A Punchup at a Wedding (No No No No No No No No)

It was always clear for me what this was about. Those "strictly British" sayings that you all are talking about... can't be, because I'm American and I've heard them all my life. Now, I'm going to go through every line and say what the song means.

I don't know why you bother (Why do you listen to music if you can't appreciate it?) Nothing's ever good enough for you (My band just tried its absolute best, and you dismissed it as if it was nothing!) (By the way) I was there (See that in the video? Yeah, that was me up on that stage.) It wasn't like that (Clearly, whatever it is you saw, you misinterpreted.) You've come here just to start a fight (The only reason you say things about peoples' music is to create controversy which makes you money.) You had to piss on our parade You had to shred our big day (You saw us having a blast, and we became your targets. We didn't deserve that.) You had to ruin it for all concerned (Our momentum is seriously damaged now, just because of what you said.) In a drunken punch-up at a wedding, yeah (The "wedding" is beautiful art of music, and the "drunken punch-up" is a fight that doesn't belong) Hypocrite opportunist (Oh, is that a Linkin Park CD that you're hiding there? My bad, I thought you liked music.) Don't infect me with your poison (I'm not going to let your stupid comments bring me down) A bull in a china shop (People like you are unspeakably destructive.) When I turn around, you stay frozen to the spot (You talk quite a bit when I'm not paying attention, but when I respond? Jackass.) You had the pointless snide remarks (Think before you speak, and then don't.) Of hammerheaded sharks (You, and critics like you, feed on the blood of good bands.) The pot will call the kettle black (Yeah, I'm talking to you. Get out YOUR fucking guitar.) It's a drunken punchup at a wedding, yeah (etc etc.)

Was that so hard? Also, the people that argue simplicity. Thom Yorke got an English degree at Exeter. Really.

Actually I read on a great radiohead fan page (which is now suspended... sniff) that the guys wrote this song after Thom read some critic's review about one of their concerts. Thom said it had been one of the happiest moments he had experienced, but then after reading the extremely negative review he could not remember that great moment, instead he just thought about the review all the time. Anyway's that really pissed him off...

On Thom's lyric sheet he used for one of the concerts, the following "verse" was added at the end of the song but was never sung:

go ahead the stage is yours. if you think you can do better you used to be alright, what-happened? keep moving or you r dead. keep moving or you r dead. how i wish you’d stay out of my face. there’s always someone spoils the party just you wait till your chained down worried and unhinged you have really gone and done it now just a trick to make you stupid all these sad heroics let me tell you how it really is we are here to spoil your party empty vessels make the most noise survival of the fittest wading through the marshes hypocrits, opportunists, userers flatterers and thiefs. im sick of all your bullshit. im sick of all these fucking mindgames. who invited you anyway?

Thom's voice is glorious when he hits the note at the end of the 'nothing's ever good enough for you.'

gives me shivers.

To me this song seems like an attack on the critics that dismissed Kid A and Amnesiac with the stupid complaint that it doesn't sound like OK Computer or the Bends. Nothing's ever good enough for the critics whose pointless snide remarks pissed on their parade... or something like that. I also think that "when I turn around you stay frozen to the spot" suggests that when Radiohead moved into the new territory of Kid A, the critics where still stuck in 1997 whining that they hadn't produced another OK Computer.

You know when you have one of those days and you can't stop beating yourself up inside? Kind of like the angel and devil on either shoulder, but more like internal and external. The way your mind mocks your actions because its not afraid to think them but you are afraid to do them. I think the 'No, No, No....' is one of two things. Either the internal (the mind) is mocking the way the external handled a situation prior to the beginning of the song, or is shouting it while he's fumbling and falling in the situation. That or he's walking away saying 'no no no no...' in despair. What follows seems to me to be a conversation between the two sides of the mind. the one that thinks and the one that makes decisions, and this is where the two voices seprate and becomes two feuding sides of the same internal voice.

'I dont know why you bother' states the cynical side, to which the other replies 'nothing's ever good enough for you' like a bickering couple. It's like, ok you can think all you want but im the only one making decisions round here! I'm pissed that they arent releasing this, as the video woudl be great, thom walkign around talkign to himself. (mind you i dont know if anyone agrees).

This continues with 'I WAS there' you know ' and it wasnt like that' to which the decision making part replies 'you've come here just to start a fight'

and so this continues

I'm guesing the parade, the wedding, the big day is all about feeling great, high human emotion and all that shit and it being ruined by your 'hypocritical' inner voice, reminding of you of your regrets and your mistakes as if questioning: what right do you have to enjoy anything, you've screwed up so much, why should you have fun, experience love and other such feelings?

i think from the 'piss on our parade' bit is the decision part again, arguing that all you do is spoil my mood.

there are a number of things i picked out in the additional lyrics where the external come back into it 'im sick of all your bullshit. im sick of all these fucking mindgames' and takes over, telling the voices to stop beating him up.

with the beautifully sardonic remark 'who invited you anyway?' questions why are you in my head, and surely i would be better off without you.

look over this, this is just pretentious bull-shit and im sure radiohead had no intention of remarking on the human mind and such issues as regret.

anyway, please tel me if you think i'm just being foolish, and comment on anything... thank you

Awesome song. Just got the new CD and its amazing. A must own and one of Radiohead's best. This is one of the better songs on the CD.

not their best though...I really loved OK Computer and The Bends the most...this is still an excellent CD worth buying if you're a self respecting Radiohead fan.

SnapHappyActivist, that was more or less how I interpreted the song, though more like a sub-schizophrenia than two relatively voluntary minds. Your suggestion would have made a brilliant video sigh.

Second_Guesser - I had never thought of it like that! And yet it makes so much sense!

'The pointless snide remarks of hammerheaded sharks' - did anyone interpret this as labelling the other person/subconscious as a hypocrite? (Or maybe I need to take my medication again)

Just read SnapHappy's post again - missed the part about the hypocritical inner voice... totally agree! Back to the medication to improve my attention span... (why do I write such pointless things? No! It's the voices again!)