A Wolf At The Door
Radiohead Lyrics
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Dragging out the dead
Singing I miss you
Snakes and ladders flip the lid
Out pops the cracker
Smacks you in the head
Knives you in the neck
Kicks you in the teeth
Steel toe caps
Takes all your credit cards
Get up get the gunge
Get the eggs
Get the flan in the face
The flan in the face
The flan in the face
Dance you fucker dance you fucker
Don't you dare
Don't you dare
Don't you flan in the face
Take it with the love its given
Take it with a pinch of salt
Take it to the tax man
Let me back
Let me back
I promise to be good
Don't look in the mirror at the face you don't recognize
Help me, call the doctor, put me inside
Put me inside
Put me inside
Put me inside
Put me inside
I keep the wolf from the door
But he calls me up
Calls me on the phone
Tells me all the ways that he's gonna mess me up
Steal all my children if I don't pay the ransom
And I'll never see them again if I squeal to the cops
Walking like giant cranes
And with my X-ray eyes I strip you naked
In a tight little world
And are you on the list?
Stepford wives who are we to complain?
Investments and dealers
Investments and dealers
Cold wives and mistresses
Cold wives and Sunday papers city
Boys in first class don't know we're born just know
Someone else is gonna come and clean it up
Born and raised for the job
Someone always does
I wish you'd get up get over
Get up get over and turn the tape off
I keep the wolf from the door
But he calls me up
Calls me on the phone
Tells me all the ways that he's gonna mess me up
Steal all my children if I don't pay the ransom
And I'll never see them again if I squeal to the cops
So I'm just gonna
focus on the first verse of the song, as it sets the overall tone for the rest of it. The singer seems to be in the middle of some kind of violent confrontation, with someone or something dragging out the dead. Perhaps they are being attacked by a person or a group of people, represented by snakes and ladders flipping the lid. The imagery of a cracker popping out and hitting the singer in the head, followed by getting knives in the neck and teeth kicked in, suggests a sudden and brutal physical assault. The mention of steel toe caps and credit cards being taken also points to the involvement of thieves or robbers.
But the tone of the song soon shifts from one of defensive anger to defiance, as the singer dances and demands not to be flanned in the face. The sudden change in lyrics can be seen as the singer attempting to take control of the situation and refusing to be a passive victim. The repetition of the phrase "get up" also reinforces this idea of standing up to their aggressors.
The chorus itself, where the singer talks about keeping the wolf from the door, takes on a more metaphorical meaning. The wolf can be seen as a representation of poverty, hunger, or other kinds of hardship. The singer is trying to keep it at bay and protect themselves and their loved ones. But the wolf is persistent, and it keeps calling them, threatening to harm them if they don't give in to its demands.
Overall, "A Wolf at the Door" can be seen as a commentary on the struggles of everyday life, from the threat of physical violence to the constant pressure of financial insecurity. It paints a bleak picture of a world where people are forced to be on guard at all times, but it also shows a glimmer of hope in the form of resistance and defiance.
Line by Line Meaning
Drag him out your window
Force the wolf to leave and not bother you anymore
Dragging out the dead
Getting rid of the past and not letting it haunt you anymore
Singing I miss you
Yearning for something or someone you lost in the past
Snakes and ladders flip the lid
Life is a game with its ups and downs
Out pops the cracker
Unexpected events can suddenly occur
Smacks you in the head
The unexpected events can be painful
Knives you in the neck
Betrayal and deception can hurt you badly
Kicks you in the teeth
Life can knock you down when you are already down
Steel toe caps
Protection to defend yourself against the tough times
Takes all your credit cards
The difficult situations can take all that you have earned
Get up get the gunge
Get ready to face the challenge with courage and determination
Get the eggs
Be resourceful and gather your strength to fight back
Get the flan in the face
Be ready for the unexpected twists
Dance you fucker dance you fucker
Don't surrender, fight and keep moving forward no matter what
Don't you dare
Don't give up or compromise, keep your integrity intact
Don't you flan in the face
Be brave, face the consequences and don't back down
Take it with the love its given
Accept the situations, both good and bad, that life presents
Take it with a pinch of salt
Be skeptical and don't take things at face value
Take it to the tax man
Deal with the problems responsibly and honestly
Let me back
Wanting to go back and correct mistakes of the past
I promise to be good
Pleading for a second chance and making a commitment to change
Don't look in the mirror at the face you don't recognize
Don't waste time regretting the past, accept it and move on
Help me, call the doctor, put me inside
Feeling overwhelmed and needing help to deal with life's problems
Put me inside
Escaping from the challenges in life
Walking like giant cranes
Being confident and towering over the problems in life
And with my X-ray eyes I strip you naked
Seeing through the lies and deceit of others
In a tight little world
The world can sometimes feel claustrophobic and controlling
And are you on the list?
Feeling left out and excluded from the privileged few
Stepford wives who are we to complain?
Being forced to conform and not stand up for oneself
Investments and dealers
The greed and corruption of the financial world
Cold wives and mistresses
The emptiness and loneliness of dysfunctional relationships
Cold wives and Sunday papers city
The mundane and repetitive nature of modern city life
Boys in first class don't know we're born just know
The privileged few are unaware of the struggles faced by the common folk
Someone else is gonna come and clean it up
The hopelessness and apathy that leads to inaction towards fixing problems
Born and raised for the job
Succumbing to the societal expectations and conforming to norms
Someone always does
The reliance on others to fix things rather than taking responsibility oneself
I wish you'd get up get over
Hoping that others will take control and fix their own problems
Get up get over and turn the tape off
Ignoring the noise of society and living life on one's own terms
I keep the wolf from the door
Trying to fend off the hardships and difficulties of life
But he calls me up
The problems of life still persist and haunt the person
Calls me on the phone
The problems of life seem to constantly nag and bother the person
Tells me all the ways that he's gonna mess me up
The problems of life seem to have many ways to destroy and harm the person
Steal all my children if I don't pay the ransom
The fear of losing everything precious and valuable in life
And I'll never see them again if I squeal to the cops
The fear of the consequences for standing up and speaking out against the problems of life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind