This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Karma police
Arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio
Karma police
Arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo
Is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
Karma police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio
Karma police
Arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo
Is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
Karma police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Lyrics submitted by piesupreme
Karma Police Lyrics as written by Edward John O'brien Colin Charles Greenwood
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Music India Private Limited, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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I think I finally understand the meaning of this song. I'm pretty sure it's talking about hot shot rock stars and music artists who spout out shit and practically eat the money being thrown at them.
"Karma police Arrest this man He talks in maths He buzzes like a fridge He's like a detuned radio"
Thom's calling the karma police on a pop artist because:
He talks in maths = his lyrics are a bunch of bull shit, He buzzes like a fridge = There's no emotion. It's like a fridge buzzing. He's like a detuned radio = Kinda obvious, it sounds like shit.
"Karma police Arrest this girl Her Hitler hairdo Is making me feel ill And we have crashed her party"
Pop artist with a crazy hair-do. "we have crashed her party" is referring to Creep, I believe. For a little while, I guess Radiohead saw themselves as these people, and that's why they "crashed her party." Their song was more popular and they got ahead of her on the charts.
Not really sure about the next part, with all the "this is what you get". I think maybe it's referring to the industry poking around at Radiohead and Radiohead is saying Karma Police (song) is what they get in return, something that exposes all of their bullshit.
"Karma police I've given all I can It's not enough I've given all I can But we're still on the payroll"
They've tried to move past who they became with Creep, for example, My Iron Lung, but it's still in the spotlight and they're still cashing in money from it, possibly making them feel guilty.
"For a minute there I lost myself, I lost myself Phew, for a minute there I lost myself, I lost myself"
Again, directed at the band they were when Creep was released.
Do you think the man who talks in maths is a club - house musician with a drum machine?