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.
She asked him why
Why I'm hairy guy
I'm hairy noon and nighty-night night
My hair is a fright
I'm hairy high and low
But don't ask me why
'Cause he don't know
It's not for lack of bread
Like the Grateful Dead
Darlin...
Gimme a head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer hair
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
I can let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home for the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for the buzzing bees
A nest for birds
There ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my...
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
I want it long, straight and curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, steaming, gleaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Mangled, tangled, spangled
And spaghetti!
Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair's too short
Down to here
Down to there
Down to there
Down to where
It stops by itself
Don't never have to cut
'Cause it stops by itself
Oh, gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
And won't you give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer hair
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
Hair ....
Why I'm hairy guy
I'm hairy noon and nighty-night night
My hair is a fright
I'm hairy high and low
But don't ask me why
'Cause he don't know
It's not for lack of bread
Like the Grateful Dead
Darlin...
Gimme a head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer hair
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
I can let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home for the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for the buzzing bees
A nest for birds
There ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my...
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
I want it long, straight and curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, steaming, gleaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Mangled, tangled, spangled
And spaghetti!
Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair's too short
Down to here
Down to there
Down to there
Down to where
It stops by itself
Don't never have to cut
'Cause it stops by itself
Oh, gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
And won't you give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer hair
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
Hair ....
Lyrics submitted by magicnudiesuit
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No Surprises
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Page
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Midnight
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Zombie
Cranberries, The
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"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
i love the cowsills! they just don't make music like this anymore! sigh
This song is absolutely wonderful and hilarious!!! if anyone can provide some insight on "the Grateful Dead" allusion, i'd be nice.
at that time the grateful dead were a broke struggling band while the cowsills were multi millionairs estamated between 10-30 million.sorry for the misspelling.PS.on you tube there is a clip where he gets to that verse then stops and says 'that's before,you know"meaning before the deadhead following.something like that.
I love this song, awsome
this song is about long beautiful hair
A great tribute to one of the great icons of the time period, of course, HAIR.
One of the funnest songs of all time.
This was a cover of the title song from the musical "Hair" originally written by James Rado and Gerome Ragne. The musical was a smash due to its controversial content and anti-Vietnam war message. The song however, was not a hit until the Cowsills covered it and got mid west radio to play it. The only thing that kept the Cowsill's version of "Hair" from becoming number one on Billboard was the 5th Dimension's song "Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" from the same musical, "Hair". Brilliantly covered and executed by the Cowsills, their effort became the definitive version.