Lyrics for Paranoid Android as interpreted by piesupreme

Paranoid Android Lyrics
Please could you stop the noise, I'm trying to get some rest
From all the unborn chicken voices in my head
What's that, what's that?

When I am king you will be first against the wall
With your opinion which is of no consequence at all
What's that, what's that?

Ambition makes you look pretty ugly
Kicking, squealing, Gucci little piggy

You don't remember, you don't remember
Why don't you remember my name?
Off with his head, man, off with his head, man
Why don't you remember my name?
I guess he does

Rain down, rain down, come on rain down on me
From a great height, from a great height, height
Rain down, rain down, come on rain down on me
From a great height, from a great height, height

That's it sir, you're leaving
The crackle of pig skin
The dust and the screaming
The yuppies networking
The panic, the vomit
The panic, the vomit
God loves his children
God loves his children, yeah

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SalsaBalls76
02-06-2008

Rated 0 
Meee91, Paranoid Android may seem like it's about nothing or can be interpreted in many ways. Many songs out there are like that, it doesn't make them silly or stupid because of it. This song however, appears to be talking about various feelings (which a feeling, as you know can sometimes be difficult to express properly in words). Or various events that make more sense to the band.

For example, say your cat died, on the same day it was your birthday, and the following morning your girlfriend tells you that she's pregnant with someone else's baby. You could write a song about it, and have the lyrics be exactly that. "My cat died.. my birthday sucked... girlfriend cheats on me and has his baby" or you could try to express those feelings and perhaps the overall state more poetically. Then subtract certain key elements from that song so that it has a more ambiguous nature and more people can relate to those feelings not just those that have dead cats on birthdays with unfaithful ex-girlfriends.

That said, I think the title and attitude of the song does have an influence from HTTG's android. The three songs each have their own flavor I think the song is told from the perspective of someone who is paranoid and unstable. That much nearly everyone agrees on. His opinions off the world constantly flip-flop, at the start he's sort of having this delusions of grandeur moment, then he's suddenly enraged.. at what? Well that at what could be corporate or political elements in the world.

Since this is Radiohead it is probably consumerism, and the record industry at the time. But it can apply to anything you want it to that represents an arrogant 'authority' of some kind.

After the anger subsides, the voice calms down, almost asking or praying that his inner turmoil can subside .. that's the Rain Down.. Rain Down.. God Loves his Children part. However his paranoia soon returns with his sarcastic "yyeeeeeeaaaahhhh" and the music once again returns to the chaotic mess of the 2nd piece.

I feel really sorry for people who don't get it, this song really is a masterpiece, I'm not sure if it's their best song ever, my personal favorite is Let Down and Pyramid Song.

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Ajb1892
02-15-2008

Rated 0 
'God loves his children, God loves his children. Yeah'
My favorite line ever. It seems to be describing a mental breakdown, with the voices in his head and the anger towards the people he wishes to destroy when he has power. Also, i always thought the rambling nature of the lyrics and the way some of the words are jumbled quite nicely reflects the unstable thoughts that can run around your head. The song ends with a feeling of utter hopelessness and a feeling of abandonment.

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subliminal_k
02-25-2008

Rated 0 
and this song deffinatly has a meaning, a very strong meaning.. for those of you who say there is not

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subliminal_k
02-25-2008

Rated 0 
oh shit, i commented on the wrong song.. haha. that last comment was meant for pyramid song

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cahoopuk
03-19-2008

Rated 0 
The 'original' lyrics for this song add to the whole pearly gates / religious meaning to this song:

God loves his children
Thats why he kills them, yeah

I was really surprised when I found out that these were the original lyrics as its such a bold statement but very un-radiohead to remove/tone down lyrics. I mean, sure, the yeah has been turned into an ironic yeah (right) but I always find myself singing 'thats why he kills them' when I sing along to it

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cahoopuk
03-19-2008

Rated 0 
The 'original' lyrics for this song add to the whole pearly gates / religious meaning to this song:

God loves his children
Thats why he kills them, yeah

I was really surprised when I found out that these were the original lyrics as its such a bold statement but very un-radiohead to remove/tone down lyrics. I mean, sure, the yeah has been turned into an ironic yeah (right) but I always find myself singing 'thats why he kills them' when I sing along to it

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Paranoiddroid
03-23-2008

Rated 0 
cahoopuk, I never knew that, cool...

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Khemic
05-07-2008

Rated 0 
They should have never made the video. The video totally detracts you from the song. Like most of Radiohead's work this song is much better when you just LISTEN to it. The song seems to be about someone who became detached form society and now lives his life in a paranoid depression. A theme I personally love to see raised because nowadays many seem to ignore these social issues because the are not “positive”

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im a radiohead
05-11-2008

Rated 0 
greatest song ever.

anyone agree?

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evilbaby
05-11-2008

Rated 0 
i think this song is about government control and/or tyranny. but then again, this song is kinda ambiguous. at first, i thought it was about animal cruelty.

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HeartlessHateful
06-26-2008

Rated 0 
Firstly: Just in case anyone didn't know, this was the ending song for the Japanese anime 'Ergo Proxy.'

Secondly: I love this song. The words aren't the only things that describe life. The music itself seems to weave a tale of existence in this world. That's what I think.

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timothynicholas1976
07-12-2008

Rated 0 
This is my favourite Radiohead song. It kind of takes you through a journey of his emotions. I like how unconventional this song is, It really couldn't be put into any genre.

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simo2332
07-14-2008

Rated 0 
this song is about schizophrenia. if you know anything about schizophrenia then you will probably see the what i mean.

and to heartlesshateful, ergo proxy was brilliant. i think they used this song as the end theme because the anime was about (spoiler) vincent being the alter ego of ergo proxy, which ergo proxy created so he could live a normal life as a productive member of society...? the song goes perfectly with it any way lolz

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misterinteger
07-19-2008

Rated 0 
I definitely agree that this song is about schizophrenia. The speaker, whoever he is, is schizophrenic, and is talking to the same listener throughout. The voices in his head fit, of course. He talks about how he will be king, and how when he is, everyone will pay. "When I am king you will be first against the wall".
Possible the android portion of the title is how the schizophrenic speaker sees himself, as an android?
But I think "God loves his children" is meant to exclude the android, speaker, I character. An android, after all, is not a child of god, but a creation of mankind, an artifice. Reference my favorite book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. :)
As for the yuppies line, I think we can ascribe it to schizophrenic ramblings of a conspiracy...

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Joelbeets
07-31-2008

Rated 0 
I imagined the words coming from me, and my meaning goes like this:

At first, the speaker is in turmoil because he has begun to realize the cacophony of wrong that the human race is causing. Nearly everything seems exactly backwards and subsequently becomes a reminder of what needs to change. With each realization of how something SHOULD, he becomes aware that there are countless more waiting to hatch. Although the realizations weigh heavily on him, he strains to hear inside the shell in the hopes that he can correct it before it's too late. The character would need an incredible amount of influence to "fix" the problem, but sees this as his most important goal...becoming king would give him this power.
Having someone against the wall simply means that they have to face you. Your opinion doesn't matter, you have to listen to me. I imagine that during the subsequent conversation, the "king" would ask the people about themselves, hoping that they might realize on their own the extent to which they are preoccupied with objectives that only hurt their person - i.e. ambition for financial success or acquiring material things or vanity.
He notes that you don't seem to give a damn about a person until they try to hurt you (cut off your head)...or more importantly, do hurt you. After you've been hurt, you dwell on your sorrow and beg for sympathy from everyone...worst of all you hold onto the anger until it controls you.
He asks the man above to reign down on him. Help him to gain the trust of everyone he wants to help and to have the type of power that only Jesus and maybe a few others such as George W. Bush (joke. ha?) have ever achieved.
At the end are a few examples, such as the attraction to physically violent activities (American football) the unpleasant noise everywhere and the filth and stench we produce and that carelessly destroys the beauty of our earth.
Words of hope at the end. God does love his children and his love has the power to fix things.

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Joelbeets
07-31-2008

Rated 0 
Just became aware of the original lyrics, thanks cahoopuk. "That's why he kills them," though certainly controversial, explains that god loves us enough to save us from this place.

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marsz_g
08-03-2008

Rated 0 
ITS TOO DAMN GOOOOOOOOOODD.
i love iiiiiiiit

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Drakehyman09
08-08-2008

Rated 0 
First of all...i hate it when your average idiot gets on a website like this and says "I THINK THIS SONG HAS TO DO WITH A GUY, AND A RELATIONSHIP HE IS IN, AND A GIRL, AND blah blah blah...we've seen it thousands of times..."

other than that...the first time i listened to this song, the first word that came to my mind was "power". from the time you first hear the jutting guitar riff before the solo (and before Thom sings "ambition makes you...), I am blown away by the sheer power of this song, not in the "aww it's so moving", but i mean, literally, power.
Energy, movement, alacrity, insanity, control...
everything about this song, though it may have (along with the rest of OK Computer) driven Thom mad, this song has something i think other songs haven't been able to touch upon yet.

In a way, this song defines Radiohead, at least in their current state today. From OK Computer on, you never hear Radiohead sounding like they did when they were head-bopping to High & Dry, but rather, you feel their deep, sometimes disturbing, view of the world that really does, in several ways, make them seem like Paranoid Androids.

I cannot find anything optimistic or openly cheerful (not saying it doesn't make me happy, for it does) about Kid A, Amnesiac, HTTT, or In Rainbows)

I think this song changed Radiohead for good, but of course Thom would tell you it was the OK Computer tour that changed them...but i think it all began in this song.

Great, timeless song. classic even.

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im_a_pirate
09-11-2008

Rated 0 
okay, first off this song doesn't seem like it's supposed to make much sense. But if it actually does, then it has something to do with society today. And, not much to do with Radiohead, but still sort of relevant, since many people compare it to Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie Mercury had said in an interview years ago, that he wrote Bohemian Rhapsody without knowing what it was about, and by trying to pick it apart and learn it's meaning, it takes away the mystery surrounding the song. I think the same about this song. Don't try and pick it apart.

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carrot rope jive
09-12-2008

Rated 0 
all of this over-analyzing is making me want to panic and vomit

this song is structured exactly like Happiness Is A Warm Gun. has anyone else recognized that?

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carrot rope jive
09-12-2008

Rated +1 
all of this over-analyzing is making me want to panic and vomit

this song is structured exactly like Happiness Is A Warm Gun. has anyone else recognized that?

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RetroUltraModern
09-22-2008

Rated 0 
While there are references to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I believe this song and the album Okay Computer have a strong anti-cruelty to animals theme. Throughout the album, there is an undertone of outrage at the atrocities committed by humans against other animals. Lines like "stop the noise I'm trying to get some rest from all the unborn chicken voices in my head", "kicking, squealing Gucci little piggy", and "the crackle of pigskin" in Paranoind Android all refer to animal testing and factory farming. At the end of Paranoid Android, during the final gut-wrenching guitar part, you can hear in the background what sounds like the squeals of a helpless pig being tortured, probably being burnt alive for a "scientific experiment." Other songs on the album refer to "a cat tied to stick" and "a pig in a cage on antibiotics"(Fitter Happier), as well as "it's just business - cattle prods and the IMF" (Electioneering), and the killing of spiders and insects (Fitter Happier and Let Down) - which further make a case against the horrific acts of torture and cruelty, and basic disregard for the lives of non-human animals our society condones in the name of science and big business.

Thom Yorke of Radiohead is a Vegan. Kudos to him and the whole band for so artfully expressing anger at the disgusting things people do to other species. If you are moved by this song, please do some research to learn about the sadistic and violent practices of animal testing and factory farming.

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sorich_sopretty
10-01-2008

Rated 0 
the guitars in this song are hypnotizing

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Brian22
10-01-2008

Rated 0 
It says on wikipedia the lyrics before they recorded the song were "god loves his children, thats why he kills them". If that helps at all

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sjtwillow
10-14-2008

Rated +1 
to me it sounds inspired by Charles Whitman, the sniper affected by a brain tumor.

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