Lyrics for High and Dry as interpreted by piesupreme

High and Dry Lyrics
Two jumps in a week
I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you boy?
Flying on your motorcycle
Watching all the ground beneath you drop
You'd kill yourself for recognition
Kill yourself to never ever stop
You broke another mirror
You're turning into something you are not

Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry

Drying up in conversation
You will be the one who cannot talk
All your insides fall to pieces
You just sit there wishing you could still make love
They're the ones who'll hate you
When you think you've got the world all sussed out
They're the ones who'll spit at you
You will be the one screaming out

Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry

Oh, it's the best thing that you ever had
Best thing that you ever ever had
It's the best thing that you ever had
Best thing you ever had has gone away

Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high

Don't leave me high
Don't leave me dry

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 131 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
peipunk
11-22-2001

Rated 0 
What does 'sussed' mean?


Log in to reply
saturnine
12-04-2001

Rated 0 
'all sussed out' means 'all figured out'

Log in to reply
Steve
02-06-2002

Rated 0 
how u would leave someone else in a bad situation for your own well being

Log in to reply
Achilles_Libertine
03-22-2002

Rated 0 
"sussed out" - finally grasping the concept of how the world works. I think this song is about thie guy who is trying to impress everyone, and wanting acceptance. But everyone sees through his disguise and don't bother with him and he's lonely so he's left high and dry.

Log in to reply
dysphoria
04-19-2002

Rated 0 
ahem...this song is missing a few chunks. thats bad.

Log in to reply
wiseone
04-19-2002

Rated +2 
This song is about selling you soul. The narrator is talking about this person who has compromised his integrity for success. It talks about how you destroy your foundation when you sellout like this and that the people you have done this to impress will end up hating you if you fall. You will have nothing to support you when you fall and everyone will be against you. Anyway, that's what it means to me but it could also be about a relationship i guess.

Log in to reply
Shezzie
04-30-2002

Rated +1 
It's about someone telling someone to calm down and sort the way they veiw life out. You shouldn't go through life doing things to impress others, you just end up looking childish, showing off and acting the fool. The person will end up thinking your a fool. If you make yourself out to be more then you are you will probably end up being caught out.

Log in to reply
StevieFro
05-15-2002

Rated 0 
This songs written about Evil Canevil, well so Thom York says on radiohead site

Log in to reply
plasticwonder
05-24-2002

Rated 0 
two jumps in a week i bet you think that's pretty clever don't you
boy.
flying on your
motorcycle.
watching all the ground beneath you
drop.
you'd kill yourself for recognition.
kill yourself to
never
ever
stop.
you broke another mirror.you're turning into something you are not.

chorus:
dont leave me high
dont leave me dry
dont leave me high
dont leave me dry

drying up in conversation
you will be the one who cannot talk.
all your insides fall to pieces.
you just sit there
wishing
you
could
still
make
love.
they're the ones who'll hate you when you think you've got the world
all sussed out.
they're the ones who'll spit at you.
you will be the one
screaming
out.

its the best thing that you ever had
the best thing you have had has gone away

chorus

Log in to reply
Bourko
05-27-2002

Rated +1 
i think the character is fascinated with suicide and wants to help ppl with suicidal tendencies..as it goes on i think it becomes about someone wanting to cure the worlds depression but when the worlds depression sucks him in to, he decides to give up and put an end to his life "they're the ones who'll hate you when you think you got the world all sussed out, theyre the ones who will spit at you, you will be the one screaming out "
sometimes when you try to help ppl it can backfire and the bring you down with them!!!

Log in to reply
luzifaluzi
06-02-2002

Rated +1 
its about addiction and insanity

Log in to reply
1 Reply
ShorT
06-07-2002

Rated 0 
this is my fav radiohead song. some people should come in here and talk about it with me!

Log in to reply
BigMac72
07-05-2002

Rated 0 
This is a great song. I've listened to it so many times and still love it.

Log in to reply
assortedjellybeans
07-12-2002

Rated 0 
I love this song. Someone was playing it in my town a few months ago and I was feeling in a really lonely way... and hearing this almost made me cry... since then its had some kind of sentimental value to me.

Log in to reply
georgy
08-05-2002

Rated 0 
A friend of mine told me that this was inspired by the near death experience had by stunt rider Eddie Kidd. It makes sense when you go through the song:-" Two jumps in a week,..broke another mirror, drying up in conversation, insides fall to peices" etc.. Eddie is better now but still cant talk properly. I wonder if Tom knew him?

Log in to reply
dazedkid
08-23-2002

Rated 0 
I think it is about a close friend destroying a brotherhood between them, and Thom is literally saying 'well, you've blown it, sorry, but I did love you'.

Log in to reply
MusicOfSilence
09-02-2002

Rated 0 
The first time I heard this song it was an a capella version by the Cornell Hangovers (absolutely beautiful arrangement) and I couldn't get enough of it.
Then I recently read the Ayn Rand novel "The Fountainhead" and it brought this song to a new level for me. The book is central on an architect in the twenties who wants to live for his art and works for no one but the justice of the structure he is creating. I see this as him talking to the friend he had in high school who was the quintessential people pleaser and would create replicas of classic structures just to get his day in the sun and universial acceptance of his work. The book itself is an amazing piece of literature, and I feel this song flowing through it (even though the book predates the song by some fifty years).
The words are such a plea; you can feel the heartache the person has watching the other sell parts of himself until he is an empty vessel.
On another note, the perfect sequel to this song is "Evaporated" by Ben Folds Five (while I prefer the original "High and Dry", I prefer the Hangovers version of "Evaporated"). It's the one who's sung to in this song coming to the realization that he *has* thrown everything away. Put these two together on a playlist and cry...because everyone relates to it in some way.

Log in to reply
XOoviciousoOX
09-02-2002

Rated 0 
yeah... rock on musicofsilence... beeyotch. this songh reminds me of sid... lets cry stef

Log in to reply
ellen
09-05-2002

Rated 0 
amazing

Log in to reply
chadders
03-05-2003

Rated 0 
This is one of those songs that just change your musical perspective. Well it did for me anyway, since hearing this on The Bends album my range of taste and appreciataion of music. Radiohead was like a starting point for a whole new world of great music. Obviously the lyrics are beautiful although I'm not sure what they're about. The Evil Canevil explanation sounds quite feasible to me. Whatever its about, this song was a musical landmark for me personally, like the kind of song you'll always remember where you first heard. I heard it in June 2002 and I can even remember the subject of the homework I was doing, the memory is that clear

Log in to reply
chadders
03-05-2003

Rated 0 
this song is a life changing (in musical terms) experience

Log in to reply
rubybubble
03-05-2003

Rated 0 
All Radiohead songs seem to have a really deep meaning, I'm starting to wonder if they do. Maybe Tom just wants to create an emotional illusion...
even if its shallow, its a good song.

Log in to reply
TheartsTBS
03-13-2003

Rated 0 
I think that it is about the end of a relationship, the aknowledgement that maybe these two people just arent working out. Despite his emotional feelings he knows that the the relationship is not healthy and they are soon going to be over. Basically, acceptance.

Log in to reply
4methisisheaven
03-15-2003

Rated 0 
AMazing. One of Radiohead's best

Log in to reply
Sexwith Skulls
04-26-2003

Rated 0 
i dont know if this is right but as soon as i read the lyrics to this song i immediatley began to think it was about a daredevil type of person who pushes it to far and gets horribly mangled. the first verse is definately talking about the persons accomplishments (motorcycle jumps) the second verse is the person now mutilated by an accident and lying on the hospital bed. And the best thing this guy ever had was his abilities and now theyve gone away.

Log in to reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here