Trans-Atlantic Drawl

Now this be a funky one, like lots of Radiohead songs. I think the first part is the struggle to become famous, hence the wailing of the speaker that "I was born for your magazine". But, basically, the last part stumps me completely and utterly. I like Radiohead.

its about the tabloids and howthe tabloids are so fake and they can make up stories about anyone, including radiohead. here thom "doesnt know what it means" meaning that all the tabloids say about him/the group is fake. the 2nd half of thr song, much more mellow, is thom trying to block out the tabloids for when he retires his career of radiohead and can rest in peace, away from the tabloids. he is looking foward to that day at the end of the tunnel. just my opinion, hope it made some sense....peace out. by the way, the guitar is the first half kicks so much ass

Amnesiac b-sides have a foundation on uneasiness. Amazing Sounds has the prophesized collapse of the banks, Kinetic is built around a figurative need to run; get kinetic. Worrywort is on regret. Fog is a mix of fearmongering, eternal juvenility, and guilt. Cuttooth rests on war and feeling misinterpreted. Fast Track just as an uncomfortable instrumental and an eerie mantra about insignificance/weakness. Trans-atlantic Drawl covers a figurative claustrophobia, and an uneasiness towards the war developments around the globe happening at the time, considering "the light at the end of the tunnel" came from an Iraqi diplomat.

"I was born for your magazines, I am trapped in the society page" magazines refers to both the written work and ammunition storage. A civilian in the UK and a citizen in Iraq is trapped in one of these definitions. The UK citizen can't do much of anything about what their government does, all they can do is watch the person they thought spoke for them champion wars they don't condone. In Iraq, civilians and soldiers are gunned down in droves, trapped in their country and can't escape. "I don't know what it means" both countries' inhabitants agree that the war doesn't make sense. It's not what they want, they find it purposeless and unnecessarily cruel. "Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel?" is rhetorical, there is no visible light because they aren't the one walking. They are carried and butchered by leaders who see their bodies as bags of money. "These are things that get on my nerves" both sides are outraged, fanning the flames for the war to get hotter. "You better start naming names" is a threat, war is threats on both sides and they sure aren't empty.

The song ends with singing, it's haunting, it feels like you're in a room with everyone around you singing hymns. It's your funeral, and everyone else is singing something that isn't yours. They're alive, you're dead, soul-crushed, or dying. "You better start naming names" marked the transition from victims' voices leading the song, to the warmonger-ers' voices. I Will and Trans Atlantic Drawl are the two Radiohead songs that fight for the title 'Radiohead's Scariest Song'

This song rocks. By the way, there is a very quite (and very aggressive) vocal backing during the 'do you see the light at the end of the tunnel' bit which I can't figure out the lyrics for. But listen out for it.

This song is fucking awesome. It really seems as though Thom's just taking the piss at the magazines and media and all that shit... I love it when Radiohead rock hard like this.

I think the whispers in the background are saying "if you don't stop hearing the names, then you'll never stop hearing the names".

There's another quiet message right before that... something something "get on my nerves".

All I know is I wish the first half was a fully fleshed out song and the other half would become its own full instrumental. Both parts are so good but it's a let down because they both could be great individual songs. But I guess the band felt the other way on this one.