Atoms For Peace

I was listening to this yesterday, and suddenly it occurred to me that it might be about drugs - specifically, someone who's taken lots of them in the past, but is trying to become clean, and Thom is trying to encourage him to do so.

Hence no more "going to the dark side", "flying saucer eyes", "falling down a wormhole", "leaky holes in your brain", all of which are pretty good descriptions of being on drugs.

"No more talk of the old days" is a plea not to think back nostalgically to the days of drug use - instead, optimistically, "it's time for something great". "i want you to get out" - self-explanatory.

And the title, Atoms for Peace - it's like the atoms that make up the person's body have had anough of being abused through drug use, and are going on a march in protest - enough, no more, peace!

Atoms for peace is actually also the title of a speech by Eisenhower about the peaceful uses of atomic energy. It's interesting that he named the song after this speech because atomic energy (before this speech) was used to kill and maime millions, and this speech shifted international attention to the "good" uses of atomic energy...

Running with the whole love theme...I guess you could say that he wanted to impart the beauty that can lie in love despite the ugliness it brings out. Although love has been used to hurt...it can be turned around, and used as the something we all hope that we experience.

the wriggling twiggling worm inside devours from the inside out No more talk about the old days It's time for something great...

This is a hopeful song, and I love it for that. It's "so many allies" -- not "so many lies." Atoms are all of us, each insignificant one, making a difference in each others' lives, for the better, if we see that and not concentrate on the larger, admittedly discouraging picture.

Something about this song reminds me of the monsters with the bouncing heads in the movie Jacob's Ladder.

These lyrics need to be changed, because lots of people come to Thom Yorke for help and to songmeanings for explanations. The lyrics talk about ALLIES and not LIES, one of which is a really positive and encouraging message and the other one a depressing one. This music gives people hope and the miswritten lyrics are completely ruining it in this case.

Please do something.

For me this song is about trying to bring more happiness to this world and feeling down because it feels like an impossible purpose. But then you see all the others around you, working selflessly and pure-heartedly for the same goal, achieving small victories in everyday life such as smiles and kind words.. and you suddenly realize you are not alone. The same song was about depression when I was depressed, and this multilayerness is part of the unfathomable beauty of Thom's songs.

i want to eat your artichoke heart

i cannot decide if this or harrowdown hill is the best song on the album.

I like how he chose artichokes...To me that represents the many layers people baracade themselves with. Tough outer skin, but inside rather tender.

"No more leaky holes in your brain And no more false starts" This part means to me that he knows that she loves him, but she is perhaps self sabotaging their relationship. He wants her to be as commited as he is. He sees so much potential but she falls short but still he is trying to find the good, still trying to persuade himself into thinking it will work. What do you think? I think this song screams desperation.

After further listening, I think this song is about Thom Yorke's partner telling him to get over his self-doubts about his abilities as a musician. I've heard and read a lot of interviews with Thom about his album. He seemed to have put off doing this for a long time because he had never worked on his own on the musical side of recording. The allies are the people who believed that he could do it and make it work.

I know this song is supposed to be hopeful, but, especially in the first listen, something about the tune of this song creeps me out