In support of the MTV EXIT anti-human trafficking campaign, Radiohead produced a video for "All I Need", directed by Steve Rogers, which premiered on May 1, 2008. The clip, which contrasts the lives of two young boys—an average, well-off child from a developed environment, and a sweatshop worker—received critical acclaim and won numerous awards. On January 5, 2009, "All I Need" impacted the United States adult album alternative radio as the fifth and final single from In Rainbows.
All I Need
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting in the wings
I'm an animal
Trapped in your hot car
I am all the days
That you choose to ignore
You are all I need
I'm in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
I am a moth
Who just wants to share your light
I'm just an insect
Trying to get out of the night
I only stick with you
Because there are no others
You are all I need
You're all I need
I'm in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
It's all wrong
It's all wrong
It's all wrong
It's all right
It's all right
It's all right
It's all wrong
It's all right
It's all wrong
It's all right
The lyrics of Radiohead's song "All I Need" are written to express the feeling of unrequited love. The singer is someone who is in love with someone else, but that feeling is not reciprocated. The line "I'm the next act waiting in the wings" implies that the singer is waiting for his turn to be noticed, to be appreciated by the person they love. They see themselves as an animal, trapped in their love's hot car, further emphasizing the feeling of being trapped and helpless in the situation.
The next few lines of the song paint a picture of loneliness and longing. The singer is all the days that their love chooses to ignore, making them feel unimportant and insignificant. However, despite all of this, the singer declares that their love is all they need, as the chorus repeats "You are all I need, you're all I need." They see themselves as a moth, attracted to their love's light, and even though they may be just an insect trying to escape the darkness, they stick with their love because there are no other options.
The repeated lines of "It's all wrong, it's all right" show the conflicting feelings of the singer. They know that their love is not returned, but they still hold onto hope, knowing that it's all wrong but also trying to convince themselves that it's all right. The song ends with the repetition of these lines, leaving the listener with a sense of bittersweet resignation.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the next act
I'm waiting for my turn to perform
Waiting in the wings
Waiting in the background for your attention
I'm an animal
I'm untamed and unpredictable
Trapped in your hot car
Stuck in your passion and desire
I am all the days
I am the moments and experiences you ignore
That you choose to ignore
You overlook my existence
You are all I need
You are the only one I require
You're all I need
I don't need anyone else but you
I'm in the middle of your picture
I'm part of your world
Lying in the reeds
Hiding and waiting for your notice
I am a moth
I am drawn to your light
Who just wants to share your light
I want to be near you, basking in your presence
I'm just an insect
I am insignificant in your eyes
Trying to get out of the night
Trying to escape from the darkness
I only stick with you
I am loyal to you
Because there are no others
There is no one else I desire
It's all wrong
Things are not going as planned
It's all right
Everything is okay
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Thomas Edward Yorke, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'brien, Philip James Selway
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lukachibukhaia4194
Lyrics:
I'm the next act
Waiting in the wings
I'm an animal
Trapped in your hot car
I am all the days
That you choose to ignore
You are all I need
You are all I need
I'm in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
I am a moth
Who just wants to share your light
I'm just an insect
Trying to get out of the night
I only stick with you
Because there are no others
You are all I need
You are all I need
I'm in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
It's all wrong
It's all right
It's all wrong
It's all wrong
It's all right
It's all wrong
It's all wrong
It's all right
It's all wrong
It's all right
@marlowener
i have this as the final song on my playlist that i made for the guy i am seeing right now.
the situation is difficult; he told me to wait for him, for a year, so he can get everything else in order and cut off things that would stop us from being together fully, but every so often he tries to pull away or tells me he isn't ready. sometimes i think i should try and let go, but i really can't. i'm almost through with the year, and i'm deeply in love with him. he's met my family, and they really like him. my cat loves him, too. i don't think i've ever felt more safe with anyone other than him; i have never felt more seen, more heard, more actually cared for even if he only says he loves me when we're both crying.
i feel like i'm chasing after him, trying to earn his time. i tell him this, and he tells me i don't have to, but i still feel like i do. i have reached a point where i feel empty without him; my apartment is strange when it's just me, and i've been used to living and struggling alone for so long that this shift has completely thrown me into the air. i used to be able to deal with a lot of pain and difficulties on my own, but now i can't do it without him, and he's causing quite a bit of it. i can't tell him he is, though, because he'll leave to save me that pain.
it is a struggle. i want him to say fuck it, and just slice everything off to be with me. i want to be the most important person to him, like he is to me. i want him to come here, and stay here. i want to make it work so badly, but he keeps dragging his feet. he's self flagellating and it's bouncing off and hitting me, instead.
i am just a moth that wants to bask in his light. i am simply waiting in the wings until i am allowed to take to his stage. it is so wrong, but being with him is so right.
he knows about this playlist. he might see this comment. he already knows all of this. sometimes knowing and feeling isn't enough to fix things or change them. i just have to be strong enough to see it the rest of the way through. wish me luck
@tovmusic
When I hear the song, I imagine someone looking their whole life for another presence to have around them. They don't know how to be around anyone and don't feel wanted. They are so lonely that they will stick around people who have their back turned to them. I also feel the song is about patience and trying to find the right person to be with even if you think it won't happen.
@NickSrp1
you just described my life
@violetskies66
Nick Srp
and mine
@faralefo
man what you're talking about is such a really human feeling, it's wonderful
@christine7521
jeezus, all my feels..
@mrmidrift
Tony Vilaysack this is so true...
@jonathany6403
"I am a moth, who just wants to share your light" one of the best lines ever
@elenachristine6266
Yes. My favorite line in this song
@zairefranklin122
Fr
@peagles83
This song will forever haunt me. I was involved in a high speed car accident back in 2008 and I had this playing in the car. As I lost control of the car all I could hear being sang was "You are all I need..." repeated in a surreal out of body way. I absolutely love Radiohead I guess I could say this song was nearly the life or death of me. It certainly taught me not to drive like an idiot anymore...