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.
Trapped in a prism, in a prism of light
Alone in the darkness, darkness of white
We fell in love, alone on a stage
In the reflective age
Entre la nuit, la nuit et l'aurore
Entre les royaumes, des vivants et des morts
If this is heaven
I don't know what it's for
If I can't find you there
I don't care
I thought, I found a way to enter
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
I thought, I found the connector
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Now, the signals we send, are deflected again
We're still connected, but are we even friends?
We fell in love when I was nineteen
And I was staring at a screen
Entre la nuit, la nuit et l'aurore
Entre les voyants, les vivants et les morts
If this is heaven
I need something more
Just a place to be alone
'Cause you're my home
I thought, I found a way to enter
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
I thought, I found the connector
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor) Just a reflektor
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
reflektor (Just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor) just a reflektor
(Just a reflektor) just a reflektor (reflektor)
(Just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor, just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor, just a reflektor)
Just a reflection, of a reflection
Of a reflection, of a reflection, of a reflection
Will I see you on the other side? (Just a reflektor)
We all got things to hide (Just a reflektor)
It's just a reflection of a reflection
Of a reflection, of a reflection, of a reflection
Will I see you on the other side? (Just a reflektor)
We all got things to hide (Just a reflektor)
Alright, let's go back
Our song escapes, on little silver discs
Our love is plastic, we'll break it to bits
I want to break free, but will they break me?
Down, down, down, don't mess around
I thought, I found a way to enter
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
I thought, I found the connector
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Thought you would bring me to the resurrector
Turns out it was just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Thought you would bring to me the resurrector
Turns out it was just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Thought you would bring to me the resurrector
Turns out you were just a reflektor
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
(It's just a reflektor) Just a reflektor
Just a reflektor
Just a reflektor
Just a reflektor
Will I see you on the other side?
It's just a reflektor
Will I see you on the other side? (reflektor)
We all got things to hide (reflektor)
Just a reflektor
Will I see you on the other side?
Alone in the darkness, darkness of white
We fell in love, alone on a stage
In the reflective age
Entre la nuit, la nuit et l'aurore
Entre les royaumes, des vivants et des morts
If this is heaven
I don't know what it's for
If I can't find you there
I don't care
I thought, I found a way to enter
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
I thought, I found the connector
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Now, the signals we send, are deflected again
We're still connected, but are we even friends?
We fell in love when I was nineteen
And I was staring at a screen
Entre la nuit, la nuit et l'aurore
Entre les voyants, les vivants et les morts
If this is heaven
I need something more
Just a place to be alone
'Cause you're my home
I thought, I found a way to enter
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
I thought, I found the connector
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor) Just a reflektor
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
reflektor (Just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor) just a reflektor
(Just a reflektor) just a reflektor (reflektor)
(Just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor, just a reflektor)
(Just a reflektor, just a reflektor)
Just a reflection, of a reflection
Of a reflection, of a reflection, of a reflection
Will I see you on the other side? (Just a reflektor)
We all got things to hide (Just a reflektor)
It's just a reflection of a reflection
Of a reflection, of a reflection, of a reflection
Will I see you on the other side? (Just a reflektor)
We all got things to hide (Just a reflektor)
Alright, let's go back
Our song escapes, on little silver discs
Our love is plastic, we'll break it to bits
I want to break free, but will they break me?
Down, down, down, don't mess around
I thought, I found a way to enter
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
I thought, I found the connector
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Thought you would bring me to the resurrector
Turns out it was just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Thought you would bring to me the resurrector
Turns out it was just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
Thought you would bring to me the resurrector
Turns out you were just a reflektor
It's just a reflektor (It's just a reflektor)
(It's just a reflektor) Just a reflektor
Just a reflektor
Just a reflektor
Just a reflektor
Will I see you on the other side?
It's just a reflektor
Will I see you on the other side? (reflektor)
We all got things to hide (reflektor)
Just a reflektor
Will I see you on the other side?
Lyrics submitted by jaredyankee, edited by Mellow_Harsher, almanacg, resmat, Tims, thesteezybeezy, QuantumEcho
Reflektor Lyrics as written by Regine Chassagne Jeremy Gara
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this song describes modern life and our reliance on modern forms of communication as a barrier (reflektor) to actually living life.
We are living, but not really living; communicating with each other, but not really communicating with each other; we are experiencing life only through digital images and the darkness of a white computer screen, instead of actually going out and living it. We have become words on a screen.
Such modern forms of communication, like Facebook, are supposed to make establishing real connections with other people easier. Instead what they tend to do is end up reflecting the person's own individual tastes and ego thus creating an loathing barrier to real life.
Indeed, towards the end of the song "Thought you were praying to the resurrector / Turns out it was just a Reflektor" expands fully on this theme of alienation through modern technology. The most well known resurrector is of course Jesus (whether you believe in that aspect of religion or not, you cannot doubt his "fame) Jesus is, of course, also known as the saviour. Internet technology was once hailed as the saviour. But here, in this song, it becomes more like a barrier; the Reflektor - the space between the living and the dead. The space between actually being alive and just being words on a screen.
Incidentally, do the opening lines "Trapped in a prison, in a prism of light" refer to the NSA's PRISM programme to monitor internet communications?
"We've all got things to hide" indeed.