Harrowdown Hill

There are some who believe Kelly didn't kill himself.

This song is written from his eyes, either way. "Coming home" is either his journey into the afterlife or perhaps even a declaration that he did indeed plan to go home, but someone made sure he didn't make it.

It's ambiguous statements like that that make Yorke brilliant.

I would like to start out by saying that this song is written with the opinion that Kelley was murdered, whether he truthfully was or not. If he committed suicide, it was probably because of the overwhelming stress he underwent. The government caused his death either way. I think the line about being dispensed with when you become inconvenient is the main idea of the song. Thom is using the murder/suicide to deliver the point that we are helpless in the hands of the government. The "we think the same things at the same time, we just can't do anything about it" and "there are so many of us" show that there are a lot of people who are not okay with the government's overwhelming power, but they are powerless to stop it.

i think a lot of the time people shrug songs off and say they're about a book, about a movie, an event. Song writing is another form of expression. If songs were movies, books, or events made into listening material, then they wouldn't be art. Songwriters use these things to inspire and influence them, and to help them make their own point. I assure you my friends, Thom is an artist. He was trying to make a point, and in my opinion, he nailed it.

Did I fall or was I pushed? Did I fall or was I pushed? And wheres the blood? And wheres the blood?

From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kelly

"the two paramedics who were called to the scene of Kelly's death, have since gone public with their view that there was not enough blood at the location to justify the belief that he died from blood loss. Bartlett and Hunt told The Guardian that they saw a small amount of blood on plants near Kelly's body and a patch of blood the size of a coin on his trousers. They said they would expect to find several pints of blood at the scene of a suicide involving an arterial cut"

From: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5092160.stm

Radiohead's Thom Yorke has said a track on his solo album about the suicide of scientist Dr David Kelly is "the most angry song I've ever written"

favorite on the album, actually. incredible.

Google takes the cake on this one. Harrowdown Hill was the location where Dr. David Kelly, an Iraqi specialist was killed 'unexplainably'. The whole thing is quite heavy in controversy, and, in all honestly, I don't quite understand the whole thing quite yet... anyhow, that's what the song is on.

this is such a sad song on it's own, and even sadder once you find out what it's about

I don't think the line 'there are so many of us and we can't do anything about it' is in reference to the cold politicians' feelings. Thom is referring to the activists or people who are concerned about what is going on and the feeling that, though they would like their voices heard, the government quiets them and their voices generally go unheard.

Ya.. Dr. David Kelley's death was "suicide", but there were a lot of holes. He had apparently consumed a number of analgesic tablets and then slit his wrists... causing him to die from "blood loss".

Here's the catch...

It was his ulnar arteries that "he" slit. Definately minor arteries. Considering the guy was in fact a doctor, I would assume he would know going for the radial artery would be more effective.

On another point, there was a minimal amount of blood to be found at the scene... definately not enough to be cause of death, particularily when cold air would cause vasoconstriction and inhibit the amount of blood.

Despite the fact that there wouldnt be enough blood loss to kill, slicing the ulnar artery should have resulted in a larger amount of blood loss than what was found. Only a couple random spots of blood were found, and with an artery being slit, there should have been copious amounts in comparison.

There is way too much information for me to keep going, but ya... if anyone is interested in this information and more details, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kelly.

This way you will also know that I'm not just winging the information. :)

Cheers!

I think this songs meaning, judging by the video, deals with political activism and how the government stops it. The activists think the same things, but they can't do anything about it.

This is Thom's response of the death of Dr. David Kelly. As the circumstances were rather suspicious Thom is suggesting that Kelly was murdered, and did not commit suicide. Kelly was someone who said that Iraq did not have Weapons of Mass Destruction. Yorke says there are lots more people who hold this view - "there are so many of us that you can't count."