Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
My mother is a time machine
putting ballads on my knees
always complains about my clothes
telling me don't pick you nose
I with that i could see her there
when she got ribbons in her hair
then I could go ahead and say
I know you when you old and gray
My toys they break so fast
they turn into vintage of the lost
I know then when they fall apart
I will keep them close by
yes, even when they fall apart
keep them close by
putting ballads on my knees
always complains about my clothes
telling me don't pick you nose
I with that i could see her there
when she got ribbons in her hair
then I could go ahead and say
I know you when you old and gray
My toys they break so fast
they turn into vintage of the lost
I know then when they fall apart
I will keep them close by
yes, even when they fall apart
keep them close by
Lyrics submitted by softasfire
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