When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here

I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here, oh, oh

She's running out the door
She's running out
She run, run, run, run
Run

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here

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Lyrics submitted by piesupreme, edited by Radiohead123, AgingRocker65, TheFallenOne

Creep Lyrics as written by Colin Greenwood Albert Hammond

Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Creep song meanings

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724 Comments

+57
General CommentDoesn't it seem to apply to anyone who aches for someone they deem out of their league? All of the self deprecation and feelings of not being worthy are something to which most of us can relate. Isn't it funny how later we wonder what the hell we were thinking about the person? Emotions, what a ride!
katyanaon January 15, 2002 Link
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@katyana

Yup. I think you're right; It's a self-loathing song filled with insecurity.
We just feel like creeps when we love someone we know we could never reach.

Think this is why Thom never plays it anymore, and dislikes it; this song isn't worthy of his pure awesomeness! It's too insecure! Or maybe it's all a lie and it's just a tad too personal for him...
Jin91on May 14, 2010

The ladies, man. The ladies.
The pretty, nice, amazing ones can get whoever they want.
Sanman99on July 15, 2010

There' no girl 'he could never reach' that's purely metaphorical. It's about the stick Thom got all through school for the way he looked [beautiful in my opinion]. He was also with his long term partner Rachel at this point, who he met at uni, so it's very unlikely it's about unrequited love.
Sampad123on June 15, 2011

soundcloud.com/…
wyguyon March 19, 2012

@katyana later we wonder what the hell we were thinking about the person? Emotions, what a ride! Thoughts are not the same as feelings

Spirited9787on September 08, 2016

@katyana
I can certainly appreciate your generalization and I think the song can be seen that way. I'd like to think that most people could take it that way, but without any personal research into what Radiohead said about the song, I can't help taking it in a somewhat darker sense. To me, these lyrics are haunting in how they seem to poignantly suggest two sides of the same coin: while the self-proclaimed "creep" admires people of higher social circles, there is an understated, sarcastic tone to it that suggests he/she laments more the society that places some advantaged folks above him/her than his unjust position within that context.

In fact, the narrator never denigrates himself specifically beyond the label of "creep" and "I don't belong here." Meanwhile, there is consistently a tone of exaggeration in the descriptions of those deemed of higher status: 1) "you're just like an angel; 2) your skin makes me cry; 3) you float like a feather (in a beautiful world, no less!)

But despite wanting "a perfect body" and "perfect soul," the narrator has no out because those are things only attributed to people of certain social status so all that is left is questioning such a society with statements like "you're so fucking special" (accusatory) and "I wish I was special" (sarcastic, because the problem is in the society, not the narrator.
Wootlerson March 25, 2018

@wootlers I remember someone I used to think as creepy. I remember his eyes undressing me when he came to discuss his wedding cake with his wife to be there too. I remember being really depressed and sad one day about having been unfaithful to my ex husband with the mans best friend.

I remember going out with my work colleagues and dancing with the man who I thought was creepy. I said I am really sorry but I am trying to make my relationship work, I cannot be with you. I saw him years later and didn’t recognise him and was unaware that he had been hurt. It really upsets me to think about it. I tried blocking the pain out and was blamed by many people and held responsible which really really upsets me as I would never hurt a fly. I have tried sending healing thoughts to him and his family- I just hope that they have received the reiki healing
Reikimaster69on December 06, 2018
+34
My InterpretationSaddest song ever to be able to relate to. Saving all the details, to me this is just about losing someone to time. One day everything is fine and you wouldn't change anything for the world. At some point down the road, though, everything changes. You realize you're at the bottom of a long downward slope. Things deteriorated over such a long period of time, that you suddenly look around and don't know where you are anymore. She doesn't see you anymore, she doesn't come around, and when you're not there she doesn't miss you like she did before. You find that you care so much more about them, than they do about you, that it's no longer just longing, or being out of your league, it just becomes sad to watch. You become a creep, a wierdo, to them, and you don't know how you got there, because for you, nothing changed. She didn't used to think you were a creep, and you haven't changed, and neither has the amount you care about her, but suddenly because she's changed, YOU'RE the creep. But there is no changing it, it's not a choice. But, you know, not me. I can't relate to this at all...
ME68on May 13, 2012 Link
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@ME68

100%
hugmestupidon November 10, 2012

This is EXACTLY how I feel about it... I'm in this situation where it's reaching the end of a 3 1/2 year relationship. It's sucks, but I'm tired. It's come to that point where I can no longer sit here and take the same shit over and over. Our good times are soo good, but our bad are just really bad. And I can't keep trying to make this work because I love his company. There's a lot missing from both parts of this situation and it really comes down to who we are as as individuals. We've grown apart and want different things. But it's just so hard for me to end it because that's my best friend I'm walking away from. That's who I'd call after anything happens during my day. There's gonna be a huge hole left in my heart where he use to be. But I just can't keep trying to make the wrong key fit the keyhole.
Idontknow10168on December 02, 2013

Damn, I can't help but suspect if I wrote this myself and just don't remember. Amazing how similar people's experiences can be.
Pantomimeron February 02, 2014

I know this might be outdated and you might not ever read this but WOW!!! Very well said in how you interpret this song. I can relate to this in someway but my situation is a quite different. I was involved with another woman that i shouldn't have never been with because I was married. This woman decided to end our fling or relationship with me. However, we remained friends and still communicated but to me things never change in how I cared about her. Until this day and after a year she called it off, I still care alot about her but she doesn't care about me like she used too. That is the part that really tares me up because we worked for the same company and I still see her in some way. Like you said it just becomes sad to watch and its very sad to be in this kind of situation. At this point I fell like the creep, the weirdo because I shoulnt be here. So i am trying to stop caring for her and move on.
pittypalon April 24, 2014

This is my current story...living this right now. never felt so low...this song is all i have.
QueenRadioheadon May 28, 2014

@ME68 I feel really sad that my ex husband refused for me to be near to my family. He also had an affairs with many women including my best friend and family. It saddens me to think that they thought I didn’t care or wanted to be close to them. I have many regrets about not leaving my relationship earlier and going back to the people that mattered most to me.
Reikimaster69on December 06, 2018
+19
Song MeaningThis song is about feelings of discontent with who you are as a person, and struggling to find your identity. The song chimes "I don't belong here" and "I'm a creep", which speak to the idea that the subject is having trouble dealing with the social environment they are in, making them feel like a creep. The story told about someone who is "So fucking special", and "just like an angel", isn't just a reference to feelings of unrequited love, and/or the pains of not always being able to have what you want. However, it is an allegory for how the subject sees everyone in the world as more special than himself, and sees that they all have places to fit into, which he cannot seem to find for himself. The subject wants to be like these people that he sees around him in society and as a result lists off his wants, ultimately realizing that basically he just wishes he had a place just as everyone around him seems to.
thebirdieon July 18, 2011 Link
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@thebirdie

@thebirdie I had to make an account just to say that this is exactly what I get from the song, because that is how I feel exactly. Whenever I listen to the song, I feel like every single word is the way I feel, and I realize that while it sounds like longing for someone that is out of their league, it is really just how they feel about everybody. The feeling of shame and disgust at ones self for not being as good as a regular human being. The feeling that they are in a world of angels, and that they are nothing.
a wild1086on June 06, 2017

@thebirdie
This was a deep analytical interpretation, and I can totally see it as you've laid it out.
See, sometimes I get stumped, and I thought it was about someone who died and is in heaven and doesn't think he belongs there because he's autistic or has some impairment where people have shunned him his whole life. Silly me
AllyMcNallyon January 11, 2018

@thebirdie
I agree with most of your statements; however, I would guess (maybe even bet $$) that Radiohead intended a more broad exposure of "the society" in which such "creeps" might be created than to tell the (somewhat more mundane) story of how a person of lower status in such a society would respond. To me, the suggestion of sadness inherent in the narrator's apparent self-loathing is less important than the consistently exaggerated (and likely sarcastically portrayed) heights of high level members of the narrator's society. There is nothing specifically making a romantic connection, so I think it's valid to suggest that the problem being stated is that the "society" involved has ostracized and alienated the narrator. Why? Apparently, the narrator believes, "I don't belong here." But is that because the narrator really is self-denigrating? Or because the society leading to his/her situation is actually the accused? Personally, I think it's the latter. The "creep" is just stuck because he/she lives in a stupid world that fails to value things properly, causing inappropriately dramatic social barriers that confound natural human responses (like love and appreciation of beauty), and may even sometimes twist them into ugly anti-social responses.
Wootlerson March 25, 2018
+14
Song MeaningI think it's about someone who's in love, who's either just been rejected (unrequited love), or absolutely sure that the girl doesn't love her back (insecure maybe).
It's a song about being desperately in love, whilst being absolutely sure the girl doesn't love you.

The recurring sentences are:

"I wish I was special
You're so fucking special"

"But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here"

(for the next interpretation I'll assume he's not been rejected, but just thinks he would be)

In the first part it's about how he's sure that he'll be rejected because he's not special, or he wants to be special so she might love him, because why would a girl so fucking special want someone who isnt even the slightest special? In any case his 'specialness' is nothing compared to the girl, who is like an angel.

Who the hell is he for even thinking he could even be with her? She's so fucking special and he's not. This is why he thinks he's just a creep and weirdo. It's portraying a feeling of self-loath, low self esteem.
She could never love him; why the hell does he even try? What the hell is he doing here, he doesn't belong in this game of love with her. He wants to get rid of this feeling of love, since it's not gonna happen anyways.

My opinion anyways. How I interpretated it. As for the verses:

The first verse is mainly about how he fell in love, to show how much he loves the girl.
A tribute to the girl, since whatever the case, even though he 'knows' he could never be with the girl, he loves her with all his heart.

As for the third verse (I don't care if it hurts); he wants to have:

Control over his mind, his heart, his feelings. So he could get over this agonizing insecurity, this feeling of hopelessness, or control so he could do better with her.
A perfect body and soul in the hope that that could make her love him, he's insecure and loathes all of his imperfections, he just wants to be perfect.

He wants the girl to notice when he's not around how much he loves her. Just to notice everything he feels, everything that is keeping him busy.

As for the running part, I think he's picturing the girl rejecting him, getting scared by him or the situation, and running away from his confession of love.

Either that, or the last 3 verses are about the rejection:
He confesses his love
The girl is shocked and can't answer, is scared, afraid, and runs away.
He still loves her, still feels the same, but again, what is he doing here, loving this girl, confessing his love, playing this one-sided game of love.

He doesn't belong there, he just wants to get away from it all.

Thanks for reading, love the song. Don't hate me for it btw, but I prefer honey mustards cover. The running part was never my fave, and I love how he emphasises the third verse:
"I want me one of those,
Brand new perfect souls"
<3

Jin over and out.
Jin91on May 13, 2010 Link
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@Jin91

Thank you for your very interesting interpretation.
ementson December 01, 2012

Jen I think you are beautiful the way you think and believe, I would marry you in a heartbeat
vindicated.toeon March 20, 2014

@Jin91 beautiful interpretation
jennylynn2on August 17, 2017

@Jin91 Love your post! Absolutely right!
MarceloSilvaon September 08, 2017
+12
General CommentThis song is about me. : (
OwnPersonalDemonon January 11, 2002 Link
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@OwnPersonalDemon

thats why its such a a good song cause a large portion of societ can relate to the what this song is about,
including me :(
AKAnathanon December 20, 2009

i don't mean to be offend the people who enjoy this song, but this really isn't their best song. and i also don't see a reason why there's so much discussion going on about it. it's plain and simple. although i understand that lots of people can relate to it in a way.
radiohead is my favourite band, and thinking about OK Computer as an example, they have songs with better lyrics, which are more suitlable to discuss about.
gurkhaon January 29, 2012

@gurkha - no way do i believe this song to be their best, although i can say with some certainty that it is probably their greatest single based upon its impact and popularity...if Radiohead had not dont a 180 and made The Bends this song might have been their only hit and would have relegated them to one hit wonder status...it is an important song in their canon and i still enjoy as much as i used to when i first heard it nearly 20 years ago
OwnPersonalDemonon July 08, 2012

@OwnPersonalDemon Are you the male or the special female?
edenseliteon January 30, 2018

@edenselite Does it matter?
OwnPersonalDemonon February 09, 2018
+11
General CommentThis song is amazingly accurate for how I have felt for the past two years. I feel like a loser for admitting to being stumped over a girl for two years. Two years ago, when I was in 9th grade I met this girl, she was beautiful. An epitome of perfection, she was generous and had an amazing personality. But me, being a recluse when it comes to talking to women I like,sat idly by. We became friends later that year, but nothing heavy, we would just make small talk. It really damaged me, to see her socializing with hundreds of people, everyone knew her in school. When school let out that year, I knew she was the most selfless, prettiest girl I had ever seen...And here I am two years later. Were both going to be juniors this year and this summer, Not seeing her in so long, I feel broken. To make things worse, she is dating one of my best friends. And just recently, I realized I will never be able to muster up the courage to tell her how much I love her. And today when I listened to this song for the millionth time, I literally started crying. To feel so passionate about someone, who looks at you like an object, just one out of a million others. This song beautifully illustrates my frustration and melancholy. Radio Head is an amazing band.
gurr57on July 24, 2012 Link
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@gurr57

I feel you, bro. Literally, the exact same thing happened to me. The meeting, the becoming friends, the dating the best friend. I was amazingly lucky in that she had had a crush on me, too, and we kinda dated for a few weeks. I want her back so badly, but I respect her enough to give her the room she needs.

If, and only if, she breaks up with your friend, go for it. ask to be more than friends. if you can manage to be a hundredth of the man you know she deserves, you'll be a hundred times better than any other man could be to her.
DuctTapeGodon January 30, 2013

"To feel so passionate about someone, who looks at you like an object, just one out of a million others." How could you be passionate about anyone who looks at people like objects? Isn't it possible she either does or could look at you and see the standout you are in so many ways. When you look at a person, do you always see his/her flaws? Or do you see the entire package. We are our own worst critics. The song is excellent. The band is excellent. That's a good combination.

IllToast2Thaton February 17, 2013

@gurr57 Hey, I'm just saying that you seem like a nice guy. And it sort of annoyed me. (Not you). The fact that most girls are searching for someone like you! You're passionate, kind, respectful and intelligent. From the way you talk about this girl being perfect to you and how you idolize her is absolutely touching. And from a girls point of view (invade you didn't catch that I was a girl from that sentence, I'm a girl.) I think that you deserve a hell of a lot better than what you're going through. Also, I when the through something similar. Up Intill 10th grade I thought that all boys had cooties. No exceptions. Whatsoever. That stopped when I realized that I was slowly crushing on a guy. He was really quiet but he was really smart and he was kinda awkward but I was too and one day I went up up to him and since then we've been best friends. And I'm pretty sure that this is the friend zone. Girls get it too. And let me tell you I know that it's the worst hell out there. So yeah, if you're mystery girl can't see how freaking amazingly kind you are then maybe she isn't worth it (no offense to her I'm sure she's a nice person). You're awesome man. You're Clark Kent. But you dont realize that you're also superman. (I'm so giving myself props for that BC I just came up with that) You're not super man BC you save little girls cats (as far as I know...?) or you have lazer eyes. You're superman BC you're strong. I don't have a clue what you look like, but I don't mean physically strong. I meant mentally. And your super power is your kindness, passion and sensitivity. Holy shit I just realized how long this was but whatever. I basically wanted to tell you that you're awesome sauce, amaze balls, fergalicious, cool beans, or whatever else there is. So yeh I wish you luck with that girl and I hope that this helps you realize how awesome you are. Peace.
halbblahon July 24, 2015

@gurr57
I feel for you and hope you get through it with a strong sense of self like I did many years ago when I was in a comparable situation. And I hope you keep loving this song. But I don't think the poetry here is quite what you suggest. Instead, I think it's telling people to consider how the social world you live in can create seemingly enormous barriers of status that are not appropriate. Why can't you end up (despite your melancholy back then) happy and successful (to your own standards)? Why do overt things like nice skin, popularity, good hair, family connections, money, etc. lead to such considerable social gaps? What about things like honesty, work-ethic, and general acceptance of others? This song very clearly exaggerates the things that lead to admiration and high social status ("skin makes me cry", "float like a feather (in a beautiful world)") yet also suggests those exaggerations are presented sarcastically ("you're so fucking special") to show how (poorly managed) societies might belittle people into thinking are a "creep." But it's the society of alienation that is the problem; nobody should have to silently sit on the outskirts and be dismissed, if they are earnest. Why does anyone need to feel like a "creep" because "I want you to notice when I'm not around"? -- that's just an honest sentiment: everyone wants that sort of thing from their friends and/or lovers!
Wootlerson March 25, 2018
+9
General CommentThis song is a perfect portrayal of what had happened to me about two years ago when I had fallen deeply in love with this girl, then thinking I was friends with her, her friend told me she thought I was a creep, and she began avoiding me, even though I had never thought about her that way....kinda sad, actually.
stubacca100on January 18, 2002 Link
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+7
My InterpretationThis is a really dark song - very dark indeed.

To me, it seems the song is fairly simple to read out. It's dealing with unrequited affection, either through rejection or just not noticing they exist.

Of course, everyone's going to take a dig at me, but I'm there with the song. Awkward teenage nerd, pretty, popular cheerleader, big crush not noticed, I think most of us have been there, done that, at some point in our lives.

There's a lot of frustration - to the point of anger and depression - when she doesn't acknowledge or rejects him, but he's still attracted to her. All you have to do is read the verses of the song.

First verse:
He's so shy, he can't look at her when she's nearby
He thinks he's beautiful, maybe even a dreamlike vision of her

He's watching her and her friends from afar because he realizes he's not in the same social caste as she is

The chorus shows his lack of self esteem.

The second verse, it sounds like he's acting out with self mutilation and considering suicide

The third verse may be just before he commits suicide, maybe in front of her and she's trying to run away from him. He might have even stalked her once (the 'again' part of the verse).

Like I said at the beginning, I really believe this is simply a very dark song about unrequited affection.
fattywalton March 20, 2013 Link
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@fattywalt

you are so awesomely dead on,I made an account just so that i could show some love,I'm going through what this song is about.....so yea man!
wilcoleon November 10, 2013
+5
General CommentI adore this song but I confess to having a little blurb to share with y'all...for ages I thought that yer man Thom was singing "I'm a creep, I'm a window!" instead of the actual "I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo" lyric! Yep, me silly :P
slave2discoon February 02, 2002 Link
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@slave2disco
+5
General CommentThis song is about him being in a strip club.

Listen to the song again with that in mind.

You're welcome. =)
alikhan84on February 03, 2009 Link
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@alikhan84

@alikhan84 Best answer on this thread. Alikhan84 I think you nailed it. Your theory makes perfect sense. "She's running off again" and the next stripper comes out.
mothballlon November 02, 2016

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Featured Commentary Read More

Saddest song ever to be able to relate to. Saving all the details, to me this is just about losing someone to time. One day everything is fine and you wouldn't change anything for the world. At some point down the road, though, everything changes. You realize you're at the bottom of a long downward slope. Things deteriorated over such a long period of time, that you suddenly look around and don't know where you are anymore. She doesn't see you anymore, she doesn't come around, and when you're not there she doesn't miss you like she did before. You find that you care so much more about them, than they do about you, that it's no longer just longing, or being out of your league, it just becomes sad to watch. You become a creep, a wierdo, to them, and you don't know how you got there, because for you, nothing changed. She didn't used to think you were a creep, and you haven't changed, and neither has the amount you care about her, but suddenly because she's changed, YOU'RE the creep. But there is no changing it, it's not a choice. But, you know, not me. I can't relate to this at all...

ME68 on May 13, 2012 Link

Creep

Radiohead

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