No Threat

I'm trying to find out also! That's exactly what I thought it said. Nobody seems to have the last line on any of the lyrics : \

Amazing song! just heard from the hipeponymous box set! I'm not good with song meanings but here's the impression i've got. It's as if gord is somewhat reflecting back along his career. The music styles of the hip over the years has changed a bit, some of of softer, some harder music. The "trouble at the henhouse/phantom power/violet light" era seemed to be the softer part, where some fans felt that the hip sold out on them (not me tho). And this seems like gord's defence saying i'm not trying to impress everyone, i just write/sing/play music, if you like it, fine, if you don't, fine. I got that part from the course "I am here it's only me I ain't freed nobody yet it's just me I'll just be a sec I'm a cleaner, I'm no threat, no threat, no threat I'm a reader, I'm no threat."

then there's the line "you die to your fans one window at at a time - that's right!" but hen his response "but I'll get my mind's armies moving at full-stride"

i could be totally wrong, but this is just what i've got for some reason. Either way an awsome song by an awsome band and after 2 decades show no signs of slowing down. GO HIP GO!

also, "the new maybe" is great as well, trying to find the lyrics right now...If someone else knows them, please post them.

I agree with what you said above but was just wondering what he says at the end of the song... i'm not sure at all but it kind of sounds like " I am a Beatles fan" anybody know what he actually says???

Yea that's what he says, i've seen the hip opening for the rolling stones here in Moncton NB in september. They performed No threat and he did clearly say "I am a Beatles fan". It was an Awsome concert by the way!

I agree with Daryl completely.

For me the first verse talks about how some fans are dissapointed in him, while he is saying "the past is no place to rest your weary arms," meaning he couldn't have written the same style forever, and stop living in the "Tragically Hip" past and enjoy their new music too. "Your face a campaign-debt reflected sky," talking how the fans think he owes them something, and the next line goes on to state how he might be losing these fans.

The second verse is more of his opinion on it, again "the past is no place to...," then the following line possible talking about how he'll try to live up to their expectations. "Preoccupied, and with nothing to say, I'll sing it bright..." in my interpretation means that while he could possibly write songs like he used to, he kind of used that all up, and the newer songs might be a little hollow or meaningless, which is why he's "preoccupied."

The other verses speak to me of how's he's just like one of us, and he's "no threat." He's just trying to do his thing and have fun doing it while certain people put pressure on him. The line "If I'm not in the saddle, I'm nothing," is one of my favortie Hip quotes. It says that if he isn't doing what he loves, than he's not doing anything meaningful. It can be generalized to us to, so if we don't do what we lovethan there is no meaning in our lives.

I'm not sure if I understand the window-washer reference, maybe how window washer when cleaning sky-scrapers are always looking in on things from the outside? Seeing as an observer and never a participant, as if he sees the bands career from a third person's perspective. "An umakeable bed," and An "untuckable sky," possibly promises that can't be fufilled, or something that Gord couldn't do? He sees what people want him to do, but since he's moved on (I don't say mature, because that does no justice to either current or past Hip works) he knows he can't go back and do what's he's done, he's trapped on the outside, like a window washer.

All just some thoughts on the song, nothing other than opinion.

There hasn't been any activity on this song for almost a decade, but I'd like to weigh in. I think the song is talking about feeling ignored or neglected in a social setting. A presence that isn't really... present. Throughout the song, the narrator just wants to get across that he's "no threat," and just wants to be included. Even the window-washer reference can be seen as illustrating this point. As Rob said, it's the feeling that, even if you do have a group of friends, you are only an observer, and never actually participating in the fun they're having.