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.
This is my legacy of pain.
Condemned to darkness for a thousand years,
Though I've learnt I can disguise my tears,
Inside the memory lingers on.
Out on the cliffs I watch the waves.
Incessant pounding like a funeral drum,
Now every semblance of my heart is gone.
They show how empty I've become.
I wasn't ready; my lifetime on God's earth had only begun,
I was the victim of Death's catastrophic mistake.
No man sees the hands of the clock,
When his moment has come, it's not death that he fears,
No man ever knows what he's got till he can't see the light for the tears.
I feel the rain upon my face.
It just can't wash away a thousand years.
And though I try so hard to hide my tears.
Inside the memory lingers on.
I wasn't ready; I thought that my life here had only begun,
There was too much in my life just to take it away.
No man sees the hands of the clock,
When his moment has come it's not death that he fears.
No man ever knows what he's got till he can't see the light for the tears.
I feel the rain upon my face.
It just can't wash away a thousand years.
And though I try so hard to hide my tears.
Inside the memory lingers on...
Condemned to darkness for a thousand years,
Though I've learnt I can disguise my tears,
Inside the memory lingers on.
Out on the cliffs I watch the waves.
Incessant pounding like a funeral drum,
Now every semblance of my heart is gone.
They show how empty I've become.
I wasn't ready; my lifetime on God's earth had only begun,
I was the victim of Death's catastrophic mistake.
No man sees the hands of the clock,
When his moment has come, it's not death that he fears,
No man ever knows what he's got till he can't see the light for the tears.
I feel the rain upon my face.
It just can't wash away a thousand years.
And though I try so hard to hide my tears.
Inside the memory lingers on.
I wasn't ready; I thought that my life here had only begun,
There was too much in my life just to take it away.
No man sees the hands of the clock,
When his moment has come it's not death that he fears.
No man ever knows what he's got till he can't see the light for the tears.
I feel the rain upon my face.
It just can't wash away a thousand years.
And though I try so hard to hide my tears.
Inside the memory lingers on...
Lyrics submitted by brooza
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
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.