Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Decks Dark
Radiohead Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Then in your life, there comes the darkness
There's a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
And are we trapped? Rag-doll, cloth people
We are helpless to resist
Into our darkest hour

But it was just a laugh, just a laugh
Just a laugh, just a laugh
Even at this angle
And so we crumble
A ten ton head, made of wet sand
This dread circumference
You gotta be kidding me
The grass grows over me
Your face in the glass, in the glass
It was just a laugh, just a laugh
It's whatever you say it is
Split infinity

Then into your life, there comes a darkness
And a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
Into your darkest hour

When you've had enough of me
When you've had enough of me
Sweet darling

When you've had enough of me
When you've had enough of me
Sweet darling
Sweet darling
Sweet darling
Sweet darling

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Radiohead's song Decks Dark, "Then in your life, there comes the darkness/ There's a spacecraft blocking out the sky/ And there's nowhere to hide," suggest a feeling of hopelessness and despair. The image of a spacecraft blocking out the sky is powerful as it suggests the loss of freedom, the sense of being trapped with no way out. The lyrics continue, "You run to the back and you cover your ears/ But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard," indicating that the darkness has brought with it an overwhelming sense of noise or chaos that is almost too much to bear. The line "And are we trapped? Rag-doll, cloth people/ We are helpless to resist" further emphasizes the sense of powerlessness.


The song then takes an unexpected turn with the repetition of "But it was just a laugh, just a laugh/ Just a laugh, just a laugh/ Even at this angle." This repetition suggests that, despite the darkness and chaos, there is still a glimmer of hope, a moment of levity. However, this moment quickly fades, as the lyrics continue with "And so we crumble/ A ten ton head, made of wet sand/ This dread circumference/ You gotta be kidding me/ The grass grows over me/ Your face in the glass, in the glass." These lyrics suggest a sense of defeat and surrender to the darkness, as the image of a wet sand head crumbling and grass growing over it suggests decay and entropy.


The song ends with a repetition of the opening lines, "Then into your life, there comes a darkness/ And a spacecraft blocking out the sky/ And there's nowhere to hide/ You run to the back and you cover your ears/ But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard/ Into your darkest hour," suggesting a cyclical nature to this despair, as if it is an inevitable part of life that cannot be avoided.


Line by Line Meaning

Then in your life, there comes the darkness
Life has its share of darkness, a metaphor for difficult times


There's a spacecraft blocking out the sky
Something big and ominous has entered our lives


And there's nowhere to hide
The ominous presence is so all-encompassing that it seems impossible to escape


You run to the back and you cover your ears
We attempt to block out the fearsome sound, but it's too loud


But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
The fear and anxiety is overwhelming


And are we trapped? Rag-doll, cloth people
We feel helpless and powerless, like rag dolls or puppets


We are helpless to resist
Despite our best efforts, we cannot fight against the forces around us


Into our darkest hour
We are at our lowest point


But it was just a laugh, just a laugh
Perhaps the ominous presence is not as bad as it initially seemed


Just a laugh, just a laugh
It was a harmless joke, not a serious threat


Even at this angle
Even with a different perspective, things may not seem so bleak


And so we crumble
Despite some relief, we still can't avoid breaking down under the weight of everything


A ten ton head, made of wet sand
The burden seems unbearable


This dread circumference
The ominous presence has a wide impact on our surroundings


You gotta be kidding me
We can barely believe it ourselves


The grass grows over me
We feel like we're disappearing under the weight of our troubles


Your face in the glass, in the glass
We see our own reflection and struggle to recognize ourselves


It was just a laugh, just a laugh
The relief was only temporary


It's whatever you say it is
Our perspective shapes how we interpret our struggles


Split infinity
Our understanding of time and space is shattered


When you've had enough of me
We feel like we can't take any more


Sweet darling
A term of endearment, possibly for someone or something that brings comfort


When you've had enough of me
The feeling of being overwhelmed persists


When you've had enough of me
The struggle and pain is ongoing


Sweet darling
A reminder that comfort and support is still there, if we can find it


Sweet darling
The search for relief and healing continues


Sweet darling
Hope for a better future, even in the midst of darkness


Sweet darling
A reminder to hold onto love and positivity, even in the darkest of times




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Colin Greenwood, Jonathan Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Philip Selway, Thomas Yorke

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@oikkorode8802

Then into our life, there comes the darkness
There's a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard

And all we trapped rag doll cloth people
We are helpless to resist
Into our darkest hour

But it was just a laugh, just a laugh, just a laugh, just a laugh
Even at this angle
And so we crumble
A ten-ton head made of wet sand
Oh, this dread circumference
You've gotta be kidding me
The grass grows over me
Your face in the glass, in the glass
It was just a laugh, just a laugh
It's whatever you say it is
In split infinities

Then into your life, there comes the darkness
There's a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
It's the loudest sound you've ever heard
Into our darkest hour

Have you had enough of me?
Have you had enough of me
Sweet darling
Have you had enough of me?
Have you had enough of me?
Sweet darling
Sweet time
Sweet dark
Sweet dark



@Ivan-by8rz

And in your life, there comes a darkness
This spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to look back and you call on your knees
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
Now we're trapped we're dark cast people
We are helpless to this
In your darkest hour

But it was just a lie, just a lie
Just a lie, just a lie
Even at this angle
And so we crumble
Still turning heads, you know where it's at
This dread still covers us
You gotta be kidding me
The grass grows over me
Your face in the glass, and it's dark now
It was just a laugh, it was just a laugh
It's whatever you say it is
It feels infinite

And in your life, there comes a darkness
This spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to look back and you call on your knees
But there's a lighter sound, you'll never know
Now we're trapped we're dark cast people
We are helpless to this
In your darkest hour

We will never know
We will never know
So dark
So dark
So dark
So dark



@Ivan-by8rz

Then in your life, there comes the darkness
There's a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
And are we trapped? Rag-doll, cloth people
We are helpless to resist
Into our darkest hour
But it was just a laugh, just a laugh
Just a laugh, just a laugh
Even at this angle
And so we crumble
A ten ton head, made of wet sand
This dread circumference
You gotta be kidding me
The grass grows over me
Your face in the glass, in the glass
It was just a laugh, just a laugh
It's whatever you say it is
Split infinity
And into your life, there comes a darkness
And a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
Into your darkest hour
When you've had enough of me
When you've had enough of me
Sweet darling
When you've had enough of me
When you've had enough of me
Sweet darling
Sweet darling
Sweet darling
Sweet darling



@leelejnieks1234

Then in your life, there comes the darkness
There's a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
And are we trapped? Rag-doll, cloth people
We are helpless to resist
Into our darkest hour
But it was just a laugh, just a laugh
Just a laugh, just a laugh
Even at this angle
And so we crumble
A ten ton head, made of wet sand
This dread circumference
You gotta be kidding me
The grass grows over me
Your face in the glass, in the glass
It was just a laugh, just a laugh
It's whatever you say it is
Split infinity
Then into your life, there comes a darkness
And a spacecraft blocking out the sky
And there's nowhere to hide
You run to the back and you cover your ears
But it's the loudest sound you've ever heard
Into your darkest hour
When you've had enough of me
When you've had enough of me
Sweet darling
When you've had enough of me
When you've had enough of me
Sweet darling
Sweet darling
Sweet darling
Sweet darling



All comments from YouTube:

@lakevtav

This song is so effing UNDERRATED that it's criminal.

@rossryden9905

Easily my favorite Radiohead song and that’s saying a lot.

@WiscoWallace

Its impressive how late in their diskography they keep producing bangers

@philotaaveti

but sounds super annoying when you try to sing along....

# radio head singer on point tho....

@CuredStash

Too much truth

@saramale6721

Agree 💯 I just got lost listening to this. It’s 🔥

9 More Replies...

@Knifymoloko

That angelic choir is haunting AF and I love it ❤

@hippiecheezburger5457

Radiohead could go away for years and years but always come back with this authentic magnitude of work presented here for example. I think it’s just one of the reasons A Moon Shaped Pool turned out so incredible and emotional

@FiredtoFreedom

especially the crescendo? that it culminates in.

@Saintmichael17

Another epic song by one of the best ever bands.

More Comments

More Versions