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.
Dreamers
They never learn
They never learn
Beyond the point
Of no return
Of no return
And it's too late
The damage is done
The damage is done
This goes
Beyond me
Beyond you
The white room
By a window
Where the sun comes
Through
And we are
Just happy to serve
Just happy to serve
You
They never learn
They never learn
Beyond the point
Of no return
Of no return
And it's too late
The damage is done
The damage is done
This goes
Beyond me
Beyond you
The white room
By a window
Where the sun comes
Through
And we are
Just happy to serve
Just happy to serve
You
Lyrics submitted by Marquez, edited by BIRDDUDE830, scapegoat99
Daydreaming Lyrics as written by Jonny Greenwood Colin Greenwood
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Dreamers [Checked out from reality. Crazy people] They never learn [They cannot progress] They never learn [New information is irrelevant because they never learn]
Beyond, beyond the point Of no return Of no return [The tether's been cut. It's impossible for "them" to come back]
And it's too late [A time where anything could have been done has long passed] The damage is done The damage is done [Whether physical or emotional, we'll never know. But there's irreversible damage]
This goes Beyond me [The condition is beyond the speaker's professional ability] Beyond you [It's also beyond the listeners ability. By now we're getting the feeling of a professional trying to explain this to the listener to make the listener understand]
The white room [You recognize this room] By a window Where the sun comes Through [This might your favorite spot. The orderlies are showing you to where you belong]
We are [The staff] Just happy to serve Just happy to serve You [Ah. It's finally revealed. You were the dreamer all along]
I get the feeling that the staff has explained this to The Listener hundreds of times. Somewhat willing The Listener to understand. But the listener never learns. Dreamers don't know they are dreamers. And in the end, it's always back to the white room and the window.
It's better that way. The dreams serve The Listener just like the staff. They offer the listener comfort in a world that has somehow broken The Listener...
There are many ways to interpret this. It's Yorke the staff and are we the dreamers? Does this song serve it's broken audience?
Are we enjoying our window where the sun comes through?
There are lots of ways to digest this intellectually...
Do we need to talk about some of the insane interpretations on this site? What lunatic thought this was about global warming? Do they belong in a white room by a window? It's debatable...
I don't want to be a jerk. Anybody is free to interpret things however they'd like. But I will say, this is one of the simpler Radiohead songs to understand. How can people get it so wrong?
I hate to say that because it makes me sound arrogant. But have you read some of the drivel these people wrote about this? Oh My God!
I can't help wondering what Yorke must think about some of these ridiculous interpretations. Is he laughing? I bet he is.
@atomic1067 No matter how I interpret this. When I go beyond the song itself, I can't help but feel that Yorke is calling the listeners Dreamers. The only mention of "We" in the song could also refer to Radiohead "serving" the listeners.<br /> <br /> Like many Radiohead songs, there is room for multiple layers of meaning.<br /> <br /> I'm inclined to agree with Yorke that the listeners are dreamers. We've come to Radiohead to dream. And Radiohead is there to serve.<br /> <br /> I can imagine the fans coming to Yorke with their insane interpretations of his songs, and he just smiles and says thanks to his fans, who never learn.
@atomic1067 Maybe he is, maybe he\'s not, because after all, he\'s dreamer himself too. You\'re not arrogant, it\'s just egocentricity, like other people. The song can be interpreted in many ways. He reaches to the point that makes us discuss this, because this simplicity is complicated to us.