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.
well, the night was fallen cold outside this convenience store
and then manager guy said, “you gotta go, you can't hang around no more.”
told that guy, "I need a ride, I'm trying to find a way back east."
then this weird guy replied, “it's alright if you ride with me, 'cause I'm going on back east,
it's alright if you ride with me, I'm a rollin' for the east,
get your stuff and come with me.”
he had a big gash on his head, it made him look like a criminal
said it almost killed him dead, spent a week in the hospital
he was sleeping in his car back out in Mexacali
a staggered drunk out of the bar followed him and beat him badly
they weren't from the east, those guys weren't from the east
I think they were from the bay area, gangster tough guys from the bay area
they used a steel pipe and a stick, and he escaped the fatal blow
they tried to drag him into the ditch but he ran up to the road
police happened to arrive, he waved his arms to flag 'em down
he's lucky now to be alive so he's heading for las vegas town
and he's goin' on back east, first he's gonna lose a little money
then he's rollin' back east, after he finds him a honey
Marcalino was his name, loved to listen to The Scorpions
and fishing was his game, in alaska up in ketchiken
when that fishing time was through, back to the lower 48
get a vegas prostitute as his way to celebrate
then he'd go on back east, back home to the family
and he'd roll on back east
his mother and his sister, his only family
we stopped at an all night diner; he insister he would pay
he bought me cigarettes and a lighter and we drove the rest of the way
to arrive at five a.m., he let me off at the bali's casino there
he handed me a five and a ten
he said, "good luck, get out of here."
he said, "you go back east, I'm gonna stay and tame the beast."
he said, "no, you go on back east, I'm gonna get down to the least."
so I walk off to the bus depot and I buy the ticket
and I got on the bus and I fell asleep
and I woke up with this drunk passed out guy next to me
he peed his pants so I moved my seat to the front of the bus
and I fell asleep and I woke up in Winter Park, Colorado
it was minus six, I couldn't find my friend
so I found a job chopping ice off hotel rooms
and I saved up enough to get me back to Georgia
back to my old band, it felt good to be back
I went up to old Picken's County,
late Joe Calski, Kiwi Key, my friend Tony T
no, he never called me, we had our kicks
we did some tricks, we did back flips.
and the whole time I was hangin' around back east
the only thing going through my mind was getting on back west
and then manager guy said, “you gotta go, you can't hang around no more.”
told that guy, "I need a ride, I'm trying to find a way back east."
then this weird guy replied, “it's alright if you ride with me, 'cause I'm going on back east,
it's alright if you ride with me, I'm a rollin' for the east,
get your stuff and come with me.”
he had a big gash on his head, it made him look like a criminal
said it almost killed him dead, spent a week in the hospital
he was sleeping in his car back out in Mexacali
a staggered drunk out of the bar followed him and beat him badly
they weren't from the east, those guys weren't from the east
I think they were from the bay area, gangster tough guys from the bay area
they used a steel pipe and a stick, and he escaped the fatal blow
they tried to drag him into the ditch but he ran up to the road
police happened to arrive, he waved his arms to flag 'em down
he's lucky now to be alive so he's heading for las vegas town
and he's goin' on back east, first he's gonna lose a little money
then he's rollin' back east, after he finds him a honey
Marcalino was his name, loved to listen to The Scorpions
and fishing was his game, in alaska up in ketchiken
when that fishing time was through, back to the lower 48
get a vegas prostitute as his way to celebrate
then he'd go on back east, back home to the family
and he'd roll on back east
his mother and his sister, his only family
we stopped at an all night diner; he insister he would pay
he bought me cigarettes and a lighter and we drove the rest of the way
to arrive at five a.m., he let me off at the bali's casino there
he handed me a five and a ten
he said, "good luck, get out of here."
he said, "you go back east, I'm gonna stay and tame the beast."
he said, "no, you go on back east, I'm gonna get down to the least."
so I walk off to the bus depot and I buy the ticket
and I got on the bus and I fell asleep
and I woke up with this drunk passed out guy next to me
he peed his pants so I moved my seat to the front of the bus
and I fell asleep and I woke up in Winter Park, Colorado
it was minus six, I couldn't find my friend
so I found a job chopping ice off hotel rooms
and I saved up enough to get me back to Georgia
back to my old band, it felt good to be back
I went up to old Picken's County,
late Joe Calski, Kiwi Key, my friend Tony T
no, he never called me, we had our kicks
we did some tricks, we did back flips.
and the whole time I was hangin' around back east
the only thing going through my mind was getting on back west
Lyrics submitted by makemusicnotwar
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