Black sheep boy,
Blue-eyed charmer,
Head hanging with horns
From your father.

Oh,
In a cold little mirror you were grown,
By a black little wind you were blown,
Alone, alone, alone.

Cold smile on your lips,
You shake and shiver.
Some animal sips where the river flows
From a black little crack in a stone.
To a crackle in a radio song,
Sing along, sing along, sing along.

Warm light when your eyes
Fill with laughter.
Some animal lies in the pasture,
Holes in its throat where the
Blood was drawn,
In its mouth where the tongue
Was torn by your claws,
Your claws, your claws.

I rose from a dream;
We were running
From every being
That was hunting,
But we let them get ahead of us.
We let them lie in wait for us.
We're fucked, we're fucked, we're fucked.

I rose from a dream;
I had just destroyed everything
With one crushing blow,
And I woke up and watched it go,
And I woke up and wagged my tongue.
So long, so long, so long


Lyrics submitted by PuNkJaSo, edited by dyrnych

In a Radio Song Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

In A Radio Song song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    this is such an unnerving yet beautiful song, reminds me of those unsettling nightmares that just leave you staring up at the ceiling reeling... it reeks of losing innocence and gaining the cynicism of adulthood, of weeping over lost youth...

    not to sound cliche but... why hasn't anyone else commented on this gorgeous song?

    ripelivejamon May 04, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    "What shall he have that killed the deer? His leather skin and horns to wear. Then sing him home. (The rest shall bear this burden.) Take thou no scorn to wear the horn. It was a crest ere thou wast born. Thy father’s father wore it, And thy father bore it. The horn, the horn, the lusty horn Is not a thing to laugh to scorn." ~ As You Like It by William Shakespeare

    ThePythonon May 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    In response to ripelivejam, i think that no one has commented this song is because most of the lyrics are pretty straight forward, with a few exceptions. For some reason, the lyrics to this song remind me of a picture for Korn, where a boy with a blank stare smiles as this rabbit-man creature hands him a teddy bear without a head. You can tell that the boy had seen some "messed up" things.. perhaps the concept of that picture is similar to this song... Growing up, what a shity drag.

    MattisTreeson August 22, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Did I actually say that?.. these lyrics are definately not straight forward.. and a reference to Korn.. what a joke.. im an idiot.

    MattisTreeson September 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    lol Mattis, it's weird when you find a comment you left over a year ago and forgot about isn't it? Anyway, I think this song has a very direct and heavy meaning, but we won't know what it is unless we hear about it from an Okkervil interview or something. :(

    CcPunk82on December 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Every time I listen to this song for some reason it reminds me of "W".. Just seems to fit!

    arozcoyon August 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Am I the only who thinks this sounds similar, guitar-wise, to Dust In The Wind (namely in the verses)?

    El_Loboon November 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    What is the sound that sometimes pops up between verses? Sounds like something steam powered... I take the bus a lot, and associate the sound to the giant-ass windshield wipers that use air pressure to work. I dunno, I really like that sound, but the bus windshield wipers are actually really fucking annoying. Strange.

    El_Loboon February 14, 2011   Link

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

Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
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.