Morning Mr. Magpie

I believe the correct lyrics for the second and fourth stanza are:

PART 2:

Good Morning, Mr. Magpie How are we today? And now you stole it, all the magic Took my memories

PART 4:

Good Morning, Mr. Magpie How are we today? And now you stole it, all the magic Took my melody

magpie can also be defined as a collector or hoarder of small objects. in another thread, someone posted a nice interpretation that suggested the song is about the information age. tweets, headlines, the corporate media simplifying things and the effect of that on peoples ability to focus, rationalize anything deeper then this cheap level of intellectual existence. it's killing all his magic and taking his memory.

I didn't find this. Someone else in a Radiohead message board did, but I'll post it anyway:

In European folklore the magpie is associated with a number of superstitions[10] surrounding its reputation as an omen of ill fortune. This reputation may derive from the bird's well-known tendency to "steal" shiny objects or its aggressive behaviour toward favoured songbirds.

• In Britain and Ireland, there are a number of superstitions regarding magpies[11]

• A single magpie is associated with bad luck (see rhymes below)

• One should make sure to greet magpies when they are encountered in order to either allay bad luck or encourage good luck as related to the number of birds and therefore their place in the Magpie poem. Common greetings include "Hello Mr Magpie" "How is your wife/where is your wife?", "Good Morning/Evening Sir" and other marks of respect.

• Upon seeing a lone magpie one should repeat the words "I defy thee" seven times.

• On seeing a lone magpie one should pinch the person they are walking with, if they are alone they are to pinch themselves. The custom in Devon is to spit three times to avert ill luck.

• If a lone Magpie is seen, one should salute it to show you respect it. This formality can be forgone if the Magpie looks directly in your eyes, which shows it respects you.

• In the 19th century book, A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar, a proverb concerning magpies is recited: "A single magpie in spring, foul weather will bring". The book further explains that this superstition arises from the habits of pairs of magpies to forage together only when the weather is fine.

• An old English folk tale states that when Jesus was crucified on the cross, all of the world's birds wept and sang to comfort him in his agony. The only exception was the magpie, and for this, it is forever cursed.

• In Scotland, a Magpie near the window of the house foretells death.[12]

• In Scottish folklore, in a story possibly related to the above, magpies were long reviled for allegedly carrying a drop of Satan's blood under their tongues.

source: wikipedia

I like most interpretations I have seen on this thread, but for me as a briton I see it as the old English folk law I have inexplicably entertained for as long as I remember. Magpies do steal shinning reflective objects but I seldom see them wearing any of it. Gullibly like many of my countrymen I have either saluted or greeted at least 88% Magpies that I've come across.

The way I'm gonna look at this song is that Thom was having a sandwich in the garden. This Magpie comes in full of balls and tea leafs a fork. Thom, as you would gets aggressive with the magpie. And for verbatim" You got some nerve coming here". However Thom being much like me and many other Britons still feels the need to salute or greet that fucking bird!

Great song! Incredible beat! They aint never gonna lose it!

to me, it's a song about having lost your muse/inspiration. the magpie took thom's melody and he wants it back.

This song is about Coldplay.

♥

Fitting in with the nature theme, here's what Wikipedia has to say about magpies.

Magpies (IPA: /ˈmæɡpaɪ/, SAMPA: /"m{g%paI/) are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae.

In Europe, "magpie" is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia. That bird was referred to as a "pie" until the late sixteenth century when the feminine name "mag" was added to the beginning.[1]

The European Magpie is one of the few animal species known to be able to recognize itself in a mirror test.[2]

All I keep thinking when I see the lyrics or hear the song is a little bird stealing shiney objects and hiding them in the King of Limbs. Haha. Great, great, song. Especially the chorus, "Goodmorning Mr. Magpie". :D

I love this song. It has an addictive rhythm.