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 used to say just follow your heart
But my heart always led me in circles
and i used to say just follow your dreams
but my dreams always led me to murder
so now i don't say nothing at all
i just bow my head to the battle
a thousand miles above our heads
they are weaving
giant currents around the sun
if you're brave enough you'll just let it happen
if youre brave enough you'll just succumb
Dont say no to it
You cant say no to it
just throw yourself in
just give yourself in
to the pattern
a thousand miles above our heads
they are bleeding
mighty currents uopn the day
if youre brave enough you'll just let it happen
if youre brave enough you'll give yourself away
Dont say no to it!
You cant say no to it!
But my heart always led me in circles
and i used to say just follow your dreams
but my dreams always led me to murder
so now i don't say nothing at all
i just bow my head to the battle
a thousand miles above our heads
they are weaving
giant currents around the sun
if you're brave enough you'll just let it happen
if youre brave enough you'll just succumb
Dont say no to it
You cant say no to it
just throw yourself in
just give yourself in
to the pattern
a thousand miles above our heads
they are bleeding
mighty currents uopn the day
if youre brave enough you'll just let it happen
if youre brave enough you'll give yourself away
Dont say no to it!
You cant say no to it!
Lyrics submitted by tenar
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane
Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."
Sunglasses at Night
Corey Hart
Corey Hart
In the 1980s, sunglasses were a common fashion for people who wanted to adopt a "tough guy" persona (note all the cop shows from that era -- Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, etc. -- where the lead characters wore shades). So I think this song is about a guy who wears shades as a way of hiding his insecurity after learning that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He's trying to pretend that he's a "tough guy" to hide the fact that his girlfriend's affair is disturbing him.
god, there is something about patrick wolf's voice, especially in this song, that feels like it woudl be the voice of my heart, if my heart could sing.
this song is awesome!!! i LOVE it to the max
this is the first song by patrick that i ever heard and i love it to bits
this was also the first song by patrick that i heard! oh gosh!
This is also the first song I ever heard of Mr.Wolfs.
When my love for this song dies, my love for many other things will die with it. My relationship with this song involves loads of other aspects of my life. As my love for this song grows, so does my love for other things.
Patrick Wolf revives my love for music.
I used to say just follow your heart But my heart always led me in circles. I love this song with every inch of me.
You are a soppy bunch aren't you? Surely this song is about forced sex.
Interesting theory Matt!
There is something about his eerie style of singing in this song, that suggests you could have a valid point, in the bold statement you made.
oh, please. like there's only one right answer, matt. it can apply to any number of things, or all of them. there are different levels of interpretation and yours is correct if you believe it is. cheers
Just kidding pally =]
Well, this wasn't my first song of his. Was the Libertine. But this song is beautiful.. I love how the beginning with "I used to say folow your heart.." with the, well, heart beat beat.. which turns into dancier drum beat. Patrick Wolf, and his music, is beautiful.