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Man of War Lyrics

Drift all you like
From ocean to ocean
Search the whole world
But drunken confessions
And hijacked affairs
Just make you more alone

If you come home
I'll bake you a cake
Made of all their eyes
I wish you could see me
Dressed for the kill
You're my man-o-war
You're my man-o-war

The worms will come for you
Big boots

So unplug the phones
Stop all the chatter
It all comes flooding back
From poisoned clouds
To poisoned dwarf
You're my man-o-war

The worms will come for you
Big boots

The worms will come for you
Big boots
For you
Big boots
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Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

I believe the lyrics aren't to be taken too literal. Also, when you compare the lyrics with the music video, it's pretty obvious that it's about the paranoia one might feel when dealing with anxiety. The man in the video seems to have social anxiety since he feels judged while no one is actually paying attention to him at all. The video during the day is his outer appearance and how he wants to appear unaffected, but the parts during night time are his inner thoughts. Towards the end day and night are starting to blend together and he just can't escape the anxiety and judgment he feels when surrounded by other people.

The ''The worms will come for you, big boots'' is interesting, because it's usually the other way around isn't it? The worms don't come for your boots, we are the ones who will probably crush the worms under our boots. So perhaps it's talking about an irrational fear?

This is my interpretation of the lyrics combined with the music video.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

I'm not too sure about this one, but I'm pretty sure it's about PTSD (post traumatic stress Disorder) and how it affects veterans when they're back from war.

The first verse goes "Drift all you like""From ocean to ocean""Search the whole world""But drunken confessions""And hijacked affairs""Will just make you more alone" This is explaining how veterans will attempt to escape their trauma even taking extreme measures, but will eventually come to no avail and feel more alone, hence the final verse.

The second verse is talking about how veterans feel arriving home to their families "when you come home" "I'll bake you a cake" "Made of all their eyes" the eyes are the veterans traumas reaching him, even in the safety of his family, and his family has no idea what hes been through. The end of the verse goes "I wish you could see me" "dressed for the kill" "you're my man of war" this is the soldier feeling like hes all alone, and how his family could never imagine him and the atrocities he saw during the war.

The final verse talks about how anything can trigger his PTSD hence the "so unplug your phone" "stop all the taps" these are all noises that could trigger his trauma and the "it all comes flooding back is how he feels remember everything he saw. "From poisoned cloud" "and poisoned dwarf" is how he sees himself I think, no longer himself trapped in a poisoned cloud of memories.

I also think the song name clicks well with this meaning, as well as "yeah the worms will come for you" which is a feeling lots of trauma victims get, the feeling that there are worms or insects in your skin.

Song Meaning
Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

It was played on the 7th of August 2002 in Salamanca, Spain. The best quality bootleg of it available is now the one from that show.

@ikari i was there that night

@ikari i was there that night

@ikari proof??

Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

whoaw, 2002? those were the only reviews on this song. Damn! this is one of the greatest RH songs ever to not be released (too bad). It was to be featured on the old Avengers soundtrack, but never made it cuz RAdiohead were too jaded by its incompletion, just watch "Meeting People is Easy" movie. Honestly, I could careless what RH's songs mean cuz they're just too beautiful to sit there and decipher, I'd rather just swim in the harmony of the band's music and Thom's voice. But yeah, umm to the guys above my comment go to, (http://s93609871.onlinehome.us/tired/mp3s.html) they have the ripped version straight from the MPiE movie. It's beautiful.

Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

THis is one of those song's... It's what Radiohead are about. Fuckin beautiful..

Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

what the hell?!?!?! WHY AREN\'T THERE MORE COMMENTS??

this is one of my favourite radiohead songs ... of all time.. seriously... i agree with theresnorest... AHHHH!!!

i always though it could be a message from thom\'s girlfriend to thom whilst he is away on a tour. it sort of makes sense!

\"you\'re my man-o-war\" = thom! \"i will bake you a cake\" = beckoning him back to domestic life \"drift all you like, from ocean to ocean... just make you more alone\" = awww.. thommy needs his girlfriend!

it sort of sounds like a warning to me, too.. kind of eerie...

Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

I love this song, it's probably one of my favourite Radiohead songs, along with Big Ideas (Don't Get Any) of all time.. if not of the unreleased songs. I am glad it has never been released because that would take the edge off the song. If everyone liked it my world would be that much less private.. that much shitter.

Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

I got a great version that also says "what a nasty surprise" in the lyrics. this song is great and u can relate it directly to war or just life in general. -the thing is that there both hopeless. The 1st verse pretty much tells u to try all u want, but in the end u are wasting ur time, which would make u more alone- as in ur in a worse place after uve tried to gain happiness, then u were b4 u even tried at all, obviously due to dissapointment for something that thom might thing is impossible to achieve.

what a nasty surprise is the realization of the hopelessness

@qoz for some reason the nasty suprise lyric is not on the released version it was my favorite part

@qoz yes me too the nasty surprise line made the whole song now its gone too bad.. we will always have the mpie version which has it still in

Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

It's a sequel to their song "Morning Bell". It's in the aftermath of the divorce that was begged for in that song.

Cover art for Man of War lyrics by Radiohead

Christ, I love this song. I hope it's on the new album.