Fake Plastic Trees
µç̨˾Áî(Radiohead) Lyrics
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For her fake Chinese rubber plant
In the fake plastic earth
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plans
To get rid of itself
It wears her out, it wears her out
She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins
It wears him out, it wears him out
It wears him out, it wears...
She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love
But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
And It wears me out, it wears me out
It wears me out, it wears me out
And If I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted all the time
"Fake Plastic Trees" is a song that describes the emptiness of modern life and the longing for authenticity. The lyrics use vivid imagery to depict a world filled with cheap imitations, where even plants are made of plastic. The green plastic watering can and fake Chinese rubber plant are symbols of the artificiality that dominates people's lives. The singer of the song is a woman who lives with a broken man who used to be a surgeon but now crumbles and burns. This pair represents the fragility and disillusionment of contemporary relationships, where people struggle to connect with each other amid the overwhelming fakeness of their surroundings.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "It wears me out" four times, underscoring the sense of exhaustion and defeat that pervades the lyrics. The singer of the song is trapped in a cycle of disillusionment and alienation, unable to escape the fake world that surrounds her. The song ends with a note of desperation, as the singer longs to be someone else, to escape the confines of his own identity and be the person his loved one wants him to be.
Several interpretations of this song have been offered. Some suggest that it is a critique of consumer culture, where everything is reduced to its market value and human relationships suffer as a result. Others see it as a comment on the music industry, where artists are forced to conform to commercial standards and lose their authenticity in the process. Either way, "Fake Plastic Trees" speaks to a pervasive sense of alienation and disillusionment that many people experience in contemporary society.
Line by Line Meaning
Her green plastic watering can
She has a fake object, a plastic watering can, that she uses in her routine of caring for her fake plant.
For her fake Chinese rubber plant
She owns an artificial Chinese plant that requires no genuine care.
In the fake plastic earth
She put her fabricated plant in plastic earth that is not real.
That she bought from a rubber man
She got these fake objects from a salesman who sells rubber-made products.
In a town full of rubber plans
This salesman operates in a town that has a lot of rubber industrial plants.
To get rid of itself
The town has a history of trying to eliminate itself, as rubber production results in environmental degradation.
It wears her out, it wears her out
This routine of caring for fake objects that are soulless and fabricated is exhausting for her.
She lives with a broken man
She coexists with a man who is shattered and incapable of functioning properly.
A cracked polystyrene man
He is compared to a low-grade, fragile material - polystyrene, that is easily broken and ineffective.
Who just crumbles and burns
He disintegrates, falls apart into pieces, and ultimately dies.
He used to do surgery
He was once a surgeon, perhaps indicating that he used to fix things or people, but now he is broken beyond repair.
For girls in the eighties
He worked on plastic surgery for women when they were very specific about how they wanted to look in the 80s.
But gravity always wins
Gravity symbolizes how the natural order of things causes him to become weak and deteriorate.
It wears him out, it wears him out
The broken man is also exhausted by his futile existence.
She looks like the real thing
She appears to be genuine and authentic, but she is made of plastic.
She tastes like the real thing
She is savory and sweet like real love, but still fake.
My fake plastic love
He longs for a true connection, but what he has is simply not real.
But I can't help the feeling
He has an intense emotion, but he can't help recognize how fake his love is.
I could blow through the ceiling
He has the control to eradicate everything in his life and come up with something new, real, and genuine.
If I just turn and run
He could escape everything and build up what he desires if he merely puts effort into it.
And It wears me out, it wears me out
The frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction are also exhausting for him.
If I could be who you wanted
He wishes desperately that he could be what his love wants, but he knows he can't.
If I could be who you wanted all the time
He wants to be his love's ideal partner at all times, being authentic and truthful, but he knows he can't achieve that.
Contributed by Oliver T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@xxCasanova98xx
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
A green plastic watering can
For a fake Chinese rubber plant
In a fake plastic earth
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plans
To get rid of itself
[Chorus 1]
It wears her out
It wears her out
It wears her out
It wears her out
[Verse 2]
She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins
[Chorus 2]
And it wears him out
It wears him out
It wears him out
It wears
[Verse 3]
She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love
But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
[Chorus 3]
And it wears me out
It wears me out
It wears me out
It wears me out
[Outro]
And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time
All the time
@petersmith6248
Heard this blasting out of my teenage daughters room last night. My work is done here
@LoneShot95
well done you should check on her though
@KJ-je9pm
She got good taste
@ScorpionGaming5
This is both a great and very concerning thing...
@edgargomez66
Smart kid
@Snowcrash777
Good show Sir! lol True though! Radiohead has some great lessons/observations. ;)
@Sbibb27
I’m jealous of anyone who listens to this tune for the first time.
@caseyinmi1315
Hi I am Casey . . . Close but just listened yesterday . . Really stopped to listen . . Thanks
@Sbibb27
Casey In MI 😊🙌🧡
@abrahamfrancis2394
Listening these lyrics for the first time. I'd kill for that.