this song is probably the best showcase of radiohead's genius than any other.
the whole thing is a sarcastic parody of the idea of optimism:
"If you try the best you can The best you can is good enough"
this is what people say, when in reality you could do your best and still come out on bottom. just doing your best and being optimistic is no guarantee that things will be OK.
"The big fish eat the little ones
The big fish eat the little ones
Not my problem give me some"
in other words, just as the daily struggles of the fish are meaningless to us, our daily struggles are also ultimately meaningless, and it makes no difference to the world whether you succeed or fail, or "get eaten by bigger fish"
"This one's optimistic
This one went to market
This one just came out of the swamp
This one dropped a payload
Fodder for the animals
Living on an animal farm"
here it's almost like Thom is imagining the world from an alien's point of view - this one is optimistic, as though optimism were just another trait that the person has, and it ultimately has no real effect on anything.
**** this is where the genius really comes in.
the way he says that last line makes it form the beginning of the nursery rhyme about the pigs ("this one went to market...."). in other words, nursery rhyme = nice little lies that are told to make children feel good.
THEN, at the same time as all that, a third meaning is apparent, when he mentions Animal Farm. Animal Farm was an allegory for Communism (ie, do what work you can, and you'll be ok even if that work is not very good)
"Nervous messed up marionette
Floating around on a prison ship"
by this he is clearly referring to humans as the marionettes - controlled like puppets by forces outside their control - located on a prison ship that they cannot escape from - Earth itself.
"Dinosaurs roam the earth"
another parody of optimism. the dinosaurs did their best to survive, but ultimately were wiped out by forces beyond their control. if optimism really worked this way, dinosaurs would still "roam the earth" because they did their best.
@mrguy6 this is excellent. I agree with your points of view. I think you hit the nail of the head. This song is art in its truest form. It evokes such deep dramatic tones and paints a dark landscape. This song brings me back in time to college at the apex of my struggles in school - i was in near despair. The deep background of the song captures the feeling so perfectly. And all I wanted during that time was to believe desperately that Thom York was not being sarcastic. I...
@mrguy6 this is excellent. I agree with your points of view. I think you hit the nail of the head. This song is art in its truest form. It evokes such deep dramatic tones and paints a dark landscape. This song brings me back in time to college at the apex of my struggles in school - i was in near despair. The deep background of the song captures the feeling so perfectly. And all I wanted during that time was to believe desperately that Thom York was not being sarcastic. I needed that optimistic message to be true. Your description is the bigger picture of it all. the struggle doesn't matter and most of it is out of our control on this ship. But we can try to see the snippets of positivity. it's there despite the bad and the institutions around. We try and try again. and learn and try again. It's reincarnation for the soul despite the worlds we find ourselves in.
this song is probably the best showcase of radiohead's genius than any other.
the whole thing is a sarcastic parody of the idea of optimism:
"If you try the best you can The best you can is good enough"
this is what people say, when in reality you could do your best and still come out on bottom. just doing your best and being optimistic is no guarantee that things will be OK.
"The big fish eat the little ones The big fish eat the little ones Not my problem give me some"
in other words, just as the daily struggles of the fish are meaningless to us, our daily struggles are also ultimately meaningless, and it makes no difference to the world whether you succeed or fail, or "get eaten by bigger fish"
"This one's optimistic This one went to market This one just came out of the swamp This one dropped a payload Fodder for the animals Living on an animal farm"
here it's almost like Thom is imagining the world from an alien's point of view - this one is optimistic, as though optimism were just another trait that the person has, and it ultimately has no real effect on anything.
**** this is where the genius really comes in. the way he says that last line makes it form the beginning of the nursery rhyme about the pigs ("this one went to market...."). in other words, nursery rhyme = nice little lies that are told to make children feel good.
THEN, at the same time as all that, a third meaning is apparent, when he mentions Animal Farm. Animal Farm was an allegory for Communism (ie, do what work you can, and you'll be ok even if that work is not very good)
"Nervous messed up marionette Floating around on a prison ship"
by this he is clearly referring to humans as the marionettes - controlled like puppets by forces outside their control - located on a prison ship that they cannot escape from - Earth itself.
"Dinosaurs roam the earth"
another parody of optimism. the dinosaurs did their best to survive, but ultimately were wiped out by forces beyond their control. if optimism really worked this way, dinosaurs would still "roam the earth" because they did their best.
@mrguy6 THANK YOU someone finally mentions Animal Farm
@mrguy6 THANK YOU someone finally mentions Animal Farm
@mrguy6 this is excellent. I agree with your points of view. I think you hit the nail of the head. This song is art in its truest form. It evokes such deep dramatic tones and paints a dark landscape. This song brings me back in time to college at the apex of my struggles in school - i was in near despair. The deep background of the song captures the feeling so perfectly. And all I wanted during that time was to believe desperately that Thom York was not being sarcastic. I...
@mrguy6 this is excellent. I agree with your points of view. I think you hit the nail of the head. This song is art in its truest form. It evokes such deep dramatic tones and paints a dark landscape. This song brings me back in time to college at the apex of my struggles in school - i was in near despair. The deep background of the song captures the feeling so perfectly. And all I wanted during that time was to believe desperately that Thom York was not being sarcastic. I needed that optimistic message to be true. Your description is the bigger picture of it all. the struggle doesn't matter and most of it is out of our control on this ship. But we can try to see the snippets of positivity. it's there despite the bad and the institutions around. We try and try again. and learn and try again. It's reincarnation for the soul despite the worlds we find ourselves in.