Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
If you hate the taste of wine
Why do you drink it 'til you're blind?
And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares
How come you say it like you're right?
Why are you scared to dream of God
When it's salvation that you want?
You see stars that clear have been dead for years
But the idea just lives on
In our wheels that roll around
As we move over the ground
And all day it seems we've been in between
The past and future town
We are nowhere, and it's now
We are nowhere, and it's now
And like a ten minute dream in the passenger seat
While the world was flying by
I haven't been gone very long
But it feels like a lifetime
I've been sleeping so strange at night
Side effects they don't advertise
I've been sleeping so strange
With a head full of pesticide
I've got no plans and too much time
I feel too restless to unwind
I'm always lost in thought as I walk a block
To my favorite neon sign
Where the waitress looks concerned
But she never says a word
Just turns the jukebox on and we hum along
And I smile back at her
And my friend comes after work
When the features start to blur
She says these bars are filled with things that kill
By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird?
How could you forget your yellow bird?
She took a small silver wreath and pinned it on to me
She said, "This one will bring you love"
And I don't know if it's true
But I keep it for good luck
Why do you drink it 'til you're blind?
And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares
How come you say it like you're right?
Why are you scared to dream of God
When it's salvation that you want?
You see stars that clear have been dead for years
But the idea just lives on
In our wheels that roll around
As we move over the ground
And all day it seems we've been in between
The past and future town
We are nowhere, and it's now
We are nowhere, and it's now
And like a ten minute dream in the passenger seat
While the world was flying by
I haven't been gone very long
But it feels like a lifetime
I've been sleeping so strange at night
Side effects they don't advertise
I've been sleeping so strange
With a head full of pesticide
I've got no plans and too much time
I feel too restless to unwind
I'm always lost in thought as I walk a block
To my favorite neon sign
Where the waitress looks concerned
But she never says a word
Just turns the jukebox on and we hum along
And I smile back at her
And my friend comes after work
When the features start to blur
She says these bars are filled with things that kill
By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird?
How could you forget your yellow bird?
She took a small silver wreath and pinned it on to me
She said, "This one will bring you love"
And I don't know if it's true
But I keep it for good luck
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More Featured Meanings
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
This has been my all time favorite song for as long as I can remember, and I believe it intends to stay that way.
I just got my girlfriend a necklace of a little yellow bird. I'm such a hopeless romantic, HA.
This song takes me back to my early days of recovery. To me, he was singing to himself. "Why do you drink until you're blind". The beginning of the song is about trying to stay off the alcohol/drugs. Moments feel like a lifetime:
I've been sleeping so strange at night Side effects they don't advertise I've been sleeping so strange With a head full of pesticide
(Sleeping in early recovery was difficult for me..weird dreams, restlessness)
Then, gets restless (as we do) trying to get clean.
I've got no plans and too much time I feel too restless to unwind I'm always lost in thought as I walk the block To my favorite neon sign
And, ends up at the bar.
The yellow bird has always signified hope for me. My daughter is the reason I initially got sober. She was my yellow bird. I can't forget my yellow bird.
thought the "side effects" line was about antidepressants, cause I had strong sleeping issues and they didn't advertise them
As for the 'yellow bird' reference:
They used to send canaries (which are yellow. And birds.) down the mines to find out if there was a lack of oxygen or any other dangerous gases - if the canary died, then they knew that something was wrong, and so they didn't send the humans down.
So, "did you forget that yellow bird?" - did you forget to send the bird down first, to check if the coast was clear? Did you just plunge ahead and find out too late that there was danger awaiting you?
Just a theory :)
I think this song, like many songs, is about being stuck in "that place". That place in your life where you're young and have no idea where you're going and you want to go back to when you were a kid and happy, but you have to move on, and people sometimes don't know how to do that. Kind of like a quarter life crisis. I think there is a lot of references to people being depressed/stuck in this song, like the person who drinks wine til their blind and the waitress who looks but doesn't say a word. She knows the narrator is depressed but just lets it be. that's just what I get out of it anyway.
I've read someone mention elsewhere that the line ''You're the yellow bird I've been waiting for'' in Poison Oak means his friend's brother dying was what led Conor to stop abusing alcohol and drugs. (i.e: that death was the ''yellow bird'' that alerted him to how much he was putting his life in danger, just like yellow birds used to alert ppl that mines are dangerous).
So, I think
And my friend comes after work When the features start to blur She says these bars are filled with things that kill By now you probably should have learned
Did you forget that yellow bird? How could you forget your yellow bird?
means his friend telling him ''How could you forget that people die from drinking the way you're doing? How could you forget your wake-up call?''
this song is beautiful
my favorite part is the second line "And if you swear that there's no truth and who cares, how come you say it like you're right?" then also "for a ten minute dream in the passenger's seat while the world was flying by, you haven't been gone very long but it feels like a life time."
he captures things so well that I hear him describe the obvious and I feel this BAM of a realization, and i love that<p><b><i>Edited by mellow_harsher on July 23 2005, at 12:42PM</i></b></p>
i'm not a fan of the lady.
I found this on Urban Dictionary...
1.yellow bird
a person's true love; the one person they are both externally and internally, both consciously and subconsciously attached to with the realization that those feelings will never die; the one person that they know they can't live without
if they find this person, they are the luckiest in the world. if not, they are eternally screwed.
i love this song. i hope it gets released because seeing it performed live was amazing x 30303
At the manchester show lastnight he said it's about people who live their life always on the road, like the bands. 'If you hate the taste of wine why do you drink it till you're blind? ' I love it.