I want to
I want to be someone else or I'll explode
Floatin' upon this surface for the birds,
The birds
The birds

You want me?
Fuckin' well, come and find me.
I'll be waitin'
With a gun and a pack of sandwiches,
And nothin'
Nothin'
Nothin'

You want me?
Well, come and break the door down.
You want me?
Fuckin' come and break the door down.
I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready,
I'm ready,
I'm ready



Lyrics submitted by mo0stah

Track duration: 04:40

"Talk Show Host" as written by Thomas Yorke, Colin Charles Greenwood, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Edward John O'brien, Philip Selway

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Talk Show Host song meanings
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106 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I seriously love this song.
    But anyways the first few lines "I want to,
    I want to be someone else or I'll explode" I think it means he wants to be someone else, because he is either ashamed of himself, or of what someone else thinks of him.
    I think the lines: "You want me? Fuckin' well, come and find me. I'll be waitin' With a gun and a pack of sandwiches, And nothin'" show alot of force saying that he is not afraid or doesnt want to hide anymore and is willing to face whatever is to "find" him. This could just be an angry ex lover wanting to come and make him feel bad. It could also mean someone has been trying to find him and he finally doesnt care if they do.
    Flagged ashleym917on July 12, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think maybe hes describing life on the road probably his past running from the police or something.
    Flag xpandaeaterxon March 30, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:well i've a light impression that it's all about the sensation of been STOP, like not moving...
    let's see the first part is about contemplation, of yourself especialy, and does anibody here watch birds while driving?
    to be ready. it's the end of a preparation process, a waiting moment..
    and at the last part of it, impacience grows down the lines
    Flag bionikaoon March 27, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:awesome noob i am posted in someone elses thread, meant to post my own :

    to me i imagined a couple maybe later in their relationship...not sure if she still wants you and is passionate about you any more. maybe things have deteriorated. or she's not really wanting you like how it was when you both initially fell in love. so if you really still want me "fuckin' come and break the door down" and get me. because i still love you
    Flag dirtykunguon January 05, 2012   Link
  • +4
    Song Meaning:I believe the song is one of a person's transition from loss soul turning corrupt through their own narration of events.
    The first verse shows someone who is struggling with themselves and is almost begging to be another person then who they already are. The last line to me means that he's given up hope and is "food for the birds." He has died on the inside at this point

    The next line is where this lost soul is given up following the rules of society and almost entered into insanity. The first line shows anger and that he is taunting his enemies to come get him, losing all hope previously has allowed him to not care anymore about his actions and feels no limitations or consequences to his actions. The last line with a gun and a pack of sandwiches to me shows that he is not bounded by his conscious to act within a reasonable manner (the gun) but that he is almost insane by this new freedom that he doesn’t realize how far out of the realm of society he has fallen (the sandwiches, a very abnormal thing to carry along with a gun, and almost adds an innocence to his gun and actions because he no longer has any grip to the extent of what he is doing) the last line also stresses the loss of hope he has had and that nothing can affect him anymore. He has no soul and does not care what happens to him


    The last verse is the consequences of his actions and the deep hole that he has lead him to. Its almost as this verse is the consequences to his actions in the second one. He has ultimately destroyed his enemies and this is almost society now fighting at him for what he did. He is "hiding behind a door, waiting for it to be broken down" almost as if this is authority coming after him. He just keeps repeating this showing that he is not afraid, but just waiting and is "ready", showing again that by hitting bottom previously that he is ready for what ever comes to him because it doesn’t matter to him anymore. He had already died on the inside at the start of the song, therefore he is not scared of anything else befalling him, even death its self
    Flag angel221on May 11, 2011   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:Someone that is perhaps very restless and crazy in their minds to the point they want to explode. That is perhaps due to a great amount of sanity. I am on this earth, laying on the surface of this earth just for the brave birds and I am ready to be eaten by scavengers like yourself. I AM HERE, I am meat, I am your potential prey. You want me? Come n get it. I'll be very casual in nature, however. You want me? Come on and fight for your meat, for your dinner. You want me? How badly? Break the door down if you have to. I am ready to see how badly...I'm ready....
    Flag marynoyoon March 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Wow... This song is like my life. Wishing I was someone else but still taking the shit that everyone throws at me.. And wanting someone I cant have.. But telling them to fucking well come and get me anyway Coz I wont give up!
    Also, Was Watching Romeo and Juliet in English, (and quite enjoying it) Then Radiohead came on!!
    One way to make 30 teenagers pay attention!
    My Friend Reckons this song is about sex. The chord progression actually does sound quite erotic.. :P
    Flag mscalmbeforethestormon December 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Songs mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. At certain points in my life, when I heard it, it meant something to me that is somewhat different from some of you. I think that, that is the important and valuable thing about music. It doesn't really matter what the author meant. You can derive any meaning from the song that you want.

    For me, the first verse was very literal. "I wanna be someone else or I'll explode." I can't stand who I am and if it doesn't change I will just explode. The second and third verses, to me, were (for me) a plea to god, if you want me, come and get me. It was about not knowing what god's intentions were. Did god want me to be miserable? Did god want me to kill myself? Did god want me to take a certain path before he'd let me be happy? Whatever the case may have been, "if you want me, fucking well, come and find me, I'm waiting." It was saying to god, "What the fuck do you want from me?!"
    Flag ENEMYACEon November 28, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I actually heard (or read?) in an interview with Thom Yorke that he wrote this song about Chuck Barris, the American game show producer. Chuck Barris claimed to have worked for the CIA as an assassin in the 1960s and the 1970s. Thom Yorke, fascinated with this story, researched Barris and eventually wrote this song to pay homage to his story.
    A movie was eventually made about Barris in regards to his career as a game show host and CIA assassin called "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", if anyone's interested. :)
    Flag MermaidsAndSwallowson November 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think that those lines could also be a reference to a feeling of hateful, morbid masochism, while he's "hiding out", he's waiting for society to come and root him out, to shoot him down and end his life.
    Flag Elysium18on October 26, 2010   Link

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