The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
The mongrel cat came home
Holding half a head
Proceeded to show it off
To all his new found friends
He said,
I been where I liked
I slept with who I liked
She ate me up for breakfast
She screwed me in a vice
But now
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
I sat in the cupboard
And wrote it down in neat
They were cheering and waving
Cheering and waving
Twitching and salivating
Like with myxomatosis
But it got edited, fucked up
Strangled, beaten up
Used as a photo in Time magazine
Buried in a burning black hole in Devon
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
Don't know why I feel so skinned alive
My thoughts are misguided and a little naive
I twitch and salivate
Like with myxomatosis
You should put me in a home or you
Should put me down
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
Yeah no one likes a smart arse
But we all like stars
That wasn't my intention
I did it for a reason
It must have got mixed up
Strangled beaten up
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
I don't know why I
Feel so tongue tied
Holding half a head
Proceeded to show it off
To all his new found friends
He said,
I been where I liked
I slept with who I liked
She ate me up for breakfast
She screwed me in a vice
But now
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
I sat in the cupboard
And wrote it down in neat
They were cheering and waving
Cheering and waving
Twitching and salivating
Like with myxomatosis
But it got edited, fucked up
Strangled, beaten up
Used as a photo in Time magazine
Buried in a burning black hole in Devon
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
Don't know why I feel so skinned alive
My thoughts are misguided and a little naive
I twitch and salivate
Like with myxomatosis
You should put me in a home or you
Should put me down
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
Yeah no one likes a smart arse
But we all like stars
That wasn't my intention
I did it for a reason
It must have got mixed up
Strangled beaten up
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
I don't know why I
Feel so tongue tied
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This song is obviously about Radiohead's climb to fame, and what it's like to Thom to be an international superstar.
The first verse is about Radiohead showing off their songs. Thom refers to them as "half a head," which is a reference to the fact that they now see them as pretty poor, and particularly dislike the song which initially got them fame, Creep. The lines "She ate me up for breakfast, She screwed me in a vice" refer to the fact that the record company were eager to sign Radiohead, but in the process severely inhibited them in what they really wanted to sing about.
The next part "I don't know why, I feel so tongue-tied, I sat in the cupboard, And wrote it down real neat" refers to Thom's depression (around the time of OK Computer), and how he felt that the only way to express this was through writing songs.
"But it got edited fucked up, Strangled beaten up, Used in a photo in time magazine" shows how Thom's songs (and the meanings behind them) were changed by the record company in order to mass commercialise them, and then subsequently misunderstood by the masses.
"Buried in a burning black hole in devon" is another reference to his depression, and writing songs while depressed (in Devon).
"Yeah no one likes a smart ass but we all like stars But that wasn't my intention, I did it for a reason It must have got mixed up" is a final reference to the fact that he's been mistaken frequently by the press, and seen as someone completely up himself and who thinks his message is all important (a la Bono), when that wasn't his intention in the slightest.
Not that I truly believe there's a connection, but this was written around the time of the rise of Muse (and other Radiohead-influenced acts) and the fact they come from Devon and do seem to have a career-long obsesssion with "black holes" make this interesting to me.