Glass Eyes

This is such a fucking beautiful song. I'm in love with it - the strings that sweep in as Thom sings the line, "Panic is coming on strong" kills me every time..

I think the lyrics describe a scenario that literally occurred, with Thom dealing with social anxiety and sensations of alienation whilst he was in a public space; upsetting his inner balance in the moment, and recalling other similar times when he felt the same type of vibe - he then encapsulated this sentiment in a song. And it's a haunting sentiment, one that I can intensely relate to... that feeling of just wanting to escape.. to walk away from it all.. that seductive voice telling you to go.. I often think I should listen to it more than I do (especially these days) ...

Unfortunately I think this is a desperately sad song about Thom losing Rachel to her illness.

I read it as a metaphorical phonecall as you would make when you've travelled to visit a loved one. Except his loved one is no longer of this earth and he's terrified. Even though the station is somewhere he's been before it looks completely alien as this is the first time he's ever been here in a such a long time without his best friend, his soul mate. His guardian angel who is thinking of him no matter where he is or how he's feeling. Now it is truly just him, alone.

No message telling him good job for getting there. No one waiting on the other side to collect him.

And now the path is unknown. It's trailed off. He's walking somewhere he hasn't been before and doesn't know where it will take him. But he's mourning too much to really care. Anywhere is better than standing here.

The final line, "I feel this love to the core" is just a heartfelt outpouring that unfortunately only seems to happen when you break up with someone or lose them. Where you have his love that you've always had but now there is no one to give it away to. Strangely when one can't give their love away it almost poisons and hurts you to have. A very strange feeling indeed.

This is always how I've heard this song. I broke up with my girlfriend of 10 years about a month ago. And I had to move out and leave my job. And I arrived at the station where's my parents live with everything I owned in two bin bags. And I just stood at the busy station entrance. And it was like the world was in fast forward and I was just stood there in normal time. Everyone whizzing past me. And I had no plan. No idea what I do now, now that I have this hole straight through me where she used to reside.

And I'm still like it now. The phone doesn't buzz or ring. I sometimes think of things I'd like to say but know that I have no one to say it to anymore. I am completely lost. In a lull in a sea with no winds and no sail.

I think the song is about the expectations one has with their loved one and how life doesn't always follow your plans.

Panic is coming on strong So cold, from the inside out No great job, no message coming in And you're so small Glassy eyed light of day

This part starts by describing the feeling of social anxiety but then juxtaposes it with the instant relief of seeing your glassy eyed loved one at the end of the tunnel. It is almost as if everyone on the train stops existing the moment he thinks about her.

The path trails off And heads down a mountain Through the dry bush, I don't know where it leads I don't really care

But then the train rails off. I believe this is a metaphor for the fact that not every moment of your relationship is going to be a wonderful relief. What was once the "light of day" is now a journey in it's own with an entirely new set of ups and downs. He expected her to always the relief and now the path trails off. But he's been through this many times before so at this point he doesn't really care. Thom repeats the part:

And the path trails off And heads down a mountain

Which symbolizes the idea that the relationship itself is on a ride of it's own and is probably headed downhill.

Overall, I think the song is about expectations. He expected her to always be the light of day and was often let down. The first verse is a metaphor for what could be and the second is what was

Seems like Thom Yorke is going off to a new place off of an impulse, perhaps due to his divorce. I feel like this album was painted by the experience of someone leaving you after so many years. He doesn't care where he's going as long as it's away from home, and as stated by the last line, this is a reoccurring impulse. Only thing I'm unsure of is who he is talking to in the first line, himself, someone at the new location, or communicating to someone back at home that he's arrived safely.

I just love intro of this song. Damn.

This ethereal expression is just amazing.

To me, this song sounds like this song is from the point of view of the drifter/traveler who suddenly feels uncomfortable wherever they are, but inside still feels the love of the universe.

The final lyric is "I feel this love to the core."

"Hey it's me..." - Right from the start, Thom is calling/messaging someone to let that person know he's arrived somewhere. Or it's a conversation in his head...thinking about what he would say to this person if he called them. Most likely he is speaking to his ex-wife.

"And I'm wondering, should I turn around?" - He's not there to see this person, he's arrived at a train station elsewhere, going away from them. The panic he's feeling is giving him second thoughts, and he's considering going back (home?)

This cannot be a song about the death of his ex-wife, since she passed away 7 months after the release of the album. This song is most likely about their separation/divorce. They've decided to split from each other, and Thom goes away, but these lyrics capture that moment of doubt when he's faced with the real decision of starting a new chapter in his life (the unknown path down the mountain) or to give in to the urge to turn back.

Speculation: I think it's possible they knew about her terminal cancer diagnosis back when they separated in 2015. Nothing has been stated to that effect, it's just a theory on my part. The timing of it all just leaves some questions - they go their separate ways and then a year and a half later she passes away. I think it's possible they chose divorce over the stress of year-long battle with cancer.

It's about Rachel Owen.

The lyric is "no great drama, message coming in," not "no great job, no message coming in," and "In the oh so smug," not "and you're so small."