A handshake of carbon monoxide

Been listening to oldies over the past few days, and it struck me that Let Down and No Surprises really are some of the saddest, most depressing songs Radiohead ever wrote... They still wring my insides every time I hear them. And I've been listening to them again and again and again lately. Ca fait du bien là où ça fait mal, comme un Synthol musical.

For those who have been living under a rock for a long time and would not know about these songs, here is a chance to catch up ;)

Let Down

Transport, motorways and tramlines,
Starting and then stopping,
Taking off and landing,
The emptiest of feelings,
Disappointed people, clinging on to bottles,
And when it comes it's so, so, disappointing.

Let down and hanging around,
Crushed like a bug in the ground.
Let down and hanging around.

Shell smashed, juices flowing, wings twitch, legs are going,
Don't get sentimental, it always ends up drivel.
One day, I'm gonna grow wings, a chemical reaction,
Hysterical and useless
Hysterical and let down and hanging around,
Crushed like a bug in the ground.
Let down and hanging around.
Let down, let down, let down.

You know, you know where you are with,
You know where you are with,
Floor collapsing, falling, bouncing back and one day,
I'm gonna grow wings, a chemical reaction,
Hysterical and useless
Hysterical and let down and hanging around,
Crushed like a bug in the ground.
Let down and hanging around.




No Surprises

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 silence.

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,
No alarms and no surprises,
No alarms and no surprises please.



You guessed it, misery LOVES company...