High and Dry Lyrics

Lyric discussion by wiseone 

Cover art for High and Dry lyrics by Radiohead

This song is about selling you soul. The narrator is talking about this person who has compromised his integrity for success. It talks about how you destroy your foundation when you sellout like this and that the people you have done this to impress will end up hating you if you fall. You will have nothing to support you when you fall and everyone will be against you. Anyway, that's what it means to me but it could also be about a relationship i guess.

What makes this song even better is that it's Thom singing about himself, about how he has experienced fame and all the pressure that comes with it to become something you're not. And this song is like him saying he knows what happens and he doesn't want to change but maybe it's inevitable.

@wiseone This is kind of out there, but could the boy on the motorcycle be Bob Dylan (who had a bad motorcycle while going through one of his reclusive phases). At that time, Dylan had suffered a major backlash from a lot of his original fans who were mad at him for going electric. They felt like Dylan had left him "high and dry" to pursue fame. This song sounds like someone who is bitter and doesn't want to be left behind when someone they love goes on to seek recognition.

I think this song is about Thom Yorke, who is talking to himself and making sure that he doesn't leave himself behind. "You broke another mirror, you're turning into something you are not." He's checking himself and singing about it so that he doesn't forget to remain true to himself.