One two three four

Wakey wakey
Rise and shine
It's on again, off again, on again
Watch me fall
Like domino's
In pretty patterns
Fingers in the blackbird pie
I'm tingling tingling tingling
It's what you feel now
What you ought to, what you ought to
Reasonable and sensible
Dead from the neck up
Because I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But no, no, no
For no real reason

Squeeze the tubes and empty bottles
Take a bow take a bow take a bow
It's what you feel now
What you ought to
What you ought to
An elephant thats in the room is
Tumbling tumbling tumbling
In duplicate and duplicate
Plastic bags and
Duplicate and triplicate
Dead from the neck up
Guess I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But no, no, no
Exactly where do you get off
Is enough is enough is enough
I love you but enough is enough, enough
A last stop
There's no real reason



Lyrics submitted by life_aint_chess, edited by George0312, Planet

Track duration: 02:07

"Faust Arp" as written by Thomas Edward/greenwood Yorke

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Faust Arp song meanings
Add your thoughts

86 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Just a little bit disappointed in most of the interpretations, particularly the ones that don't know the cultural significance of 'Faust' and 'Arp' or that claim that these terms signify some sort of gibberish or phoenetic meaning. Let's go forward pretending that everyone here is adequately educated about art and literature history (yes, I know this is a pipe dream) and let me just add for now that I'm pretty sure I'm the first to point out that 'Stuck, stuck, stuck' is a reference to the 'Stuckist' movement, a school of the 'Young British Artists'.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
    Flag kegelon September 06, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Lyric Correction:Just to point out, in the official In Rainbows sheet music book, the lyric is actually "You'll go to hell for our fathers/You got melted to butter"
    Flag George0312on July 25, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Inspired by the story "Faust" for sure. I have not noticed this anywhere else but I am sure the last lyrics are "head full of fetters" and it drives me crazy no one else seems to think so? Fetters as Buddhists refer to the term, negative thoughts/feelings in the mind, blocking the path to enlightenment.
    Flag VixAloe82on July 11, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is just great. For me this song has been carefully put together quite deliberately ambiguous, but the dominant "story" is a failing relationship. The whole album is full of little traces of this (as well as the Faust theme)... "Thanks for whatever. 15 steps then a sheer drop", "Now that you've found it, it's gone", "Hit the bottom and escape", "I only stick with you because there are no others", "bittersweet distractors", "separate like ripples", and a bunch more.

    Some other thoughts:

    * I think there's a political overtone lurking in here too. This album was being written just about when Tony Blair ended his prime ministership. TY's enormous disillusionment with the Labour Party, who he initially supported is well known. The refrain of "We thought you had it in you but no" screamed this at me the first time I heard it. Why else use "we"? There could well be a failing relationship=political disappointment metaphor going on in general.

    *"Fingers in the blackbird pie". Grade A lyrics - I bet Tom enjoyed this one. Simultaneously, he's managed to imply nursery rhymes (a favorite theme), doing something you shouldn't (this has to be an affair, surely?? Getting caught with your fingers in the pie being an idiom), and best of all, he's given a sly wink to the fact that this song owes an awful lot musically to "Blackbird" by the Beatles. Well done that man.

    *I really have to read Faust.
    Flagged SiccarPointon April 14, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Lyric Correction:Wakey wakey rise and shine
    It's on again, off again, on again
    Watch me fall like dominoes in pretty patterns
    Fingers in the blackbird pie are tingling, tingling, tingling
    It's what you feel, not what you ought to, what you ought to
    Reasonable and sensible, dead from the neck up
    I guess I'm stuck, stuck, stuck
    We thought you had it in you but not, not, not
    For no real reason

    Squeeze the tubes and empty bottles
    And take a bow, take a bow, take a bow
    It's what you feel, not what you ought to, what you ought to
    The elephant that's in the room is tumbling, tumbling, tumbling
    In duplicate and triplicate and plastic bags and
    Duplicate and triplicate, dead from the neck up
    I guess I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
    We thought you had it in you but not, not, not
    Exactly where do you get off?
    It's enough, it's enough
    I love you but enough is enough, enough of that stuff
    There's no real reason

    You've got a head filled with feathers
    You've melted into butter
    Flagged paperbagwriteron February 27, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is a beautiful experience. It is a piece that [musically] touches you with tenderness, kindness and grace. The lyrics here speak about Yorke's experience of reality -that there is no way to escape one's shit. Shit that is so deep rooted that it will never go away. Telling the listener that deep rooted into your being is shit that despite all your efforts will bring you down. "Im stuffed, stuffed. Thought you had it in you but no, no. There's no real reason". I feel this touches something real deep within the human soul. However; the music touches something else. Touches something equally deep -if not more. A knowledge that peace exists somewhere. That somewhere is a place where you are whole, that you can live the fullness of your being. The strings in the song convey this particularly. I think the song really speaks of a deep feeling that you're fucked. That you'll never be who you want to be. With an undercurrent of yearning that wont go away. A yearning for peace, for wholeness, fulfillment. I think this yearning is inside for a reason...
    Flag visionlesson November 26, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:DRUGS.
    Flag mallgothon November 14, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:"Full Stop" - say it fast, and with an Oxford accent
    =
    'Faust Arp'
    Flag hymon May 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Thanks for the clarification of what the title is. This is my favorite song on the album and it's an amazing album. It's pretty different from most of RAdiohead's other stuff... it's really pensive and beautiful. Someone's comment that Arp comes form the last name of the founder of the Dadaist movement was interesting, because I just looked up the song I Zimbra by Talking Heads to find out what language it's in and turns out it's from a poem by Hugo Ball, who was part of the Dada movement (sorry but the word Dada sort of makes me laugh). it's just exploring various sounds and consciousnesses.
    Flag rainintheroseson May 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's clear, the song is about a conflict between religous and nihilistic beliefs, as Faust Arp implies. Faust was an alchemist of German legend who sold his soul to Mephistopheles in exchange for knowledge. Mephistopheles is considered by many sources to be Satan. If Satan exists then so does God. Religion. Arp was an Alsatian artist and poet who was cofounder of dadaism in Zurich, Switzerland. Dadaism was a nihilistic art movement in 20th century Europe. Nihilism, by definition, is the delusion that things (or everything, including the self) do not exist. The lyrics seem to support it. The key verses to this song are, "There's no real reason" and "You've got a head full of feathers, You got melted to butter" There's nothing in your head, you are nothing.
    Flag Madskittleson April 24, 2011   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain