In my mind
And nailed into my heels
All the time killin' what I feel
And everything I touch turns into stone
All wrapped up in crinoline
All wrapped up in sugar-coated

Just in case I blow out

I am glued

Just in case I crack out
And everything I touch turns to stone

Everything I touch turns to stone

All wrapped up in crinoline
All wrapped up in sugar-coated



Lyrics submitted by piesupreme, edited by saysrachel

Track duration: 04:42

"Blow Out" as written by Thomas Edward/selway Yorke

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Blow Out song meanings
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35 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:This song is on infectious replay in my brain for the past week. I relate to it so much; not just now, but in a big picture sort of way. The lyrics are sparse and extra metaphorical, which lends to endless array of possible interpretations.

    For me, the song is about a person who has spent their life with an overwhelming tendency toward romanticism, paired with an unfortunate, overshadowing fear of heartbreak. The result of which is one desperately reaching out, and then desperately fleeing the scene, trying to forget, crawling into one's cocoon, wearing the mask of cavalier, unable to act, but ultimately regretting inaction. The song is a hot river of emotion imploding in itself because he's too repressed to truly "crack out" into the volcano that it implores.

    It turns to stone.
    Flag saysrachelon May 18, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I just came home from a social evening thinking "I had a blow out" and that reminded me of this song. What happened was I really hardly spoke to anyone the whole time. So I agree that it's about social awkwardness. Anything I might have done in the way of involving myself in what was going on around me just seemed to be destined to kill everything.
    TY has apparently said he has suffered bipolar disorder and I think this is to do with the lyrics in this song. When a manic phase (such as I seem to have been in for the last few weeks/months) is fading away it's like all the air coming out of your tyres or something.
    "In my mind
    And nailed into my heels [=stuck in my shoes, ie unable to put myself in another's place, also not responding quickly enough to what's happening)
    All the time killin' what I feel [no flow or life to my feelings)
    And everything I touch
    (all wrapped up in cotton wool)
    (all wrapped up in sugar-coated pills) [all sort of insulated from me, oversensitive to my perhaps harsh, but also crashing mood)
    turns to stone"
    Just my interpretation.
    I agree it's a really nice song -one of those you don't automaticallly think of as great, but it lingers andmakes a very special, unique imprint.
    I love Pablo Honey, even if TY doesn't!
    Flag roymethkoon July 10, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think it has the same vibe that later characterized their later music; the layering, sampling and structure.
    Flag crunchiemanon December 26, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I seriously think this song is about being self-conscious.
    Flag ObamaGoesPostalon June 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I have a good feeling it's just about preparation for the worst. The lyrics suggest that the person is aware they cause horrible things to happen ("Everything I touch turns to stone"), and so take precautions to prevent it from happening in the future ("I am fused"/"I am glued"/"All wrapped up in cotton wool"/"All wrapped up and sugar coated"), despite being forever reminded of the damage they've caused or could cause ("In my mind, nailed into my heels"/"All the time killing how I feel").

    That's my take on it anyway!
    Flag MatchstickLeeon December 02, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Yeah, musemaniac, exactly what I was thinking re: the Midas Touch - except in Blow Out's case it would be the anti-Midas touch.

    (Incidentally, the band Silverchair have a song referencing the anti-Midas touch phenominon, called The Man Who Knew Too Much.)

    Blow Out basically sounds like the self-talk of someone who's nearing a nervous collapse on the inside but TRYING so hard to hold it all together out in the Real World.
    Flag Lantaon June 12, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"Jonny's favorite Pablo Honey track and the band's closing song of choice for many of the early shows, "Blow Out" is one of Thom's more personal songs about low self-esteem." from the site greenplastic.com/
    Flag Stevie753on October 01, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:I think this song is about unintentional emotional unattachment, The person wishes they could feel more about things, but they have a curse, Midas Touch (Everything I touch turns to stone), and is so depressed they think they are going to "blow out".
    Flag musemaniacon January 23, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I just watched the Astoria '94 DVD for the first time in a while and was reminded of just how great this song can be. The album version is one of the few tracks on Pablo Honey I'll go out of my way to listen to, but it has nothing on the live version. Anyone who hasn't seen it should look up the Astoria version of this song on Youtube or whatever. The band as a whole sounds amazing, but Jonny's performance on that is absolutely phenomenal.

    I think it's a step above the rest of PH lyrically (though it's still not at the level of the vast majority of the songs that came afterwards). I like that it's a bit less direct than other songs on the album.
    Flag blacklacelilyon June 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:hands down best pablo honey
    it's just a step above every other song on the album
    i love the noise collage at the end with the echoed guitar effects
    probably one of my top 10 radiohead songs
    "I am fused just in case I blow out.."
    Flag treefingers505on February 06, 2008   Link

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