The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I slip away
I slipped on a little white lie
We've got heads on sticks
We've got ventriloquists
We've got heads on sticks
We've got ventriloquists
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
The rats and the children follow me out of town
The rats and the children follow me out of town
Come on kids
I slipped on a little white lie
We've got heads on sticks
We've got ventriloquists
We've got heads on sticks
We've got ventriloquists
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed
The rats and the children follow me out of town
The rats and the children follow me out of town
Come on kids
Lyrics submitted by Vache, edited by BoskoBiati
Kid A Lyrics as written by Colin Charles Greenwood Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Wow i have read over a lot of these interpretations of this song (and the album as a whole) and i think that EVERYONE is right. I also think that is what the band was going for! As Radiohead fans we all know that the band has had some major influences on their work by other artists, musicians, and authors. One of these being Thomas Pynchon who is the author of The Crying of Lot 49 (for christ sake Radiohead named their merch and email site W.A.S.T.E.!). Anyway, in the book Pynchon deals with the complexity of the mediums of communication (radio, TV, Books, Art, Film, etc.) and how people can become lost and misguided by what they, their senses, interpret. How the 'mis'communication of mediums affects them. As Radiohead became more popular they, Thom especially, became more and more agitated by the media making assumptions about the band, their lyrics, their business practices, and how they were reaching out to their fans (remember Napster?). So the band decided to make Kid A (and im talking about the album not just the song). The reason why the lyrics are so hard to decipher is because the lyrics are just part of the music. The band has left the meaning of the songs up to you, the listener! Thom Yorke especially, is a guy who i feel would say, "people need to think for themselves. they need to decide how something makes them feel and how it affects their life. Dont let some asshole with a microphone and record contract tell you what to think. the meaning of the album Kid A is completely up to you listeners.".......any thoughts on this??
@Peet08 This is the kind of comment that is clearly based on a well-researched and passionate, impartial study of a band. Not only the meaning pulled from the lyrics, but pulled from that and also the intentions of the band itself. Well done. Comments like these make me feel much more confident in the similar comparison of my own interpretation. I'd much rather see these well-informed explanations than those of those people who just contribute their own particular farfetched theories on the meaning on a particular song. Well done!<br />