Iron & Wine Cover of Radiohead's "No Surprises"
Have you ever known a song for years but never really listened (and I mean listened) to the lyrics? When I saw this video I realized I had done just that with Radiohead's "No Surprises"; it makes me really eager to go out and buy that pretty house and pretty garden that Thom Yorke equates with suicide. Still, it's a pretty song, especially the way Iron & Wine cover it without playing the guitar part way up on the 37th fret.
A heart that's full up like a landfill,
a job that slowly kills you,
bruises that won't heal.
You look so tired-unhappy,
bring down the government,
they don't, they don't speak for us.
I'll take a quiet life,
a handshake of carbon monoxide,
with no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
Silent silent.
This is my final fit,
my final bellyache,
with no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises please.
Such a pretty house and
such a pretty garden.
No alarms and no surprises (get me outta here),
no alarms and no surprises (get me outta here),
no alarms and no surprises, please.
4 comments:
I'm surprised that you're so surprised about the lyrics of "No surprises."
It's not like Thom Yorke is known for his happy-go-lucky writing - you know, with such classic, peppy lines as "Cracked eggs, dead birds, see how they fight for life," "When I am king, you'll be first against the wall," "Good fathers eat their children," "Cut the kids in half," and "We suck young blood."
I'm not saying that I thought the song was about rainbows and lollipops; I mean, even a cursory listen ("handshake of carbon monoxide", "a job that slowly kills you", "bruises that won't heal") gives a pretty accurate picture as to his mental state. Perhaps it was hearing this song after two really long weeks at work that made me think about my own job slowly killing me. Especially when the lack of sleep has effectively stopped the healing process for a couple of bruises on my arms.
I think this is even better than the Iron & Wine thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTJ0WguzkpY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsocialitelife%2Ecom%2Findex4%2Ephp
Pegs, that was simultaneously scary, awesome, and hilarious. It's amazing how it can make Cher sound so much better and Portishead sound so much worse at the same time.
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