Present Tense
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This dance
It's like a weapon
It's like a weapon
Of self defense
Self defense
Against the present
Against the present
Present tense
I won't get heavy
Don't get heavy
Keep it light and
Keep it moving
I am doing
No harm
As my world
Comes crashing down
I'll be dancing
Freaking out
Deaf, dumb, and blind
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
I won't turn around when the penny drops
I won't stop now
I won't slack off
Or all this love
Will be in vain
Stop from falling
Down a mine
It's no one's business but mine
Well, all this love
Has been in vain
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
The lyrics to Radiohead's song "Present Tense" appear to be about the power of dance as a form of self defense against the present moment. The repetition of the phrase "this dance, it's like a weapon" suggests that the act of dancing can be used as a means of protecting oneself. The present tense, which is the focus of the title, is a source of anxiety and stress for the singer, and he turns to dancing as a way of coping with it.
Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes the importance of not taking things too seriously and learning to go with the flow. The lines "I won't get heavy/Don't get heavy/Keep it light and/Keep it moving/I am doing/No harm" suggest that he will not let the present tense weigh him down, but instead will continue to dance and stay in motion. The phrase "Deaf, dumb, and blind" invokes a sense of detachment and escape from reality, indicating that dancing can be a way of disconnecting from the stresses of the world and finding solace in the motion and rhythm.
The repeated phrase "In you I'm lost" adds a layer of emotional depth to the song, suggesting that the singer may have turned to another person for support in their struggle against the present moment. The final lines, which caution against falling down a mine and emphasize the importance of self-reliance, further underscore the idea that dancing is a tool for self-preservation.
Line by Line Meaning
This dance
The act of dancing
This dance
The act of dancing
It's like a weapon
Comparing the act of dancing to a weapon
It's like a weapon
Comparing the act of dancing to a weapon
Of self defense
Using dancing as an act of self defense
Self defense
Using dancing as a method of self defense
Against the present
Dancing to combat the present moment
Against the present
Dancing against the present moment
Present tense
In the current state
I won't get heavy
I won't become too serious
Don't get heavy
Don't take things too seriously
Keep it light and
Keep things easy and simple
Keep it moving
Keep going forward
I am doing
I'm doing well
No harm
Not causing any damage to anybody
As my world
As my life
Comes crashing down
Falls apart
I'll be dancing
Dancing in the face of adversity
Freaking out
Feeling overwhelmed
Deaf, dumb, and blind
Unable to grasp what's happening
In you I'm lost
Feeling lost without you
In you I'm lost
Feeling lost without you
I won't turn around when the penny drops
I won't change my behavior when the situation becomes clear
I won't stop now
I won't quit
I won't slack off
I won't slow down
Or all this love
Or everything I've put into this
Will be in vain
Will be for nothing
Stop from falling
Prevent from failing
Down a mine
Into a dangerous or hopeless situation
It's no one's business but mine
It's my own responsibility
Well, all this love
All the effort and emotion put into this
Has been in vain
Has been wasted
In you I'm lost
Feeling lost without you
In you I'm lost
Feeling lost without you
In you I'm lost
Feeling lost without you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Colin Greenwood, Jonathan Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Philip Selway, Thomas Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@juancamacho5746
This dance..
It's like a weapon..
Of self defense..
Against the present..
Present tense
I won't get heavy
Don't get heavy
Keep it light and
Keep it moving
I am doing
No harm
As my world
Comes crashing down
I'll be dancing
Freaking out
Deaf, dumb, and blind
In you I'm lost..
I won't turn around when the penny drops
I won't stop now
I won't slack off
Or all this love
Will be in vain
Stop from falling
Down a mine
It's no one's business but mine
Well, all this love
Has been in vain
In you I'm lost..
@avinashsingh-sp4nj
This dance
This dance
It's like a weapon
It's like a weapon
Of self defense
Self defense
Against the present
Against the present
Present tense
I won't get heavy
Don't get heavy
Keep it light and
Keep it moving
I am doing
No harm
As my world
Comes crashing down
I'm dancing
Freaking out
Deaf, dumb, and blind
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
I won't turn around when the penny drops
I won't stop now
I won't slack off
Or all this love
Will be in vain
Stop from falling
Down a mine
It's no one's business but mine
That all this love
Has been in vain
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
In you I'm lost
@hendrosetyow3072
This song made the love my life (who is my wife now) realized that she longer feels alone anymore as she has me now as life partner. When the line hit "In you I'm lost" she was stricken in the heart like how I was when I first heard it.
I never understands the meaning of the song, but I understands how love should feels by this song,
"I won't turn around when the penny drops
I won't stop now
I won't slack off
Or all this love
Will be in vain"
This gave me courage.
Thank you
@alvaropino3543
Everyone need: A Moon Shaped Pool from the basement
@anacosta6181
yes please
@tukychannel5316
Yeeeeesssssss pleeeeaaaaseeeeee!!!
@MattiasPerez13
Amen
@EstacaodeEnergia
by Paul Thomas Anderson
@anacosta6181
+Diego Marcelino Augusto. exactly
@ourso1266
This looks like an emo kid bonding with his new vegan stepfather and it's working
@user-bu6nq1ve6m
Ikr xD
@kyleplatz3751
lmao
@sopretentious
Haha I'm a huge Radiohead fan and this is the best comment :D