07 Go To Sleep
Radiohead Lyrics


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Something for the rag and bone man
Over my dead body
Something big is gonna happen
Over my dead body

Someone's son or someone's daughter
Over my dead body
This is how I end up sucked in
Over my dead body

I'm gonna go to sleep
Let this wash all over me

We don't really want a monster taking over
Tiptoe around, tie him down
We don't want the loonies taking over
Tiptoe around, tie them down

May pretty horses
Come to you
As you sleep

I'm gonna go to sleep
And let this wash all over me

Overall Meaning

In Radiohead's song "08," the lyrics seem to be centered around a sense of rebellion against authority and a refusal to be pushed down by any external force. The opening lines, "Something for the rag and bone man, over my dead body / Something big is gonna happen, over my dead body," suggest that the singer is willing to fight to the death to prevent something from happening. This sentiment continues in the next lines, "Someone's son or someone's daughter, over my dead body / This is how I end up sucked in, over my dead body," indicating that the singer is prepared to take a strong stand against any outside force which might try to overwhelm them.


The subsequent lines, "I'm gonna go to sleep, let this wash all over me / We don't really want a monster taking over, tiptoe around, tie him down / We don't want the loonies taking over, tiptoe around, tie them down," can be interpreted as the singer's way of dealing with an overpowering force. Through going to sleep and letting the wave of change wash over them, the singer feels like they can maintain some level of control. Furthermore, the lines about tiptoeing around and tying down monsters and loonies suggest that the singer believes in taking a measured approach rather than overreacting in situations that might be overwhelming.


The final lines, "May pretty horses come to you as you sleep / I'm gonna go to sleep and let this wash all over me," seem to indicate a sense of peaceful acceptance. The singer recognizes that there are powerful forces at work, and that there are limits to what they can do to change the world. However, they seem content to simply let things wash over them and continue living their life as best they can.


Line by Line Meaning

Something for the rag and bone man
There is something insignificant, seemingly worthless, that is being given to a person who collects discarded items.


Over my dead body
The singer will do everything in their power to stop something from happening, even if it means sacrificing their life.


Something big is gonna happen
There is an significant event about to occur, likely one that will have major implications.


Someone's son or someone's daughter
The person affected by a particular situation could be anyone's child, it is not limited to only the children of those involved in the situation.


This is how I end up sucked in
The artist realizes that this is how they become involved in situations that they didn't completely understand at first.


I'm gonna go to sleep
The singer will close their mind to the events happening around them, ignoring them.


Let this wash all over me
The singer will not resist events or their surroundings and will let everything happen without resisting.


We don't really want a monster taking over
There is something dangerous and threatening that the artist and others do not want to harm them, but instead want to contain without causing any issues.


Tiptoe around, tie him down
The artist advises others to be cautious when approaching the threat and to take steps to control it.


We don't want the loonies taking over
The artist and others do not want people who are crazy or unstable to take control of a situation.


May pretty horses
The singer wishes for something beautiful and peaceful to occur.


Come to you
The artist hopes that the beautiful and peaceful event happens to the listener.


As you sleep
The singer hopes the listener is not paying attention to the negative events happening around them.




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
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@Anonymous-pw4tx

Lyrics :

Something for the rag and bone man
Over my dead body
Something big is gonna happen
Over my dead body

Someone's son or someone's daughter
Over my dead body
This is how I end up sucked in
Over my dead body

I'm gonna go to sleep
Let this wash all over me

We don't really want a monster taking over
Tiptoe around, tie him down
We don't want the loonies taking over
Tiptoe around, tie them down

May pretty horses
Come to you
As you sleep
I'm gonna go to sleep
And let this wash all over me.



@UndertaleFan-cx2mc

Same here
Until The Bends, I hated them, thought they were the weirdest band ever created, couldn't get into OK Computer to save my life
Thankfully after The Bends, my opinion got better, and I finally grew to like OK Computer
Then In Rainbows and Hail To The Thief, really good for the most part
Finally Kid A And Amnesiac, where I had to overcome their most non-rock albums (and they weren't too bad)
Recently it was Pablo Honey, which thankfully wasn't boring and had some alright songs
So all that's left is The King Of Limbs and A Moon Shaped Pool, and I'd say things are going ok with Radiohead for me; really good on some parts, half decent on others

Sorry about the paragraph



All comments from YouTube:

@Anonymous-pw4tx

Lyrics :

Something for the rag and bone man
Over my dead body
Something big is gonna happen
Over my dead body

Someone's son or someone's daughter
Over my dead body
This is how I end up sucked in
Over my dead body

I'm gonna go to sleep
Let this wash all over me

We don't really want a monster taking over
Tiptoe around, tie him down
We don't want the loonies taking over
Tiptoe around, tie them down

May pretty horses
Come to you
As you sleep
I'm gonna go to sleep
And let this wash all over me.

@MariaRamirez-nq4is

Thx' I luv it when kool people take the time to post the lyrics

@bravetherainbow

Never thought about this before but it really sounds like he's singing about attention-grabbing and anxiety-inducing news headlines or issues, and the way people talk about them

@blondedlens5462

I‘m only human After all

@JohnWarosa999

Radiohead: "go to sleep"
me at 4 AM: "no, I don't think I will"

@MariaRamirez-nq4is

Are you still awake...?

@JohnWarosa999

@@MariaRamirez-nq4is yesn't

@thisdeath

Radiohead: "go to sleep "
me, at 4 am: ok

@RootEight

me, at 4 AM: "over my dead body"

@analogcatalog.

Yep

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