Karma Police
Radiohead䠀 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio
Karma police
Arrest this girl
Is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
Karma police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Karma Police is a song by the alternative rock band Radiohead. The song is widely regarded as one of the band's masterpieces and is known for its haunting melody and powerful lyrics. The song talks about a person who is experiencing feelings of anger and frustration towards someone who has wronged them. They call on the Karma police to come and arrest the person who has caused them harm, metaphorically suggesting that the person should pay for their actions.
The lyrics use powerful metaphors to describe the person they are angry with. The man is described as talking in maths, buzzing like a fridge, and being like a detuned radio. This suggests that the person is perhaps robotic, emotionless, or difficult to understand. The girl is described as having a Hitler hairdo, which is making the singer feel ill. The references to Hitler are likely used to imply that the girl is a dictator or oppressor of some sort, with the hairstyle being a symbol of her power.
Towards the end of the song, the singer reflects on their own actions and how they have given all they can, but it's not enough. The reference to being on the payroll suggests that they may be working for the same people or organization as the person they are angry with. This contrasts with the earlier call to the Karma police, suggesting that the singer is perhaps conflicted about their feelings towards the person who has wronged them. The song ends on a note of uncertainty, with the singer admitting that they had lost themselves for a moment, but have since found themselves again.
Line by Line Meaning
Karma police
Addressing the human conscience or universal law of cause and effect
Arrest this man
The man's actions or behavior are unacceptable and need to be stopped
He talks in maths
The man is overly analytical and lacks emotion or creativity
He buzzes like a fridge
The man's presence is irritating, unrelenting, and inescapable
He's like a detuned radio
The man is out of touch or causing confusion with his communication
Karma police
Addressing the human conscience or universal law of cause and effect
Arrest this girl
The girl's behavior or appearance is causing discomfort or offence
Her Hitler hairdo
The girl's hairstyle resembles that of the infamous Nazi leader
Is making me feel ill
The hairstyle is nauseating or off-putting
And we have crashed her party
The intruders are causing chaos or disruption to her plans or event
This is what you'll get
There will be consequences for negative actions or behavior
When you mess with us
Actions have consequences, especially when they affect others
Karma police
Addressing the human conscience or universal law of cause and effect
I've given all I can
The singer has done everything in their power or ability
It's not enough
Despite the effort, it's not sufficient to alleviate the situation
But we're still on the payroll
They are still working for or receiving compensation from the source of the problem
For a minute there
A momentary lapse of awareness or control
I lost myself, I lost myself
The singer became disconnected from their true self or values
Phew, for a minute there
Relief or gratitude about regaining control or awareness
I lost myself, I lost myself
The artist became disconnected from their true self or values
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
@danielalexanderromerovelas6292
LETRA
Karma police, arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio
Karma police, arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo
Is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
Karma police, I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
@thedancingcentipede
I've been listening to this masterpiece for years but it was a treat to hear it on the Invincible soundtrack. This is a song that captures the fact that it's about the loss of identity in a world full of hypocrisy in which you can get lost for a moment. Very fitting to the first episode of season 2 of Invincible. One of my favourite songs. The fact that Mark never once stopped to get any credit for the acts of heroism he performed really stands out to me. He isn't to fix his reputation and prove to the general public he's not Omn-Man. He's trying to prove to himself that he's not his dad. He also likely feels he can't stay in one place because all they see is "Omni-Man's son". One of my favourite scenes.
[Verse 1]
Karma police, arrest this man, he talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge, he's like a detuned radio
[Verse 2]
Karma police, arrest this girl, her Hitler hairdo
Is making me feel ill and we have crashed her party
[Chorus]
This is what you get
This is what you get
This is what you get
When you mess with us
[Verse 3]
Karma police, I've given all I can, it's not enough
I've given all I can, but we're still on the payroll
[Chorus]
This is what you get
This is what you get
This is what you get
When you mess with us
[Outro]
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
🖤🖤
@BoerixMr
LYRICS:
Karma police
Arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio
Karma police
Arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo
Is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
Karma police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
@youngeuphoria02
Lyrics:
Karma police
Arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio
Karma police
Arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo
Is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
Karma police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
@jass2889
Karma police
Arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio
Karma police
Arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo
Is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
Karma police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
This is what you'll get
When you mess with us
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there
I lost myself, I lost myself
@aidenwhittingham3729
Fun Fact: Thom Yorke says that this music video was his favorite to have filmed because he was drunk the whole time.
@metalmask5
lmao
@CalridRobnor123srs
@@metalmask5 don't believe you: provide quotes and information. other wise it's the kharma police. :P
@KamisatoElias
haha love it
@tutan7814
XD
@sudamericanrockers6616
thom york remembers very little of what he did
@jadensteadman277
Shout out Invincible for showing this song to me
@psychicspy1234
Yeah, old fav, but had to come back again after watching invincible
@parnoico1
Same, I know and love only one song from radiohead, but after watching invincible and really liking this song Im currently listening to more of their works.
@jittyjjunior9397
same