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

2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.) Lyrics
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知 not
Because I知 not
I swat them like flies
But like flies the buggers
Keep coming back
But I知 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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Karmapd
05-06-2003

Rated 0 
According to Thom (as I've heard it), this song is indeed referring to the last U.S. election. As most people know; something went wrong with counting the votes. The brother of Mr. Bush, who's a gouvernor in Florida (I think it was), decided not to have a re-count and Bush became president with a majority of democrats in the senate.

2+2=5 is from the Hail to the Thief album (to be released on June 9th). The title of this album is also said to be a referral to the Bush administration and the way this man became president.

The lyrics listed above do not fit the album-version of the song. At Ateaseweb.com you can find another version of the lyrics (though not 100%) that fits better.

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vexed
05-06-2003

Rated 0 
last verse : oh joy to the king and the sky is falling down but it.s not, maybe not. these lyrics are irritatingly wrong.

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Bojangles
06-04-2003

Rated 0 
what happenned during the elections in florida was no accident...
As to the acuracy of the lyrics, the band has been changing the song since the first version was leaked, so inconcistencies abound. We'll know for sure when the album comes out now won't we.
The song is definitely a reference to Orwell's 1984, in so far as the government is telling us things that are clearly untrue, but we accept them as a mass so as not to seem "unpatriotic". It reminds me of the silencing and hate mongering that took place under the premise of the "communists threat" throughout the cold war.

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ChucktotheLee
06-04-2003

Rated 0 
In this month's issue of Spin, Thom denies any insinuation to US politics in Hail to the Thief. Thom says he heard the expression, Hail to the Thief, in reference to a 1898 election. Although, he might just be saying that in order to protect the band and their families (Because US nationalism is at an incredible all-time high because of al-Qaeda, bin Laden, and Hussein).

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ChucktotheLee
06-04-2003

Rated 0 
In this month's issue of Spin, Thom denies any insinuation to US politics in Hail to the Thief. Thom says he heard the expression, Hail to the Thief, in reference to a 1898 election. Although, he might just be saying that in order to protect the band and their families (Because US nationalism is at an incredible all-time high because of al-Qaeda, bin Laden, and Hussein).

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wilsonjackson
06-05-2003

Rated 0 
I don't believe the meaning of this song is so specific as to refer to bush or the elections scandal in florida. It seems to address the common apathy and resignation of the public more than anything; the masses who unquestioningly believe whatever they're told, no matter how improbable it may be. I do see the parallels to 1984, though they're probably coincidental. It's a powerful song, and definitely one of my favorites by radiohead.

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Mike_Spike
06-06-2003

Rated 0 
I think 1984 fits perfectly with Radiohead's ideas and themes throughout their songs.

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calcaesar
06-06-2003

Rated 0 
supreme court ruled 5-4 on the election. 4 on one side of the equation, and five conservative bastards on the other

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zeekveerko
06-09-2003

Rated 0 
some of the lyrics are different on the album.
at the end he says:

all hail to the thief
all hail to the thief
coz you're mine
coz you're mine

i can't really pick out what else he's saying on the other parts where it's different.

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Max_Wayne
06-12-2003

Rated 0 
Yet again we have an Orwellian reference, as well as the parallel being drawn to the recent American scandal.

You have to remember that these guys are artists, and artists love nothing more than sticking one on the politicians.

More importantly, I saw them play this live a few weeks ago. If you think it rocks on your cd/mp3 player, wait til you hear em 'doing it'.

F**king unbelievable.

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imnotSxEx
06-12-2003

Rated 0 
i refused to listen to any part of this album before it came out on june 10th, mostly because i think that they wanted to present the album in it's entirety completely produced. i heard really good reviews about the stuff but this first song totally blew me away. i feel that radiohead is combining what has worked for them in the past to make just a totally solid quality album. i'm glad that they finally started using johnny to his potential again, but kept the sort of electronic feel from kid a and amnesiac. i don't know that this song is necessarily about bush, but maybe just about an american apathy towards politics. but i'm probably wrong. it happens.

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DoveLuv
06-12-2003

Rated 0 
The whole song is a reference to the book 1984.

"2 + 2 = 5" : used by the government, doublethink
"don't question my authority or put me in the box" : reference to Winston's character when they take him to room 101 to torture him
"January has April showers" : I can't remember where, but I do believe this phrase is used somewhere in the book

I recommend everyone read 1984 along with Brave New World. It's a scary reality to consider.

Anywho, that's just my opinion.

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darkpop2Dzombie
06-14-2003

Rated 0 
2+2=4

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SyntaxLies
06-15-2003

Rated 0 
EASY DIE HARD RH FANS. ENJOY THE MUSIC.

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NeverBeSummer
06-15-2003

Rated 0 
I think the new Radiohead CD is fucking great, this song is the perfect start to it too. Thom Yorke is a genius. I can see the parallels between the song and 1984 too, along with the election here in America.

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radiohead
06-17-2003

Rated 0 
cant understand the 2:25 thing uve been talkin about.. the track's length is 3:24 here..

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dustofsnow
06-18-2003

Rated 0 
This is my second favourite song on the album
If they did more rock related songs like this (not like The Bends), that would be a more worth while endeavor. This a good album, but it's breaking new ground on a form they already mastered.

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Max_Wayne
06-19-2003

Rated 0 
2:25 - 'Soon, oh' -Jangly guitars
'I try to sing aloud but the music's all wrong'

Dude, at 2:25 the song becomes so RIDICULOUSLY IMPOSSIBLY GOOD that you want to believe that Radiohead have made a pact with the devil himself to acquire their talent.

And yes, 1984 and Brave New World should be on EVERYONE's boolshelves.

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TreeFing3rs
06-19-2003

Rated 0 
i originally thought it was about profit, but reading these shows me no one seems to agree except maybe the synergy ideas

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JUICEbyTAPPY
06-24-2003

Rated 0 
these lyrics are incridibly wrong , come on guys , respect bands enough to BUY their music , then you would get the lyrics in the booklet , and they would be RIGHT!!

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crying of cold
06-26-2003

Rated 0 
Right, the lyrics, are wrong. But the song is great, the best of the album.

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crying of cold
06-26-2003

Rated 0 
Right, the lyrics, are wrong. But the song is great, the best of the album.

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*FelipeVox*
06-28-2003

Rated 0 
What does "LUKEWARM" mean???

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Daveed983
07-02-2003

Rated 0 
Yeah whoever put up those lyrics got 'em pretty wrong. I like the 1984 reference idea, but the only part that confuses me about it is when he says "i stay home forever, where 2 and two always makes up 5" At home he's away from the propoganda and knows it makes 4. I think it's more of a reference to failed plans, and he gets so frustrated by everything not going how he thinks it should have that he'd rather believe the sky is falling in than that his plans have gone awry.

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clarissa
07-03-2003

Rated 0 
wrong lyrics. these are the lyrics posted on www.radiohead.com:

Are you such a dreamer?
To put the world to rights?
I'll stay home forever
Where two & two always
makes up five
I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag & hide
January has April's showers
And two & two always
makes up five
IT'S THE DEVIL'S WAY NOW
THERE IS NO WAY OUT
YOU CAN SCREAM
& YOU CAN SHOUT
IT IS TOO LATE NOW
BECAUSE
YOU HAVE NOT BEEN
PAYING ATTENTION

I try to sing along
I get it all wrong
Eezeepeezeeeezeepeeezee
NOT
I swat em like flies but
Like flies the buggers
Keep coming back
NOT
Maybe not

All hail to the thief
But I'm not!
Don't question my
Authority or put me
In the dock
Cozimnot!
Go & tell the king that
The sky is falling in
When it's not
Maybe not.

(ahh diddums.)

--

...okay, so some of those are weird, but it's more accurate in parts than the lyrics posted here.

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