I hear the lyrics differently during the climax of the song, compared to those listed above. Here's what I've got. Bold text denotes a change.
Where′s the truth? What's the use
In hanging around, lost and found With your head in the sand
Fat chance, no plan
No regard for human life You keep time with no rhyme Fast and loose, win or lose
Jump the queue, go back again
President for life
Lord of all that flies in the sky
The beasts of the earth
The fish in the sea
You've lost command...
The combination of the loud music plus Thom Yorke's tendency to mumble makes it tricky to discern, but this is what I gathered from listening to the song carefully ad infinitum and watching the From the Basement video of its recording.
For what it's worth, listening to this again in 2025, I can't help but think of the Trump regime in the US.
"Win or lose, jump the queue" = Rigging the election
"No plan, no regard for human life" = Self-explanatory. All about himself.
"You keep time with no rhyme, fast and loose" = Makes me think of the nonsense logorrhea that comes out of his mouth and his inability to create a lucid, complete sentence, yet he always jumps at any chance he can to speak, even if he doesn't make any fucking sense or isn't answering a direct question.
"President for life, lord of all..." = He wishes, and he's said as much publicly.
"You've lost command" = He's not really the one in charge. He's a puppet for Putin.
[Removes foil hat.]
Having a malleable meaning that changes with the times and is open to interpretation like this is one of the song's many strengths. It's amazing, especially for being recorded live, and it's one of their best songs, full stop.
I hear the lyrics differently during the climax of the song, compared to those listed above. Here's what I've got. Bold text denotes a change.
Where′s the truth? What's the use
In hanging around, lost and found
With your head in the sand
Fat chance, no plan
No regard for human life
You keep time with no rhyme
Fast and loose, win or lose
Jump the queue, go back again
President for life
Lord of all that flies in the sky
The beasts of the earth
The fish in the sea
You've lost command...
The combination of the loud music plus Thom Yorke's tendency to mumble makes it tricky to discern, but this is what I gathered from listening to the song carefully ad infinitum and watching the From the Basement video of its recording.
For what it's worth, listening to this again in 2025, I can't help but think of the Trump regime in the US.
"Win or lose, jump the queue" = Rigging the election
"No plan, no regard for human life" = Self-explanatory. All about himself.
"You keep time with no rhyme, fast and loose" = Makes me think of the nonsense logorrhea that comes out of his mouth and his inability to create a lucid, complete sentence, yet he always jumps at any chance he can to speak, even if he doesn't make any fucking sense or isn't answering a direct question.
"President for life, lord of all..." = He wishes, and he's said as much publicly.
"You've lost command" = He's not really the one in charge. He's a puppet for Putin.
[Removes foil hat.]
Having a malleable meaning that changes with the times and is open to interpretation like this is one of the song's many strengths. It's amazing, especially for being recorded live, and it's one of their best songs, full stop.
[Edit: Explanatory text.]