Lyrics for Airbag as interpreted by piesupreme

Airbag Lyrics
In the next world war, jack-knifed juggernaut
I am born again
In the neon sign scrolling up and down
I am born again

In an interstellar burst
I am back to save the universe

In a deep, deep sleep of the innocent
I am born again
In a fast German car I'm amazed that I survived
An airbag saved my life

In an interstellar burst
I am back to save the universe
In an interstellar burst
I am back to save the universe

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  • 73 Comments
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gordopolis82
02-11-2002

Rated +2 
This song is about getting second chances. The speaker was in a car accident, and is saved by an airbag. His survival is so incredible, it's as if he's been reborn. The feeling is incredible: "in an interstellar burst i am back to save the universe."

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Spin Piggie
02-18-2002

Rated 0 
I agree with gordo here. He's comparing his survival with all these amazing things, coming up with all these crazy analogies, because it was a life altering experience for him.

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Spin Piggie
02-18-2002

Rated 0 
I agree with gordo here. He's comparing his survival with all these amazing things, coming up with all these crazy analogies, because it was a life altering experience for him.

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Kade
03-07-2002

Rated 0 
I agree with Spin Piggie agreeing with Gordo here. Jove W, lay off the acid man, take a breath. It's not sposed to be that complicated dude! :) Thom is really paranoid about cars. It's like he has a phobia of them. He says that they're really unsafe, and everytime he gets out of one, he screams "thank God". He says we don't really have any control over them... we kind of just glide...
Anyway, i'm going to bed

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roger wilco
05-13-2002

Rated 0 
this song is about a near-death experience and how technology saved the "hero's" life. OK Computer is a concept album entirely about technology dominating our lives. in this case, technology helped to prolong life, the "hero" feels reborn.

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davidecoyote
06-12-2002

Rated 0 
Okay, I have no idea what other people are saying, but I want to try whatever they're smoking. I agree with roger wilco, a clear mind above the fray. In addition, I would like to venture this song as being chronologically the last song on the album. Lucky is the crash, The Tourist is limbo, and Airbag pulls you back to life. Technology is suffocating real life, but ironically it can save you?

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2 Replies
SatanSplitoris
06-13-2002

Rated 0 
Airbag, about that car obviously, intersteller burst, perhaps like an H bomb is fukll of air, to save the Univderse as if apocalypse into the Jesus, resurrecting so he said about in his next life, jacked knife juggernaut, I hope Radiohead soes not get reincarnated to be circumcised, that wou,d be mean as Jesus reborn to be circumcised of such pain crucification, again, very bad, anyhow , lucky good will rule over the bad http://hometown.aol.com/jupiterlordjovei/ I would pay that dude or for his science if I was you first, W/$

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blanco_meow
07-18-2002

Rated 0 
Uh, guys, i'm pretty sure "in an interstellar burst, i am back to save the universe" is about the airbag itself. "interstellar burst": the airbag pops out; "save the universe": saves a life.

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rx2kONE
08-13-2002

Rated 0 
You're all wrong, except for Gordo. Thom himself has stated that this song is about the incredible feeling you get when you've ALMOST screwed up really bad, but you just missed it. Like when you nearly slip and fall down stairs, or almost get killed in a car accident but are saved, things like that. Just the amazing feeling that you could have been dead if you hadn't fluked out once again.

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ktims
08-21-2002

Rated 0 
dont u think that this song can also be about a relationship and in the "fast german car " was a girl and he survived that relationship. like she saved his life bc she made him realize that his life would 'crash' as if in a car crash if he stayed with her. i dunno it sjus another way to look at this song besides the obvious

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Daisy13
09-04-2002

Rated +2 
I think everyone here except ktims has got the general idea of the meaning.

It is about an immediate AWARENESS of how precious life is at the exact moment right after you avoid an accident, when you realize that you could have died, but didn't. (Technology is the reason he's still alive i.e. the airbag) It is about a feeling of rebirth and being happy to just be ALIVE. I also have a feeling that when he says i am back to save the universe, he means this experience opened his eyes to a greater awarenes of what our existence means, and how he's gonna do things differently now that he has gotten a "2nd chance" at life.

I definitely agree with wilco, ok computer is a concept album, mainly about how technology affects our everyday life. I think that most of this cd (in subtle and not so subtle ways) goes on to point out how conforming we as a society really are to the values and rules set by our government (political leaders) yet we really have no control, or we may not realize how much influence they (the govnmt) really have, but we don't care anyway.

And I definitely agree with davidcoyote, I think the same thing about how Airbag is really the last song. Or should be heard right after the Tourist (please refer to the Tourist page for my explanation.) I see it as a cycle the cd starts out with the realization of being happy to remain alive and slowly progresses to a climactic ending. But because Airbag is the first song, signifying rebirth and second chances, the cycle begins again.

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1 Reply
jhienkleson
03-16-2003

Rated 0 
The airbag (technology), in this case is not expressed as something great, it is just balancing out the bad of cars with something good (safety).

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hobart
06-12-2003

Rated 0 
it could be what all of you are saying, but i think it might be something completely different. The song gives the idea of some kind of invincible superhero going around in jacknived juggernauts saving the universe. Ironically, he is almost killed by a weak little peice of human technology (car), and then gets his life saved at the last minute by another peice of human technology (airbag).

I think the song's saying how technology is becoming superior to all of us by beating us down and then lifting us up again, eventually causing us to bow down to it.

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comrade_pat
06-21-2003

Rated 0 
I think the "jackknifed juggernaut" is a semi truck or tractor-trailer, whatever you want to call it. I always hear about a semi that "jackknifed on I-94" or something. So I think the accident had to do with a car and a semi.

Did the accident actually happen to Thom or one of the band, or is it just hypothetical?

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motorcycledrivebyer
05-05-2004

Rated 0 
how drug-induced is radiohead?? haha i love it. i guess the secrets to the universe may very well be drugs, cuz radiohead are geniuses. anyway, i agree with people who are saying that ok computer is a technology themed album. they realized that life itself is a cycle of birth-death, and that technology is a cycle. it's killing us, we're killing the planet, but we couldnt survive without the technology. scary huh?

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relephora
05-16-2004

Rated 0 
umm...dude with the name of (motorcycledrivebyer), Radiohead doesn't use drugs. And you'd be surprised how many musicians write powerful songs while sober. This is probably the most obvious and self explanatory song by RH, any fan would know, cuz they know about Thom's car crash accident back in the late 80's. And dude, one more thing, I dont' wanna diss your comment, but Thom is not on drugs, his appearance is bcuz lack of sleep and his past child hood traumas with his eye surgeries.

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newrad39
05-21-2004

Rated 0 
This so is absolutely incredible. Radio head is one of my favorite bands, because of the talent, and emotion in all of their songs. I love yorke's vocals here, and its really really deep. its definetly about a near death experience and his fear of automoblies. i wish there were other beands doing this kind of music... or mabye i don't.

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peripheral
06-10-2004

Rated 0 
Funny. I've never had the issue of wanting to hear "Airbag" again after a listen-through of OK Computer (not that it's not a fantastic song, which it truly is). It seems to be an explanation, a description of the catalyst -- a pre-album revealing of why the album was written at all. Perhaps the band felt that, without a synopsis of the album's motivation at the beginning of OK Computer, the reasons (and the album's nature as a loop) would be lost on audiences.

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la_femme_morte89
10-26-2004

Rated 0 
Even though I agree with most of you guys on your explanations, I have to say that Hobart stole the words right out of my mouth! It was scary how close their explanation was to my immediate reaction to the song. I think that the song is basically about how humans can think that they are "back to save the universe" but are suddenly reminded in some way of the fragility of human life. In this case, Radiohead uses the metaphor of a car crash, but the song isn't necessarily about a car crash, specifically. Although using the metaphor of a car crash adds several new interpretations to the song that wouldn't be there if they had used another. :)

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la_femme_morte89
10-26-2004

Rated 0 
Holy crap. I was just posting my last comment, and then thought about the title of the song. "Airbag" could mean someone who's full of hot air. Maybe the lyrics are about someone who is self-centered and egotistical? I dont know... it was just a thought that occured to me...

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Eatcarpet
11-08-2004

Rated 0 
I agree with the first post. Which reminds me of Fight Club, when Tyler Durden lets his car crash into a tree. "We've just had a near-life experience!".

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liamo
11-08-2004

Rated 0 
I have a completely different meaning, let me explain.
"In the next world war, jackknkifed juggernaut iam born again", Being reborn as new world events start, the helplessness of seeing the world war begin, the rellevence society relying on transport rushing around at a million miles an hour like its so important, noone caring when a lorry overturns as an ivevitable consequence of the failing system, a neon sign picking me up because burgers have a new improved taste and being reborn in the head in this way, forgetting immediately.
Adeep deep sleep of the innocent, your out there somewhere, doing nothing as the evil destroy everything and each other, all our fear driving us to an interstellar scitzophrenic burst....
Maybe.

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Arcadia1
11-17-2004

Rated 0 
airbag is about a normal person (probably very young) terrified of life beyond comprehension then bang!because they have set their mind to just getting out of life their mind gives them a layout for life therefore hailing to this they are brought into a kind of futuristic fantasy world where technology is basically god and everything looks very assertive and like its there for that person in a way,therefore they feel the same and can live.you see are you all starting to get it now its the same for all radiohead albums,same way of looking at it i dont know how you could be seeing otherwise your just making things very complicated and seem to be ignoring things on a certain level?

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liamo
11-18-2004

Rated 0 
See what you mean arcadia, its an interesting view. This song means very different things to different people some of them quite specific. I can relate personaly to the above coment. The lyrics are so abstract, who knows? Maybe its about being late for his tea.

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Arcadia1
11-18-2004

Rated 0 
being late for his tea?lol dont know what thats about but i think thats what radiohead are getting at even though there are ofcourse infinite views you can see this from you know.

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