared.. as Lanta says.
Also meant to say: this song simultaneously reminds me of Pink (from the Pink Floyd film "The Wall") when he's a little kid, as well as the autistic main character in Mark Haddon's novel "The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-time".
Also people with Aspergers often oversensitive to pain... so if the friends are trying to get the singer to do drugs with them, this might be yet another obstacle to him being seen as part of the gang, coz unlike them, he "can't put the needle in".
Maybe Yorke was drawing on his own youthful experiences? (Not to imply that he suffers from the above condition but apparently he was mercilessly teased by other kids and was also unpopular with teachers. He was an angry young man who wanted to fight back, but was crap with his fists.
But why I really love the song is the chorus. How can some thing be so desperately unhappy & so catchy at once? I appreciate Radiohead more for HOW the songs are sung than WHAT is being sung. Heretical, I know!
This song is quite understated, but the style of singing has such a brilliance to it. The title is excellent, too: one of the most sardonic I've come across. I love the names of Radiohead songs :-)
Such ignorance makes me chuckle softly to myself and feel superior.