Lyrics for Videotape as interpreted by black_cow_of_death

Videotape Lyrics
When I'm at the pearly gates
This'll be on my videotape
My videotape
My videotape

Mephistopheles is just beneath
And he's reaching up to grab me

This is one for the good days
And I have it all here in
Red, blue, green
Red, blue, green

You are my centre when I spin away
Out of control on videotape
On videotape
On videotape
On videotape

This is my way of saying goodbye
Because I can't do it fact to face
So I'm talking to you before
No matter what happens now
I won't be afraid
Because I know
Today has been the most perfect day I have ever seen

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T_Cap
10-10-2007

Rated 0 
Yeah, someone needs to post the Faust Arp lyrics...because I have no damn clue what they are...

It may be argued, but I reckon this is the best Radiohead album closer since Street Spirit.

The lyrics on the album also seem reminiscent of The Bends, very personal.

Phenomenal song.

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nicexdream
10-10-2007

Rated 0 
um, what buildup are you guys talking about? the nonexistent one? i'm not criticizing the song per se; radiohead should have kept elements of the live version. but that's just my opinion...

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stifler266
10-10-2007

Rated 0 
mesiotopholess is a demon working for the devil in the book Dr. Faustis.... this song is about death and temtation

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stifler266
10-10-2007

Rated 0 
also to understand the true meaning of the song i think you may need a back round to the story. Faustis was a charector who knew he was doing wrong by practicing black magic but never asked for forgiveness. The final scene in the book has Faustis on his death bed. He can see God above him and reaches up to him but never asks for forgiveness. At his feet is Mesostopholess. The key comes at the end when he utters his final words " ahhhh Mesostopholess" which suggest he had gone to hell for his sins and his hesitence to ask God for forgivenss. This is a deep song and I think it can mean differnent things to different people but I belive its about Death, temtation, and judgement. I think like the story he aknoledges his wrongs and sins but accepts death.

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Sevens
10-10-2007

Rated 0 
Beautiful song...very powerful . Seems to be a testament to a life and the videotape being a way to say goodbye. Simple yet profound.

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antennas
10-11-2007

Rated 0 
Best song on the album, IMO.

Is that percussion-esque noise in the background the sound of a train passing by on a train track, repeated over and over? Sure sounds like it.

I love it.

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strykerchick
10-12-2007

Rated 0 
I gotta say, I like the From The Basement version of this better than the In Rainbows version.

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threetwelve
10-12-2007

Rated 0 
"In red, blue, green
Red, blue, green"

When red, green, and blue light are mixed evenly, it creates white light.

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booleanjulian
10-12-2007

Rated -1 
The last line is interesting. Think about the meaning of it for a minute. The claim that a day is the "most perfect I've ever seen" is a fairly big one - in fact, there's no way that any day of a life could so clearly stand out like that due to any peculiarities in the "normal" aspects of life. Rather, it seems to me, that this day is so perfect precisely because it is the day of the persona's death (because this song is clearly about death), the only true perfection that he can achieve. So this song is ultimately a final resolution.
There are a few things this song reminds me of:
Firstly, in Milan Kundera's book, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", he puts forward the idea of two polar opposites, lightness and weight. The idea of weight is arrived from the idea of eternal recurrence, that everything that happens once happens an infinite number of times. If this is the case, then everything has an infinite significance. It has "weight". Conversely, something which is a one-off event, that never recurs, is completely free and insignificant, it has "lightness". Now, throughout the book these ideas are explored in rather broader metaphorical contexts, and the concept of weight is linked essentially to ideas of fate and inevitability, and lightness is linked with the opposite. How does this relate to Radiohead? Well, to me the idea of the "most perfect day" resonates strongly with the idea of weight - the persona's death has weight, and so this is the only even of significance in his life. Also, the song is heavily characterised by repetition that suggests a kind of eternal ebb and flow, which is what first put me in mind of Kundera's idea.
The second thing this song reminds me of is some of the poetry of Philip Larkin, in the sense it gives of being able to just catch a glipse of eternity. In particular, the last stanza of the poem "High Windows":
"Rather than words comes the thought of high windows:
The sun-comprehending glass,
And beyond it, the deep blue air, that shows
Nothing, and is nowhere, and is endless."

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booleanjulian
10-12-2007

Rated 0 
I'm just writing as this comes to me now.

Also, the videotape idea, the idea of something being recorded for posterity forever, is something that very strongly resonates with the Kundera idea of weight.

Just wanted to add that - wish there was an edit button.

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bartbr02
10-12-2007

Rated 0 
ok wow. I know the actual meaning to the song, and kudos for all of the good guesses. Eatenbytheworms was the closest... here it is...

there is a legend that a man named faust wagered with the devil. fasut said "i wager that you cannot make me wish that i was alive for even one moment"...

enter thom yorke...

in "videotape" thom yorke takes the place of faust. thom says to the devil "you cannot make me feel happiness for a moment"...
the devil gives thom yorke a videotape of his wife/lover who had died sometime before.
watching the videotape of his deceased lover, thom realizes that he is actually happy, and that hes never been so happy.

the devil has won the wager...

when thom yorke dies and goes to the pearly gates, mephistopheles reaches up from hell ("and hes reaching up to grab me"), and brings thom to hell..

thom is ok with this though, because he has the videotape of the woman.


this is the basic story of the song... you can explain any other lyrics through this story.. for example:

"this is my way of saying good bye, because i can't do it face to face" this must have meant that his wife died tragically because he never got a chance to say goodbye to her

ok now im not saying thom yorke actually had this experience with his wife dying, i dont even know if he has a wife, but this is the meaning of the song, and in my opinion it is just thom yorke writing a fictional account from another man's perspective... like an author does when he writes a story

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asknoquestions
10-13-2007

Rated 0 
may i ask how you came up with this bartbr02?

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jterrance
10-13-2007

Rated 0 
oh man...

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Wolffy
10-13-2007

Rated 0 
In terms of Faust/ Mephistophiles...bartbr02...

I think some of your ideas maybe be correct, but I think you are limiting yourself a bit by not looking at the whole album

As you said, in Goethe's Legend (there have been many adaptations, I read Marlowe's play personally...) the deal goes that Mephistophiles aids Faust to attain more knowledge/ experiences, until the point where Faust attains what would be "the perfect moment" (I havent read the text, I dont know exact phrasing. At that point, Mephistophiles will take Faust's soul.

One key part (I'm going off a few sources of info here, so don't sue me if I'm wrong) is that Faust experiences a "lustful and destructive" relationship with a woman (Gretchen?). The relationship destroys here, but Faust is given another chance, where he meets Helen of Troy (who, if you know anything about Greek legend, is so beautiful she is worth fighting a war over!). But this relationship eventually goes awry too...

Last, Faust goes on to try and reclaim land from the sea to cement is legacy among men... in doing so, he sees Mephistophiles kill an old couple living on the land, and he is "struck bling" by an embodiement of Care. He then keeps planning on reclaiming this land and making everyone's life better who lives on it, when he has a "beautiful vision of the future"... and envisions happiness

At this point, he dies, Mephistophiles takes his soul, as he claims to have won the wager. Instead, angels from heaven intervene, taking Faust's soul to heaven, where he is reunited with, among others, Gretchen.


NOW... take that for what you will, I think it applies in many ways. For instance, in 15 Steps, Bodysnatchers, Nude, Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi, we definately see a longing and isolation similar to Faust, a desire from more in life. All I Need may show he feels he needs beauty/ someone to love in iife. Perhaps, though I struggle with Faust Arp/ Reckoner, it paralles him making the deal with Mephistophiles.

House of Cards, he begins a relationship like that with Gretchen, hoping it will alleviate his longing, be the perfect moment. Jigsaw I think may show it wasn't all that it cracked up to be... and then we have videotape...

Videotape, he achieves the "perfect day," and isn't afraid to say it. Perhaps he has found true love, perhaps he has found his true path, had his true moment (like Fausts' realization that doing good for all can lead to ultimate happiness)... And he isn't afraid of what may come.

Radiohead pays a great deal of attention to the ordering of the album, and think that all of these are interconnected to a certain extent. While I think they can each be taken individually and mean a certain thing for each person, as a collective whole, they could show an interesting image too

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t3mpus_fugit
10-13-2007

Rated 0 
SO BEAUTIFUL AHHHHhh. If I died listening to this song, I would probably be okay with that.

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booleanjulian
10-13-2007

Rated +1 
I think the whole Faust thing is almost certainly relevant to the album, although I haven't listened enough to have a very clear idea. I still think that Kundera's idea of lightness and weight is a relevant way of thinking about the song, though, even if it's not what Thom Yorke had in mind. Bartbr02, what you say is so tenuous. Firstly, there's nowhere near enough quotable evidence in the song lyrics to back up what you say, and secondly I don't believe Thom Yorke would ever have such a strict narrative idea to a song. His lyrics create general feelings, explore ideas, create fleeting situations. To think of it as telling a story in the way that you describe is in my view completely wrongheaded.

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fearingalien
10-13-2007

Rated -1 
Hi. I am with the suicide-theme. I know, it's the simplistic view. The first thing which came in my mind. I got an interpretation for it:

When I'm at the pearly gates (the moments after death...)
This'll be on my videotape (...are recorded.)
My videotape

When Mephistopheles is just beneath
And he's reaching up to grab me (suicide is concerned a sin in some religions. so maybe he assumes that he will not be welcome in heaven)

This is one for the good days (he has a passion for filming and decides to get his suicide on tape. like when you love the ocean and you want to get burried on the sea. because of his passion for filming he has some sort of collection about happenings of his life where he separates between good and bad days. this is one for the good days)
And I have it all here
In red blue green (Red, green, and blue (RGB) are the primary colors used to create the color we see in a television, computer monitor or video camera. the fact that he is singing "red blue green" instead of "red green blue" can have a deeper meaning. it could also speak against my theory)
On my videotape

You are my centre when I spin away (so, this is the phrase where i really had the idea of a person who is filming his suicide. With "you are my centre" he means the watcher/camera. When he dies (spin away) he is looking into the object of the camera. really, really great phrase. this is sooo good)
Out of control on videotape (out of control = dead)
On videotape

This is my way of saying goodbye (letting you watch him die on videotape)
Because I can't do it face to face (video itself has a deep meaning. it can't be done face to face)

No matter what happens now
I won't be afraid (this 2 lines speak for themselve)
Because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen. (today was the best day in his life. he cannot imagine any better (so it's perfect for him). he knows that for the rest of his life he will always look back to this day. he decides to die, because it can't get any better. the way of recording his death speaks for his decision. he thinks about it in a bizarre, positive way.)

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raijin
10-14-2007

Rated 0 
bartbr02, I think the whole Faust story is relevant to the whole album, but I don't think it's likely it's all this song is about.

I think it could be agreed that Videotape is about death and leaving something behind for your loved ones. It could be a 'song-about-a-song' in a way, like Shakespeare writing poems about being remembered for writing poems, I can see this as being Thom's 'videotape', in the sense that he's conscious of it being (or at least possibly being interpreted as) something he's left behind for anyone who cares to take notice, "When I'm at the pearly gates, this will be on my videotape...this is my way of saying goodbye".

I agree with what booleanjulian said, that Radiohead lyrics are very rarely just what they appear to be, and are more often than not open to very broad interpretation. With that in mind, here's my reading of the subtext:

Using the 'videotape' is useful because it's something everyone's familiar with, but I think it's significant that videotape itself is outdated and a very imperfect medium. You get decay and discolouration, I myself am pissed that my VHS copy of Jurassic Park is slowly dying, and i think that Thom had this is mind.

"Got it all here in red blue green", without going into it, that's where all the colours come from on your TV, and it's certainly not perfect. New TV's and media systems pride themselves on being able to show way more colours than VHS ever could, and it's true. Not to sound like a Radiohead fanboy, but I think this relates to the "this machine will not communicate" idea from Street Spirit.
The 'videotape' that's being left behind, the song, isn't perfect, and can't perfectly relate what Thom is trying to say, just because music and words can't express emotion perfectly.

I think Thom's very aware of this in general, and has it in mind at least sometimes when writing songs.
"You are my center when I spin away, out of control on videotape", given the reclusiveness of all the members of Radiohead, it would be hard to pinpoint who the 'you' is, but in my eyes it's the 'rock' person, significant other etc, who keeps Thom rooted even when he has his own personal crises and crazy thoughts that come out in his lyrics, when he 'spins out of control on videotape'.

Given my idea of this song being about Thom acknowledging his lyrics are an imperfect expression of SOMETHING (depending on what the song is), I think the ending is how he feels about his work in general, that "Today has been the most perfect day", he's actually enjoyed himself, and no matter what happens (death, loss, injury, Jonny Greenwood shaving his head) he has his memories and his 'videotapes', his songs, which are left behind not only for other people to see, but for Thom to reflect on while he's still alive.

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lelgustur
10-14-2007

Rated 0 
Aw... the version In Raibows is pretty glum, I love it... the best line is "you are my center when I spin away" I think is about the person that you loved all the time.

Videotape: the best lyrics evar!

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deny
10-14-2007

Rated -1 
somebody committed suicide and made a videotape for everyone who will miss them. they had a "perfect day" and thought it would be wonderful to end all my miseries now, after such a lovely day.
"This is my way of saying goodbye
Because I can't do it face to face"

if i ever committed suicide, i'd like to die peacefully after a wonderful day with the people i love, not anxious and depressed. do something great before i die. the character of the song might think he is the happiest he could ever be and die happy.

of course it could be somebody dying off cancer or something, knowing there is no much time left so they kill themselves when they are the most happiest. i don't know. but what i do know is that this is the most perfect song i've heard in a long time.

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ces4gnzl
10-14-2007

Rated -1 
i feel this songs is about someone ending their own life. Its a suicide note to the person he loves. It sounds weird but i feel like the song is in reverse like a lot of movies that begin with the ending. He knows she is the best thing he has ever had and he doesnt want to lose it. "Because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen" its like a drug addict that is always searching for the rush of that first high, but instead they just slip deeper and deeper into the abyss and never reach that feeling again. He realizes this and instead of going through the journey searching for that perfect day and person again or taking the risk of losing it he just rather take the upper hand and go out on top. If you read it backwards from the last line up it also makes sense. He knows Mephistopheles will be coming to get him, because in most religions its a sin to kill yourself. He is ok with not going to heaven because he is already there in his mind "When I'm at the pearly gates, This'll be on my videotape" the memories play over in his mind over and over again just like a videotape. As long as he has that no matter where he is hes in heaven so its gonna be ok and he will always be happy. I feel the song is a conclusion to a story about someone who has always been miserable and is now finally happy and he will take his destiny into his own hands too stay that way no matter what the consequences..just my take..it could be considered amazing or morbid but thats the beauty of it just depends wether your an optimist or a pesimest...

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heleng
10-15-2007

Rated 0 
i disagree with you guys, to me this song is about his life flashing before his eyes when he dies and this perfect day that he has spent with his lover/friend/whatever will be one of the good things thats included.
?!

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suckingalemon
10-16-2007

Rated 0 
When I hear the drum beat kick in after the lyric "you are my centre when I spin away", I can't help but picture a 1950's style open reel that has just finished playing its video tape. It makes this circular-like thppt sound that is repeated over and over.

And to me, thats the beauty of this song. It has a certain "Spinning Plates" feel to it - in that its music supports/reflects the lyrics. I don't know necessarily what the sound of spinning plates are, but I think the song did a good job convincing me of what it should be.

So when I hear Videotape - the beatiful lyrics set a mood of reflection at the end of one's life (as many have described)- but for me, it is its haunting drumbeat that creates this wonderful visual image of one reaching the end of a videotape too.

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intothemystic70
10-16-2007

Rated 0 
Well, in my opinion this song is about White Noise. For those of you that dont know what White Noise is, is it's the contact between the living and dead through unchanneled radio or tv signals. It is evident that this is from the perspective of someone who is dead but trapped between Heaven(Pearly Gates) and Hell(Mephistopholis-one of the 7 judges for damnation in hell). And through this "videotape" he is telling the one he loves that everything is going to be okay and that he is finally happy because he realizes things he might have done wrong on earth and is content with his good and bad decisions. Whether I'm right or wrong, this is an absolutely beautiful song.

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aocrkid
10-17-2007

Rated 0 
theres alot of faust imagery in this LP.

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