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.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
It all began one afternoon on the shores of Ambleside,
We were sittin' there quite peacefully with the rising of the tide;
When an idea it came to mind for to usher in the Fall,
So we all agreed next Friday night we'd go out on the crawl.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
We planned to have a gay old time, the cash we did not spare,
We left all the cars at home and paid the taxi fare;
I got out to Horseshoe Bay a little after five,
From a table in the corner I heard familiar voices rise.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Spirits they ran high that night, old stories we did share,
Of the days when we were younger men and never had a care;
The beer flowed like a river and we drank the keg near dry,
So we drained down all our glasses and were thirsty by-and-by.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Park Royal Hotel, The Rusty Gull, Square-Rigger and Queen's Cross,
We'd started out with eight good boys but half had gotten lost;
For you'll never keep the lads together when their eyes begin to rove,
So there was just the three of us that made it to Deep Cove.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
We arrived out at The Raven just in time for the last call,
The final destination of this the first annual crawl;
We dug deep into our pockets there was no money to be found,
Nine miles home and for walking we are bound.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
It all began one afternoon on the shores of Ambleside,
We were sittin' there quite peacefully with the rising of the tide;
When an idea it came to mind for to usher in the Fall,
So we all agreed next Friday night we'd go out on the crawl.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
We planned to have a gay old time, the cash we did not spare,
We left all the cars at home and paid the taxi fare;
I got out to Horseshoe Bay a little after five,
From a table in the corner I heard familiar voices rise.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Spirits they ran high that night, old stories we did share,
Of the days when we were younger men and never had a care;
The beer flowed like a river and we drank the keg near dry,
So we drained down all our glasses and were thirsty by-and-by.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Park Royal Hotel, The Rusty Gull, Square-Rigger and Queen's Cross,
We'd started out with eight good boys but half had gotten lost;
For you'll never keep the lads together when their eyes begin to rove,
So there was just the three of us that made it to Deep Cove.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
We arrived out at The Raven just in time for the last call,
The final destination of this the first annual crawl;
We dug deep into our pockets there was no money to be found,
Nine miles home and for walking we are bound.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Well, we're good old boys, we come from the North Shore,
Drinkers and carousers the likes you've never seen;
And this night, by God! We drank till there was no more,
From the Troller to the Raven with all stops in between.
Lyrics submitted by wrat
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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Ed Sheeran
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