Lyrics for Bangers + Mash as interpreted by black_cow_of_death

Bangers + Mash Lyrics
You bit me, bit me, bit me, ow
You bit me, bit me, now I want more

Standing in the hall
Kicking out the wall
Its all been sent to recover hell
The bangers and the mash
The negatives for cash
You're either in the club, baby, or you're not

Whatever turns you on
Whatever gets you off
Chief of police or vice-chancellor
Lord and lady, blah blah
The vicar or the judge
You are dancing to my little red book

Because you bit me, bit me, bit me, ow
I got the poison, poison, and I want more

If you are on top
Then it is a long drop
The pyramid is power
We're changing the hour
If you are on the top
Then it is a long drop
If you stare into the dark
The black will stare back
Back into your soul

The cheque came through
The cheque came through
The cheque, cheque, cheque

I'm taking you down
I'm taking you down
I'm taking you down
When I go down
I'm taking you down
I'm taking you down
I'm standing in the hall
I'm kicking at the wall

Because you bit me, bit me, bit me, ow
Poison, I got the poison, I got the poison now
I got the poison

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  • 44 Comments
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whapcapn
06-02-2006

Rated 0 
This song is awesome live

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ilovealkaline
06-04-2006

Rated 0 
this song seems to be referring to drinking or some other harmful addiction. he keeps repeating "ive got the poison" over and over

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Drewb18c1
06-09-2006

Rated 0 
well, an 8 ball is an eighth of coke. its just not like radiohead to sing about drug addiction...its too easy. and as far as i know, theyre a clean band...and people who arent addicts arent likely to start singing about drug addiction.

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RdeC
06-20-2006

Rated 0 
Drugs?! I think you're way off with that.

Here's a clue: On the second night at Blackpool, Thom Yorke said this was about "getting caught with your pants down", particularly polticians - referring to John Prescott and his affair with a secretary at the time.

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Mav
06-29-2006

Rated 0 
i might be wrong but i think one part where he says pyramid is power, might be refering to the illumati symbol, the all seeing eye thing, elite government in other words, song may have something meaning along them lines

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Mav
06-29-2006

Rated 0 
i might be wrong but i think one part where he says pyramid is power, might be refering to the illumati symbol, the all seeing eye thing, elite government in other words, song may have something meaning along them lines

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Nonlinear314
07-12-2006

Rated 0 
this seems to be another song about corruption, I seem to see this in a lot of radiohead. Thom is very informed politically, and the references are subtle but the words ring alarmingly true to people who read about the things he dislikes. The IMF, "fair trade", globalism, NO LOGO, etc.. Tasted the poison and wants more. Corrupted by power. Stare into the darkness, look inside yourself and see nothing. soul is gone.

The pyramid is the illuminati symbol of power. So is the owl, which is mentioned in open pick.

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eatenbytheworms
07-14-2006

Rated 0 
I agree with RdeC. It's 'They're all dancing to my little red book', which to me suggests this is about someone who got caught with a prostitute and is being blackmailed. And it's 'The benefits for cash' and not 'An eight ball is for cash'. Brilliant song. I love Thom's drumming bit.

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SilentAssassin
09-17-2006

Rated 0 
the lyrics are funny, very usual for radiohead.
i dont care much about the lyrics though, this song sounds so great

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eatenbytheworms
10-08-2006

Rated 0 
i think these lyrics are more likely to be correct:

"bit me, bit me, bit me, ow
i've got the poison, the poison, the poison now

i'm standing in the hall
puking at the wall
it's all been sent to the conger eel
the bangers in the mash
the negatives for cash
you're either in the club, baby, or you're not

whatever turns you on
whatever gets you off
chief of police or vice-chancellor
i know every 'blah blah, decline to judge'
you are dancing to my little red book

because she bit me, bit me, bit me, ow
i got the poison, the poison
and now I want more

if you are on the top
then it is a long drop
the pyramid is power
we're changing by the hour

if you are on the top
then it is a long drop
if you stare into the dark,
the dark will stare back
back into your soul

i want to thank you, thank you, thank you all
i'm having such a good time, good time
i'm having a ball

i'm taking you down, I'm taking you down
i'm taking you down, when I go down
i'm taking you down, I'm taking you down,
i'm standing in the hall, kicking at the wall

bit me, bit me, bit me, ow
bit me, bit me, bit me, ow
i got the poison"

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steinbeckthepearl
07-06-2007

Rated 0 
Sounds like a drug song BUT !... It's really about the "poison" drug of political power... PS "Little Red Book" for those who don't know references the Red Book of Mao's Communist China... during Vietnam, many protester activists looked to the Red Book as an alternative to the obvious abuse of US power... funny thing, Mao was a mass murderer in his own right, sending his country's doctors to work in the fields only to die, and much worse....

Bar none - politics is never the answer to our problems... yet neither is ideology... too bad we're always stuck having to decide between two flavors of useless Bland, Inc.... All hail the Puppetmasters and their weak-minded pawns!!! Consume more adverts!!! Wage war on drugs or Mexicans!!! It's all the fault of somebody else! Don't blame us, we're the Incarceration KING! The Great American Insurance Military Dow Industrial Complex Inc. will clutch us safe to it's cold mannequin breast!!! Prescribe us your state sponsored soma 'cause we can't watch anymore. Program us, please!!!! Freedom is a sin and the State is my friend!!!! I quit, you win, sign me up for you stupid wars!!!!!!!!

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steinbeckthepearl
07-11-2007

Rated 0 
Sorry. Freak-out.

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T_Cap
09-02-2007

Rated 0 
If they put this on the album, I'll be very impressed. I mean, this is the hardest rocking song they've done since "Electioneering".

I agree with an above post that this song is about corruption, either by the government or by the mass media.

And I can't help but squeal in delight when he sings, "I've got the poison."

Even if you don't understand most of Radiohead's lyrics, you can't deny that Yorke comes up with some pretty cool one-liners.

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mikeyc
09-20-2007

Rated 0 
"This song is about whatever gets you up"

Direct quote from thom yorke live

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mikeyc
09-20-2007

Rated 0 
"This song is about whatever gets you up"

Direct quote from thom yorke live

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nschmoyer
10-10-2007

Rated 0 
Bangers and Mash are the names of two characters in Dragon Quest VII.

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T_Cap
10-13-2007

Rated 0 
This'll be on the bonus disc...it'll probably be the "Bodysnatchers" of the disc (the rocker). Unless, of course, they use the faster-paced version of "Down Is the New Up." Or if "Up on the Ladder" is still a rocker.

We all thought "Reckoner" would be heavy, but they turned that into a slower, mellower song.

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LoserNo1
11-21-2007

Rated 0 
This probably doesn't have much relevance to the song (I'll have to listen to it more if mama buys baby In Rainbows for X-mas) but "Little Red Book" is a Burt Bacharach song that The Standells and Love covered. I'm sure there are more bands that have covered it, but it's an awesome song. Very angsty.

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frankypoo22
12-05-2007

Rated 0 
i'm so glad this was on disc 2
from what I hear (a few changes):

you bit me, bit me, bit me out
you bit me, bit me, now i want more

im standing in the hall
im kicking at the wall
it's all been sent to the conger eel
the bangers and the mash
the nigger is for cash
you're either in the club, baby, or you're not

whatever turns you on
whatever gets you off
chief of police or vice-chancellor
lord and lady blah blah will be calling the judge
you are dancing to my little red book

because you bit me bit me bit me
i've got the poison poison and i want more

if you are on the top
then it is a long drop
the pyramid is power
we're changing by the hour
if you are on the top
then it is a long drop
if you stare into the dark
the black will stare back
back into your soul

[whispered something]

i'm taking you down
i'm taking you down
i'm taking you down
when i go down
i'm taking you down
i'm taking you down
i'm standing in the hall
i'm kicking at the wall

because you bit me bit me bit me
poison, i've got the poison, i've got the poison now
i've got the poison

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topgon
12-06-2007

Rated 0 
Franky I agree with most of your changes but would radiohead really say "nigger"

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Wallamanage
12-07-2007

Rated 0 
Brilliant recording on the In Rainbows Discbox

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frankypoo22
12-07-2007

Rated 0 
i keep listening to it, and it sounds like it... but i agree, it definitely couldn't be, its radiohead

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multisloth
12-10-2007

Rated 0 
Franky's post seems to be mostly accurate to the album, barring the line which to me is much more likely to be "the negatives for cash", referring to e.g. celebrity photos in tabloids. One other line in particular is spotty and difficult to understand, and that's the one where I do hear a "blah blah" and something about a judge. No idea.

In any case, here's what I get:

Power, wealth, status. The perpetual feeling of never having enough. I think that about sums it up.

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saybut
12-14-2007

Rated 0 
Most of this is right I think, he says "lord and lady blah blah the vicar and the judge"

don't think the conger ell & nigr bit is correct though


you bit me, bit me, bit me out
you bit me, bit me, now i want more

im standing in the hall
im kicking at the wall
it's all been sent to the conger eel
the bangers and the mash
the nigger is for cash
you're either in the club, baby, or you're not

whatever turns you on
whatever gets you off
chief of police or vice-chancellor
lord and lady blah blah the vicar and the judge
you are dancing to my little red book

because you bit me bit me bit me
i've got the poison poison and i want more

if you are on the top
then it is a long drop
the pyramid is power
we're changing by the hour
if you are on the top
then it is a long drop
if you stare into the dark
the black will stare back
back into your soul

[whispered something]

i'm taking you down
i'm taking you down
i'm taking you down
when i go down
i'm taking you down
i'm taking you down
i'm standing in the hall
i'm kicking at the wall

because you bit me bit me bit me
poison, i've got the poison, i've got the poison now
i've got the poison


------------------------

Sure the song is just about scandal and "one rule for us one rule for them" within high powers in organisations that can't really be touched. But when something does go wrong these people want to keep their jobs/roles and will do/say anything to keep them. It goes to their heads and if they do fall or are brought from power they try and pull other people down with them. The fact they can't stand to be out of the limelight.

I thought the "kicking at the walls bit" was possibly refering to these people being like children when they don't get their own way.

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thewebofwyrd
12-16-2007

Rated 0 
"niggard" maybe? that would make substantially more sense.

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