Go to Sleep. (Little Man Being Erased.) Lyrics
"Over my dead body"
Something big is going to happen
"Over my dead body"
"Over my dead body"
This is how I end up getting sucked in
"Over my dead body"
Let this wash all over me
"Tip-toe around, tie him down"
We don't want the loonies taking over
"Tip-toe around, tie them down"
Come to you as you sleep
I'm going to go to sleep
Let this wash all over me
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almost every song thay've ever written gets better and better even after hundreds of listens!
I totally feel the same way! What's their magic? No other music hooked me like theirs
I totally feel the same way! What's their magic? No other music hooked me like theirs
Someone above explained their structure chords are typical rock chords, but why so much musical and emotional landscapes in their songs, and yet at times very simple. I do find their transition is differently profound, and the voice of Thom Yorke. One of the most emotionally charged voice in music history even when he whispers and chirps.
Someone above explained their structure chords are typical rock chords, but why so much musical and emotional landscapes in their songs, and yet at times very simple. I do find their transition is differently profound, and the voice of Thom Yorke. One of the most emotionally charged voice in music history even when he whispers and chirps.
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This song is about feeling powerless. Note all the quotes in the song. It is someone repeating mantras of sanity over and over "we don't really want a monster taking over" "over my dead body" and yet that's exactly what happened. This stuff was written back in the buildup to war, when there where marches in the streets and people shouting, all of which didn't do a damn thing. Thom Yorke (who was very much involved in that shouting) is writing about how powerless it made him and all of us feel to know that there was not a damn thing you could do to stop it, even though he knew how crazy it was. The urge to go to sleep is not just the goverments' desire to make you forget, but also your own, to avoid the guilt of letting this happen. I think the "tiptoe around, tie him down" thing is about the realization that the sort of peacenik thinking that we had become accustomed to, the leaders actually paying attention to the populace, isn't going to work with these people. Radiohead have actually said in interviews that this album isn't about the war or Bush and Blair but about how powerless they felt in the whole mess, so I think this is justified.
@jady Thank you for highlighting the historical significance of this release. It\'s valuable to recognize that this album was released during the build up to the Iraq War, which had the largest worldwide pre-war protests in history. I\'ll add an additional interpretation of the phrase "go to sleep" as it may reference what the giant needs to do if Lillputians are to tie him down. Although I don\'t think Yorke\'s lyrics are intended to be taken a number of ways, I\'m quite fond of this phenomenon. For instance, he says Sail to the Moon was written as a message of...
@jady Thank you for highlighting the historical significance of this release. It\'s valuable to recognize that this album was released during the build up to the Iraq War, which had the largest worldwide pre-war protests in history. I\'ll add an additional interpretation of the phrase "go to sleep" as it may reference what the giant needs to do if Lillputians are to tie him down. Although I don\'t think Yorke\'s lyrics are intended to be taken a number of ways, I\'m quite fond of this phenomenon. For instance, he says Sail to the Moon was written as a message of hope for his child, but I always hear the lyrics as tragically desperate.
@jady Thank you for highlighting the historical significance of this release. It\'s valuable to recognize that this album was recorded during the build up to the Iraq War, which had the largest worldwide pre-war protests in history. I\'ll add an additional interpretation of the phrase "go to sleep" as it may reference what the giant needs to do if Lillputians are to tie him down. Although I don\'t think Yorke\'s lyrics are intended to be taken a number of ways, I\'m quite fond of this phenomenon. For instance, he says Sail to the Moon was written as a message of...
@jady Thank you for highlighting the historical significance of this release. It\'s valuable to recognize that this album was recorded during the build up to the Iraq War, which had the largest worldwide pre-war protests in history. I\'ll add an additional interpretation of the phrase "go to sleep" as it may reference what the giant needs to do if Lillputians are to tie him down. Although I don\'t think Yorke\'s lyrics are intended to be taken a number of ways, I\'m quite fond of this phenomenon. For instance, he says Sail to the Moon was written as a message of hope for his child, but I always hear the lyrics as tragically desperate.
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Holy crap! This site has really opened my eyes. I never knew Radiohead were so politically motivated. Bush is the monster! America is the wolf at the door! Bush is the paranoid android! Bush eats mouse heads! Its all so clear now!
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There is this watchdog gaurding everything, making sure nothing goes wrong and the "loonies" don't take over. Like every living creature, the watchdog has to eventually rest and go to sleep. When this happens, all the evil men in the world walk around the dog and tie him down (kind of like Gullivers Travels.)
Kind of like the media.
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Overminded body Ha! Let him go to the animals Overminded body The animals cannot see the music Coming from the sea Overminded body Jigsaw? Ha! So sleeve is not small Jigsaw falling into the place
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This song to me is about the powerful tense meaning we put on the political word of "war". This song (LIttle Man Being Erased) is about the soldiers we send and why we justify their death by the promises of "Something big is gonna happen" thanks to their efforts. We will convince ourselves to fight for what we believe in "Over my dead Body." We'll put those who disagree with us down at any cost "We don't want the loonies taking over." This is about what we are taught to believe in and just don't worry or question it. Only please for the love of God please (Go To Sleep)!
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and if you did more reading you'll see that the agenda of the far left is just as idiotic and scary as the agenda of the far right, at least to someone who values their individual liberties and freedoms.
You're best off just dropping the whole left/right, liberal/conservative bush is bad crap. It is just a tool to distract the populace. Ron Paul is a republican and he is 10x more of a man than anyone on Air America, Ted "I drowned my girlfriend and ran away" kennedy, the crony appointees of the United Nothing, or the globalist, owl worshipping neo cons. Wake up and learn about communitarianism and what the globalists have in store for us.
And you wonder why Thom has such a pessimistic attitude?
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I believe it was in a Chuck Klosterman interview with Radiohead that I read Thom Yorke puts lyrics into songs just because he likes how the words sound. Way too much can be read into his lyrics. It's a pretty song.
If that were entirely true (and it could very well be), then it's very frustrating.
If that were entirely true (and it could very well be), then it's very frustrating.
The thing is; I think Yorke purposely downplays the songwriting process... possibly to stop people like us from dissecting his lyrics. Yorke once pointed out that he'd rather people didn't analyze the words apart from the music because he viewed both as being inseparable. As much as is said about pulling lyrics out of hats, I don't think that Radiohead's creative process is nearly as random as they'd like us to think. It's obvious that a lot of thought goes into their work, and IMO...
The thing is; I think Yorke purposely downplays the songwriting process... possibly to stop people like us from dissecting his lyrics. Yorke once pointed out that he'd rather people didn't analyze the words apart from the music because he viewed both as being inseparable. As much as is said about pulling lyrics out of hats, I don't think that Radiohead's creative process is nearly as random as they'd like us to think. It's obvious that a lot of thought goes into their work, and IMO their songs wouldn't lend themselves to such 'overanalysis' if it weren't for their impressive depth in the first place.
she believes that because she's too stupid to understand any of the lyrics
she believes that because she's too stupid to understand any of the lyrics
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I interpret this song as centering on political consciousness, with sleep being akin to a state of lack of awareness, political unconsciousness. "Something for the rag and bone man", policies that dissuage the suffering of lower socioeconomic groups, the government replies "over my dead body". "We don't want the loonies taking over" we don't want fringe political groups having a say, informing political decisions etc, silence them "tip toe round, tie them down".
I think that this is the most likely explanation here, though I don't think it's the government responding "over my dead body" but the population.
I think that this is the most likely explanation here, though I don't think it's the government responding "over my dead body" but the population.
The "Someone's son or someone's daughter" line is the usual "think of the children" angle that politicians and the media use to get people all riled up, the monster/loonies may be the opposition and tiptoeing around and tying people down could be a reference to eroding civil liberties.
The "Someone's son or someone's daughter" line is the usual "think of the children" angle that politicians and the media use to get people all riled up, the monster/loonies may be the opposition and tiptoeing around and tying people down could be a reference to eroding civil liberties.
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I interpret this song as an answer to that goddamn spooky image on google that says 'go to sleep'. OH GOD.
The monster that waits for you to go to sleep so it can sneak up on you unhindered and savage you. Basically being afraid to go to sleep because you're afraid of what will happen when you sleep, be it ridiculous nightmare monsters sneaking up on you or realistic, really awfully bad political changes that make the world an absolute nightmare to live in, like 1984 or something.
There's also the thought that when it comes to the world, so many people are asleep to these kind of real dangers. The cheese fell off their crackers a long time ago. If you're aware, its even harder to sleep and relax thinking about the threats to our peaceful lives, because you might be one of the only ones on watch.
Then, sleep is so comforting. Its just a better world. So if the monster comes along and makes sure you never wake up, who gives a shit? You're at peace forever. Some prefer to have peace. Some prefer to fight. This song looks at both.
By the way, never search 'Go To Sleep' on Google Images. You won't sleep for a while.
It says GO TO SLEEP. I don't believe it means GO TO BED. They are not synonymous. LOL. One is much more fun than the others, although wouldn't know :)
It says GO TO SLEEP. I don't believe it means GO TO BED. They are not synonymous. LOL. One is much more fun than the others, although wouldn't know :)