SongMeanings | Lyrics | Radiohead - 2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)

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Radiohead
2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)
214 Comments

Lyrics for 2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.) as interpreted by SyntaxLies

2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.) Lyrics

Send "2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)" Ringtone to your Cell

Are you such a dreamer
To put the world to rights?
I stay home forever
Where two and two always makes a five

I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April's showers
And two and two always makes a five

It's the devil's way now
There is no way out
You can scream and you can shout
It is too late now

Because
You have not been
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
Yeah, I'm not feeling it
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
Yeah, I need it
I needed attention
I needed attention
I needed attention
I needed attention
Yeah, I love it, the attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention

I try to sing along
I get it all wrong
Because I�m not
Because I�m not
I swat them like flies
But like flies the buggers
Keep coming back
But I�m not

Oh, hail to the thief
Oh, hail to the thief
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not
Don't question my authority or put me in the dock
Because I'm not
Because I'm not
Oh, go and tell the king that the sky is falling in
But it's not
But it's not
But it's not
Maybe not
Maybe not

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degree7
09-11-2009

Rated 0

"I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April's showers
And two and two always makes a five"

As for this line, I think what it means is that someone knows they've picked the wrong guy as their leader, and they know all hell is going to break loose soon (possibly a war?). So they're gonna go down into the tracks and hide under some sandbags to wait for the inevitable. A foreshadowing of the madness to come.

1 Reply

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dannycrisp
08-24-2009

Rated 0

anyone who has read 1984 knows that this song is influenced by the scene with Winston in room 101

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Raininbows
08-08-2009

Rated 0

What I'm gonna say here has probably already been said in the nine pages of comments, but ah well XD
Well this song clearly takes inspiration and actual quotes from George Orwell's 1984, where the government has such utter power over the lives of the entire population that they control thoughts. When the main character is being tortured he is influenced to a point where he actually believes 2+2=5 and january has april showers because he's told by authority.
If you're a dreamer and just stay home then what the media tells you you'll believe, and by living your life under the influence of the news and the government you will too believe things like Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and two plus two equals five.
Also I think that Hail to the Thief was a reference to America's stolen election, where the concience of an entire nation had to accept the results of a rigged election. American politicians can't preech for shit about democracy when there's only two real parties in America, there's been a rigged election and it's winner was a massive idiot who just so happened to be the son of another rich white guy who decided to bomb the middle east. (sorry, just been listening to Rage Against the Machine.)
At the time there was a real anger in America and in the international community that Bush was in power. Radiohead subtly put this in their song by pairing it with the reference to 1984. Two plus two equals five could also be a satire on the vote count where Bush ended up winning the final state after Fox witheld the results for excessive time. The votes didn't add up but the connected and rich man got into power.

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radmocol
07-15-2009

Rated 0

I always thought that this song was about undereducated children, but now that I look at it again I see that that's too obvious for Radiohead

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anderjao
07-02-2009

Rated +1

I'm going to start off by saying that "2+2=5" is an undeniable reference to 1984. It's a major theme of the work, which has clearly influenced Radiohead's work. Check out the link to the Chestnut Tree Cafe on their website if you don't believe me. Or just read 1984.

In 1984, everyone will believe that 2+2=5 if the party tells them it does. In fact, one character is tortured until he honestly believes that 2+2=5. Just saying it isn't enough for the party. He has to belief it. He's forced to confess to crimes that he never committed, and later forced to believe that he had actually committed them. The party has complete control over the minds of the people, and therefore can create and rewrite reality as they see fit.

"Are you such a dreamer
To put the world to rights?
I stay home forever
Where two and two always makes a five"

This is told from the perspective of someone who clearly believes that 2+2=5, someone who will take the comfort of forged reality over the truth any day. They seem to be addressing someone who refuses to believe the lies, and wants to try to put a stop to them, to bring back truth and put the world to rights. This makes them a dreamer to the speaker; to them the task is impossible.

"I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April's showers
And two and two always makes a five"

It sounds to me like the speaker want to hide in their false reality, where January has April's showers and two and two make five, where lies are truth.

"It's the devil's way now
There is no way out
You can scream and you can shout
It is too late now"

Thinking in the context of 1984, I interpret this as a statement made toward the "dreamer" saying that their pursuits are futile, that the Party has complete control over reality. I think the "devil's way" is the party's way, the way of lies.

"Because you have not been
Paying attention (etc.)"

You haven't paying attention, you haven't noticed the "devil's way" taking over. You didn't notice the rise of doublethink and the fall of truth.

"Yeah, I need it
I needed attention (etc.)
Yeah, I love it, the attention"

The attention could be a possible motive for following the "devil's way."

"I try to sing along
I get it all wrong
Because I�m not
Because I�m not"

The speaker can't get the song right, probably because they're not in touch with reality. They're also clearly in denial, stating not once but twice that they're not wrong.

"I swat them like flies
But like flies the buggers
Keep coming back
But I�m not"

The speaker tries to silence the dreamers, but they always seem to return to challenge the "devil's way." This time the "I'm not" could mean that the speaker's not coming back. Perhaps not back to the truth?

"Oh, hail to the thief
Oh, hail to the thief
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not"

Twice the speaker cries "hail to the thief", a pretty bold accusation of a leader, while denying four times that they aren't a thief. Sounds rather hypocritical to me.

"Don't question my authority or put me in the dock
Because I'm not
Because I'm not"

Very defensive.

"Oh, go and tell the king that the sky is falling in
But it's not
But it's not
But it's not
Maybe not
Maybe not"

The speaker seems to want to tell the king something that they believe to be false, that the sky is falling in when it's not. However, the transition into "maybe not" reveals the speaker's doubt as they start to believe their own lie.

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judyg13
05-09-2009

Rated 0

The first 15 seconds is my favorite part of the song. This song is such an awesome way to start off an album...

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jesh12d3
04-19-2009

Rated 0

First of all, hi! I just signed up, but I've been coming to this site for months to read users' opinions about meanings of songs and have found pretty good song analyses (is that word right? My native language is Spanish, so my english is not that good... you may have noticed).

Anyway, somewhere (don't recall where) I read that the first line of this song (2+2=5), "Are you such a dreamer to put the world to rights?" is sort of an attack to religious thoughts... is that true? and if it is, could someone please explain? I don't find the relation between "Rights" and religious stuff because of my limited english...

Thanks in advance!

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grasswidow103
04-14-2009

Rated 0

Just a weird connection: in the book of Revelations, St.John claims that God judges one church for being "lukewarm", neither hot nor cold. From my perspective, this links to the idea of being present, "pay(ing) attention" to life.

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justin37013
03-24-2009

Rated +3

2+2=5 is a reference that people can be made to believe anything even when the truth is clear. Because of this, some will use this to their advantage to control people. The song is about exploitation of people by those in control through mind control and how people are oblivious to what is going on even when it is very obvious.

Are you such a dreamer
To put the world to rights?
I stay home forever
Where two and two always makes a five

A reference to not questioning the common thought, staying home and staying brainwashed instead of stepping outside of ones comfort zone and questioning what they are being told to believe.

I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April's showers
And two and two always makes a five

A reference to the people working for a caused because they were sold a concept that was not true. They do the bidding and work of those in control which is ultimately leading to their demise.

It's the devil's way now
There is no way out
You can scream and you can shout
It is too late now

It's too late, once you realize that you've been lied to and the world becomes a corrupt place it's too late. It's so obvious in hindsight but the people did not notice because they were not..... paying attention

The very last line, go tell the king that the sky is falling... but maybe it's not.. shows that even when disaster is clear people are still blind to the truth because the reality that exists in their mind is difficult to change after believing in something so much. They are the victim of someone planting a clearly false idea/concept in their head and they struggle to re-invent their reality.

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Gforce38
02-16-2009

Rated 0

Ideology , false consciousness, its manipulation of the subject, or as we like to think, the 'Individual'.

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portinthedd
03-17-2009

Rated +1

I think we may safely assume that the title 2+2=5 suggests a reference to either Orwell or Dostoevsky,the latter being the first in the literary sense to use the phrase.For my money though I'd bet Orwell.Yorke's writing has a very Orwellian taste to it and i believe that modern America is clearly a satire on The novel 1984.Or should that be the other way around? 1984 does precede The Bush administration by more than a few decades. In fact I'm pretty sure someone read 1984 to Bush as an instruction manual to doublespeak,or d'ble trouble as they say in Texas.

Anyhow, I think the opening lines(refer to "Fitter,happier":Concerned but powerless) describes a sense of powerlessness where the writer or anyone of us just sits at home and have to watch how things disintegrate and being unable to influence the course of history.

"January has April showers"-I think we could get very literal here and think that the lyric concerns Radiohead concern with Global warming and the enviroment,but I think personally that Thom is just reiterating the general sense of things being the wrong way around and I think more or less that that is what he does until he reaches "Because" and I think the song dives into an extreme sense of desperate flailing. " You have not been paying attention" I believe is an obscure reference to Thom's strict Catholic upbringing. Religion being in this sense referred to as a tool to control people and instill in them a overall feeling of fear. The words Hail to the thief is obviously a play on the refrain Hail to the chief.

What comes next in the song is what distinguishes Radiohead from other bands with political songs i.e: U2 or that other awful band Green day. Unlike the aforementioned bands Radiohead does not sing about the worlds ills with that same sense of certainty or self righteousness. Instead they make a perfectly beautiful intelligent song about the then current political climate, but they never forget to deflate themselves with a line like " Go and tell the king that the sky is falling in" which alludes to the children story Chicken little. Where the title character gets knocked with an acorn on the head and then believes the sky is falling in. In other words what Thom says in the end is I might be wrong about everything in this song. Maybe the world isn't at all such a murky place.I might be wrong...but then again I might be right. So let's put it on the record.

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courts93
02-10-2009

Rated 0

yes i think this song is reffuring to the novel 1984.

I could be wrong..

very good novel..

very good song

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uro
01-29-2009

Rated 0

I think 2 + 2 = 5 comes from the old USSR propaganda about how working equally will get the work of 5 years done in 4 years. translated to the song they are saying everyone has just been taking the quickest/easiest route possible but have not been paying attention to the damage they're causing and now they have caused so much damage that it is to late to fix it.

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musemaniac
01-25-2009

Rated -1

After the release of Amnesiac, Radiohead fans were getting uncomfortable because they missed the "old" radiohead" and thought the "new" Radiohead was too electronic. So, at the beginning of this song, when the first song is the plugging in of a guitar, it's like they're saying "we're back!"

Best Radiohead album (in my opnion). My favorites off this album are: 2+2=5, sit down stand up, go to sleep, we suck young blood, There,there, and awolf at the door. Radiohead is one of those classic bands that have influenced rock in general.

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LucidOne
12-10-2008

Rated 0

Guess I'll clear this up for you guys. See no ones paying attention and he's yelling at you to pay attention but no ones listening. If you jut LISTEN to the song instead of read the lyrics you'll understand why he says what he says.
"Ill stay home forever where two one two always makes a five"
now that doesn't make sense, but its why he sings the way he does
"its the dvls.. way out now."
its all about sound, thats why its radioHEAD

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aaaannddy
11-28-2008

Rated 0

I really like the Dostoevsky theory, but how does "hail to the thief" fit in to that?

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scrletbegonias
11-05-2008

Rated 0

when i listen to this song driving around in my car i ALWAYS think my car is making a funny sound because of that very subtle screeching in the background.. but yeah, this song kicks so much ass. the meaning is pretty straightforward i feel.. the whole album "hail to the thief".. i mean, the name says it all. it's very political. are you such a dreamer to put the world to rights? i mean, come on..

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plasticathexis
10-24-2008

Rated 0

This shit is deep. I think it's about God and consciousness as most of there stuff is. People are in a haze of confusion hiding in their homes being fed lies from the television where nothing quite adds up (2+2=5). The world got taken over by satan because people stopped paying attention to god. By god a mean this reality and consciousness that makes it up, not some bearded figure on a cloud. We as a whole forgot that we run this place and it has been destroyed by ego and power. We cant stop it now either, its like Babylon where they tried to have heaven on earth without god. It will eventually slap us in the face. I believe the thief he speaks of isn't necessarily GWB, but the DARK HAND/Illuminati/reptilian humanoids, or whatever it is you believe in controls this planet. They have stolen our souls in a way by controlling our minds, or THE mind that makes it all one.

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Radioface
10-16-2008

Rated 0

I think thom doesnt want people to rape his work. accept it how you hear it. it is a beautiful song. lets not destroy its beauty.

also, thom mentioned that if the album was politically motivated it would be a shitty album. so it isnt.

think and do what you want to but i think it is best to leave it alone and appreciate its awesomeness.

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ohBALLS yeah
09-15-2008

Rated 0

here's what i think it means. i think he's basically tell the govt to shove it. they can feed their propaganda, but he sees through it all. we all can understand what "hail to the thief" refers to. if not you shouldnt be listening to radiohead

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cxntcake
08-19-2008

Rated 0

or put me in a box*

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cxntcake
08-19-2008

Rated 0

Okay...I'm done being pissed off....everyone gets the lyrics wrong and it drives me crazy....these are the exact lyrics, and the ONLY lyrics....look at the caps...if you don't believe me...listen to the album version with big headphones....on top volume...

Are you such a dreamer
To put the world to rights?
I stay home forever
Where two and two always makes a five

I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April's showers
And two and two always makes a five

It's the devil's way now
There is no way out
You can scream and you can shout
It is too late now

Because
You have not been
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
YEAH THAT MIGHT BE IT
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention
YEAH THAT MIGHT BE IT
PAYING ATTENTION
PAYING ATTENTION
PAYING ATTENTION
PAYING ATTENTION
YEAH I MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Paying attention
Paying attention
Paying attention

I try to sing along
I get it all wrong
Because I�m not
Because I�m not
I swat them like flies
But like flies the buggers
Keep coming back
But I�m not

Oh, hail to the thief
Oh, hail to the thief
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not
Don't question my authority or put me in the dock
Because I'm not
Because I'm not
Oh, go and tell the king that the sky is falling in
But it's not
But it's not
But it's not
Maybe not
Maybe not

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rufo.13
06-17-2008

Rated 0

well... if you're paying atenttion... it's the soundtrack for 1984 and Animal Farm ;)

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zzazzman
06-14-2008

Rated 0

If it hasn't already been said, there's an amazing fan video made by Gaston Vinas of grapevineindustries for this song. Whether or not you think the song is a reference to Dostoevsky, you cannot deny that it also has references to 1984. The video takes some artistic liberty and stretches the theme to another Great George Orwell book, Animal farm. Everyone should watch it.

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RIverX
05-29-2008

Rated 0

Devil's influence too strong in this place.Too high influence of the Black Substance(self-absorbing substance,The Devil).EVERY civilization will fade out of here in a certain time(including our civilization)...It is inevitable...Don't ask me why...Just imagine what direction has Lie(hostile,enmity,for example) and Truth(benevolence,love) flows in you...Like black holes and stars.Self-absorption and radiation substance,huh?...

"Are you such a dreamer
To put the world to rights?
I stay home forever
Where two and two always makes a five?"-I don't feel the Truth(God).Why should i try to do this?This is nice place anyway.I can built here my own little "truth"...2+2=5-This is my own little "truth"...No one dare to condemn me...because i have an authority and respect here...Money convinced me in my rectitude...And all my friends agree with me...
"I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April's showers
And two and two always makes a five"-what tracks? I have an amount of my own tracks? And i can sell you one of it...All my friends said that my tracks
is much better...
"It's the devil's way now
There is no way out
You can scream and you can shout
It is too late now"-Devil?Hahaha!I stay here in my own paradise forever...But...Why...I'm so decrepit...And who i am?Where i am?....the eternal gloaming....street spirit....you are the street spirit right now.Stay here till Truth-absorber coming...You are has no way back.
You are already the Devil's being...You betray humanity during all your "material" life; you betray IT(the Truth) there...

Absorption is easier than radiation...It is inevitable...It is natural...It is most painful...

But IT will never betray us...IT'S Love is Infinite...
We cannot give up...

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vedderman
05-18-2008

Rated -1

i love that the song ends with the possibility of the sky falling....or maybe not....seems appropriate to me

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