Where I End and You Begin. (The Sky Is Falling In.)

As for this song: I am a psychotherapist, and given this is for the most part how I see the world - as a psychotherapist - I naturally view this song as follows:

"Where I end and you begin" is the definition of personal boundaries.(Seriously...look it up/google it) This phrase is commonly used in a psychotherapeutic setting as a way of educating people that enmeshment (lack of boundaries) with another is quite unhealthy for those experiencing it.

People who have difficulty with personal boundaries are often lost, incredibly emotionally insecure people, usually with depression/anxiety, and sometimes psychosis (schizo).

Now, I am not saying that Thom has used it in this sense, but given that the song has strong relational overtones it wouldn't surprise me.

A relationship with no boundaries is a tumultuous one - always. It usually has a very messy ending. When it does end, it is difficult letting go of something so intense - a relationship where one feels "fused" with another so strongly... to the point of the loss of one's own individual identity, there follows a progression of incredibly strong emotions...feeling alone, abandoned, (you left me alone) jealousy (I can watch and not take part), sarcasim (I'm sorry for the dinosaurs), and sometimes hatred and/or violence (I will eat you alive; there will be no more lies).

You'd be surprised how many people end up dead after the end of a relationship with no boundaries; either at their own hand or that of another.

I'm more than likely wrong as hell, but hey, it's an interesting theory.

its about change, and how time changes you whether you want it to or not. its about your present self and all your former selves, and about reclaiming what you once were. changing yourself for the better isnt the invention of a new self but returning to your own uncorrupted self, the self that's been in heaven ever since you decided to ignore it (and has been secretly plotting your demise) I think the line dinosaurs roam the earth is the former uncorrupted self talking to the present one about never really letting you completely abandon your innocence even though you can never completely return. and that line and the one after the sky turns green where you end and i begin. seem to be taken from the song fog. ' theres a little child running 'round this house, and he never leaves... ...and the fog comes up from the sewers and glows in the dark... how did you go bad?'

I actually think I've got this song nailed after looking at the lyrics. It is about God, but it's not from Thom's viewpoint, it's from God's viewpoint. Check it out.

there's a gap where we meet where i end and you begin I'm sorry for us the dinosaurs roam the earth the sky turns green where i end and you begin

The dinosaurs go extinct, pretty soon in the history of the world, humans arrive and start building things that pollute the sky, making it turn "green." And on the same note, Thom has been known for speaking about global warming. God is saying, "there's a big gap where we're supposed to meet, but we don't. I used to rule the earth when the dinosaurs roamed, now you take control and pollute everything. When he says, "Where I end and you begin" he's talking about on a timeline, where his rule kind of ended because he made man.

i am up in the clouds and i can't and i can't come down i can watch and can't take part where i end and where you start where you, you left me alone you left me alone.

God feels helpless at what Humans are doing to the earth, and he feels they turned their backs on him, so he's left all alone by his own creation.

X' will mark the place like the parting of the waves like a house falling in the sea. in the sea

This leads to the next verse, kind of an introduction to what God's going to do. He's going to destroy the earth, and X will mark the spot. The house falling into the sea makes me think of an astroid hitting the earth, especially with X will mark the spot.

"I will eat you alive"

God is pissed, and he's going to destroy us all.

"There will be no more lies"

Man will no longer lie to himself about the existence of God and about what he's done with the world. In better terms, "The truth will be revealed"

every radiohead song is trying to end your suffering. stop thinking it is about love or god.

I didn't read all 4 pages so forgive me if someone already said this and I didn't give you credit. =P

I think it is about how, here on earth we are human and separated by flesh. We are finite and we are vulnerable and temporary and fragile. But in the spirit we are one constant thing. Thom does not enjoy being in the flesh in this song because of its vulnerability. He understands much easier how to think and be from the perspective of the spirit much better than that of the flesh.

That's what I think.

I think the song is about the end of relationship between two people and the realisation that actually they are too different, the "gap" between them is too great, to work as a couple. The subtitle, "The Sky is Falling In", supports the idea of finality.

"I am up in the clouds...and I can't come down" talks about realising his own failings and inability to change to make the relationship work.

"X will now mark the place Like the parting of the waves Like a house falling into the sea Into the sea" is about the final realisation that it is over, that the relationship has failed - a line in the sand has been drawn.

The last repeating parts alternate between the consequences of continuing with the relationship, "I will eat you alive", and the future apart, "There'll be no more lies" suggesting that the acrimony between the two will be over.

To me, this song is about a relationship between two people who can't be together because of uncontrollable circumstances, because one has died, or perhaps because one is already in a relationship that they cannot leave. this is why he mentions sorrow for "where i end and you begin" being where dinosaurs roam the earth, because the dinosaurs were living thinking they were aiming for some purpose, but unbeknownst to them they had no chance for fulfillment because "the sky turns green" and they all die, which is a metaphor for a hopeless situation that ends badly, with no control.

The verse saying "I am up in the clouds, and i can't come down" can have the more obvious meaning of being in heaven, looking down watching but not being able to come back to to earth, and the person having been "left... alone" at the point of death... or it could mean the person is in a situation that seems perfect, and should be by all logic, but isn't because he/she is unhappy and wants to (but cannot) "take part" in life with the other, who has moved on because they gave up.

The beautiful and saddening verse beginning with "X will mark the place" speaks of the defining moment when all hopes are crushed, when they are forced to part ways ("the parting of the waves"), and when their dreams for a life together are destroyed ("a house falling in the sea").

"I will eat you alive, there will be no more lies," means that at the time they part, the person's leaving will cause the other to have to face the truth about how they feel, and having to face all the raw emotion that they try to deny because it hurts, but can't... it is like being eaten alive.

this song makes me cry.

I think its about love instead...... to me it seems like a guy that's in love with a girl that hurts him all the time... or they hurt eachother and dont know how to handle their relationship.....so he feels like he has no choice that leave her though he's up in the clouds and cant come down... maybe he just dont wanna, dont you think???

its a song about internal argument and fighting... that's why he says "I will eat you alive". he feels so much anger too......

I've felt like this before...... pretty intense really.......

"the dinosaurs roam the earth" could be his way of saying that mankind's fate could be the same as the dinosaurs - total extinction. He is symbolically calling men dinosaurs. No one thinks about this. Everyone thinks that mankind is an indestructable race. But extinction is just as likely an outcome for us as it was for the dinosaurs. Especialy with the combination of nuclear weapons and misuse of governmental power that plagues our word. With this interpretation it sounds as if Thom feels that this will be the outcome if we continue down the path we are on. He dowsn't want to have any part in it. Therefore he feels very distant from the world as if he is watching it from "up in the clouds". Don't know about the "I will eat you alive; there will be no more lies" lines. A reference to psilocybin clearing away the conditioning and lies he has developed throughout his life under a particular government/ way of thinking? I think Ive gone to far

There's a stanley donwood story that was written before HTTT came out that reminds me of this song.

Telescope The gap between you and me. The gap between you and me. In art class, the teacher would say to look at the spaces between objects. That was how you could see what the objects really looked like. Well. Well, I was fairly certain of your shape. I'd looked at it quite a lot. It was the shape of billowing wheat or sad violin music or a quiet discussion in the coat-room at a party, or something. I wasn't so clear on my own. I had looked at it, in mirrors, or in confused reflections from shop windows, and to me it looked unremarkable. Just the shape of some man or other. Could've been anyone, really. When I tried to remember my shape it was the silhouette of a murderer, a torturer, a rapist, or some kind of fiend. There was no end to how bad my shape could be, when I tried to think about it. Our shapes, together? The gap between them was bigger every day. I couldn't see what we really looked like. The only thing I could think of was the sad violin music and the rapist; very far away, never any nearer.

http://www.slowlydownward.com/TT.html

thoughts?