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.
(I hear a song, it makes me think of a girl I used to know...
I sing along when I hear it on the radio now)
Hey now where'd we go?
Yeah days when the rains came
Way down in the hollows
Oooh yeah playing a new game
Laughing and a-running
Hey hey
Skipping and a-jumping
In the misty morning fog
Oh baby, yeah my heart's a-thumping you
My brown eyed girl
(Brown eyed girl...brown eyed girl)
You my
Brown eyed girl
Do you remember when? (do you remember when?)
Yeah we used to sing...
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
(I hear a song, it makes me think of a girl I used to know)
Hey... Hey... Hey
(I sing along when I hear it on the radio now)
Now that the years gone by
Yeah now that I'm on my own
I saw you baby, just the other day
But my baby, you have grown
I cast my memory back there Lord
Sometimes, I am overcome just thinking about it
Making love in the green grass
Behind the stadium with you
My brown eyed girl
You my
Brown eyed girl
(My brown eyed girl...my brown eyed girl)
You my
Brown eyed girl
(My brown eyed girl...my brown eyed girl)
You my
Brown eyed girl
Do you remember when?
Yeah we used to sing
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
I hear a song
It makes me think of a girl
I used to know
HEY...HEY...HEY
I sing along
When I hear it on the radio now
I sing along
When I hear it on the radio
Now
I sing along when I hear it on the radio now)
Hey now where'd we go?
Yeah days when the rains came
Way down in the hollows
Oooh yeah playing a new game
Laughing and a-running
Hey hey
Skipping and a-jumping
In the misty morning fog
Oh baby, yeah my heart's a-thumping you
My brown eyed girl
(Brown eyed girl...brown eyed girl)
You my
Brown eyed girl
Do you remember when? (do you remember when?)
Yeah we used to sing...
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
(I hear a song, it makes me think of a girl I used to know)
Hey... Hey... Hey
(I sing along when I hear it on the radio now)
Now that the years gone by
Yeah now that I'm on my own
I saw you baby, just the other day
But my baby, you have grown
I cast my memory back there Lord
Sometimes, I am overcome just thinking about it
Making love in the green grass
Behind the stadium with you
My brown eyed girl
You my
Brown eyed girl
(My brown eyed girl...my brown eyed girl)
You my
Brown eyed girl
(My brown eyed girl...my brown eyed girl)
You my
Brown eyed girl
Do you remember when?
Yeah we used to sing
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
La la la la la la
I hear a song
It makes me think of a girl
I used to know
HEY...HEY...HEY
I sing along
When I hear it on the radio now
I sing along
When I hear it on the radio
Now
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you have to watch the video twice so you can see it from a different perspective