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.
I know what you want the magpies have come
If you know me so well then tell me which hand I use
Make them go
Make it go
Saw her there in a restaurant
Poppy don't go
I know your mother is a good one
But Poppy don't go
I'll take you home
Show me the things I've been missin'
Show me the ways I forgot to be speaking
Show me the ways to get back to the garden
Show me the ways to get around the get around
Show me the ways to button up
Buttons that have forgotten they're buttons
Well we can't have that
Forgetting that
Girls girls what have we done
What have we done to ourselves, yes
Driving on the vine
Over clothes lines
But officer I saw the sign
Thought I'd been through this in 1919
Counting the tears of ten thousand men
And gathered them all
But my feet are slipping
There's something we left on the window sill
There's something we left yes
We'll see how brave you are
We'll see how fast you'll be running
We'll see how brave you are
Yes, Anastasia
And all your dollies have friends
Thought she deserved no less than she'd give
Well happy birthday
Her blood's on my hands
It's kind of a shame cause I did like that dress
It's funny the things that you find in the rain
The things that you find
In the mall and in the date mines
In the knots still in her hair
On the bus I'm on my way down
On my way down
All the girls seem to be there
We'll see how brave you are
We'll see how fast you'll be running
We'll see how brave you are
We'll see
We'll see how brave you are
Oh yes, we'll see how fast you'll be running
We'll see how brave you are
Yes, Anastasia
Come along now little darlin'
Come along now with me
Come along now little darlin'
We'll see how brave you are
If you know me so well then tell me which hand I use
Make them go
Make it go
Saw her there in a restaurant
Poppy don't go
I know your mother is a good one
But Poppy don't go
I'll take you home
Show me the things I've been missin'
Show me the ways I forgot to be speaking
Show me the ways to get back to the garden
Show me the ways to get around the get around
Show me the ways to button up
Buttons that have forgotten they're buttons
Well we can't have that
Forgetting that
Girls girls what have we done
What have we done to ourselves, yes
Driving on the vine
Over clothes lines
But officer I saw the sign
Thought I'd been through this in 1919
Counting the tears of ten thousand men
And gathered them all
But my feet are slipping
There's something we left on the window sill
There's something we left yes
We'll see how brave you are
We'll see how fast you'll be running
We'll see how brave you are
Yes, Anastasia
And all your dollies have friends
Thought she deserved no less than she'd give
Well happy birthday
Her blood's on my hands
It's kind of a shame cause I did like that dress
It's funny the things that you find in the rain
The things that you find
In the mall and in the date mines
In the knots still in her hair
On the bus I'm on my way down
On my way down
All the girls seem to be there
We'll see how brave you are
We'll see how fast you'll be running
We'll see how brave you are
We'll see
We'll see how brave you are
Oh yes, we'll see how fast you'll be running
We'll see how brave you are
Yes, Anastasia
Come along now little darlin'
Come along now with me
Come along now little darlin'
We'll see how brave you are
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We're studying the story of the Romanov family in history class, and amazingly, there WAS something they left on the windowsill... Anastasia's mother Alexandra carved a swastika and the date into a windowsill of the Ipatiev house, the place where they were executed. (This was before World War II and Nazism... a swastika at that time was a symbol of good luck.)
I just thought it was really interesting.