In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I can't afford to breathe in this town
Nowhere to sit without a gun in my hand
Look back up to the cathode ray
I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
I want to breathe, I want to grow
I'd say I want it but I don't know how
I work, I bleed, I beg, I pray
And I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself (whoa)
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Nowhere to sit without a gun in my hand
Look back up to the cathode ray
I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
I want to breathe, I want to grow
I'd say I want it but I don't know how
I work, I bleed, I beg, I pray
And I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
I'm better off dead
I'm better off dead
I'm better off
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself (whoa)
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Prove yourself
Lyrics submitted by piesupreme, edited by Heroicphantom
Prove Yourself Lyrics as written by Edward John O'brien Colin Charles Greenwood
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I think this song is about everyone hating you. I think the fact that he says he needs a gun is the fact that people want him dead. I think the fact and the insults he gets from people make him want him dead. He wants to breathe, and he wants to grow which i think means he wants to escape and start over from the beginning. I dunno something like this just happened to me and it kinda seemed like my life. Thats my thought.
What does the line "hooked back up to the cathode ray" mean? I did something about the cathode thingy in chemistry =p lol and from what i can remember i think it woz the negative bit of a battery. But i cant make sense of that line at all. Any help?
cathode ray = tv (before we had plasma's, lcds..)
@x_Heather_x its what old monitors were made from E.G. crt (cathode ray tube)
The meaning is very clear which is not The real Radiohead
This song may be about suicide, but it's also about "proving yourself". Maybe it's just about how if you aren't going to do anything for the world, you might be better off dead. But if you contribute something, or prove yourself, then you should live. And be a good person. "I say I want it but I don't know how" is being lost; without direction in life. What is my purpose in this life? Is the ultimate question. :) Personally I really love this song.
I think this is a get yourself out of the shit hole song. To me its almost as if its saying if you think your better off dead then prove it. Basically meant to knock you out of the pity party attitude.
I take pleasure in how they stopped playing it at the concerts, I don't know why- but I love that image of being on sstage and being horrified you're making these kids kill themselves. I'm not particularly dark, but imagine being up there singing a song for you, about you, and these poor kids just accepting it and getting so into it and so on. Scary thought.
I think its not really about suicide or something i think he (whoever the charachter is) is telling other people (maybe parents or elders) that he had put so much afford but nothing really happened (im better off dead) means i rather be dead than not accomplish anything and has people going on reminding him that he has to prove himself (thats why i think phil and ed sing along to it,wants to create a mass of sounds from different people saying "prove yourself" like they are expecting him to do something that remarkable that is concisered 'proving self' to the world, it could also be about the music industry that you die for your fans but they still expect you to be someone you are not!! I hope this is correct
Radiohead stopped playing this song on tour because they didn't like hearing the kids singing back "I'm better off dead".
its about suicide
I think it's about a really bad, dangerous, possibly expensive town. Mostly, he wants to live with a smaller amount of stress so he doesn't have to carry a gun everywhere. He has nowhere to go without feeling unsafe or endangered. <br /> He wants to get out of the town to live and breathe. To get a chance to grow. He knows he wants to leave, but this place is all he's ever known. "I look, I bleed, I beg and pray" would either mean 'I'm a real person. I deserve to not be under this shit all the time!' or else that he tries his best to get out.<br /> <br /> He's better off dead if he keeps staying in that town. He's not doing anything for the world or else he's just trying to sustain life for a little while longer.<br /> <br /> To prove himself would be to get out of there.<br /> <br /> <br /> Another idea is everything like that, only instead the 'town' would be his state of mind or emotion. The gun would be fighting his dark suicidal thoughts with his last shine of optimism. To breathe would be to let loose, causing himself to fall apart. <br /> He just wants to be away from his depression.
i don't care what this song means it was the first radiohead song that i ever heard and it grew on me the very first minute