“Climbing Up the Walls” Is one of the first tracks by the band to be described as “scary.” Relying heavily on strings, but not in a conventional way, as the string section, composed by Jonny Greenwood alone, features 16 different violins playing quarter tones apart from one another.
Thom accompanies the chilling melodies with equally haunting lyrics about the relentless internal demons people face.
“Climbing Up the Walls” is the sixteenth track in the 01 10 playlist and serves to complement “Reckoner” from Radiohead’s In Rainbows album.
Thom: "This is about the unspeakable. Literally skull-crushing. I used to work in a mental hospital around the time that Care In The Community started, and we all just knew what was going to happen. And it's one of the scariest things to happen in this country, because a lot of them weren't just harmless... It was hailing violently when we recorded this. It seemed to add to the mood. Some people can't sleep with the curtains open in case they see the eyes they imagine in their heads every night burning through the glass. Lots of people have panic buttons fitted in their bedrooms so they can reach over and set the alarm off without disturbing the intruder. This song is about the cupboard monster."
From a Radiohead interview published in Rolling Stone in 2017 for the 20th anniversary of OK Computer:
Phil Selway: Because of the ghosts, I probably went to bed with the duvet pulled up to my nose every night. So the album did have that slightly wired feeling to it, which I think you can hear in “Climbing Up the Walls.”
Thom Yorke: That one’s a bit of a mystery to me, to be honest. I used to work in a home for the severely mentally ill for a while in this little village. And I remember one of them escaping one night – he was perfectly harmless, but he was really ill. I mean he couldn’t be out in society anyway. But because it was in a little village it sort of stuck with me. This idea of this guy in the middle of a field and the police chasing him.
Then I had read some newspaper piece about about a normal domestic murder where obviously the person concerned was not well. I was fascinated in a kind of twisted way about what is it that makes someone who can go through life and just snap one day and do something that you can’t possibly imagine. And it was in the context that people don’t get looked after like they should. Depression for example at the time was something that everybody just went, “Oh, well, you’re just depressed.” But now it can lead into other things like if someone gets ill, they can be a danger to themselves and to other people. That’s what I think about when I play it now.
Climbing Up the Walls
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That keeps your toys in the basement
And if you get too far inside
You'll only see my reflection
It's always best when the covers up
I am the pick in the ice
Do not cry out or hit the alarm
And either way you turn
I'll be there
Open up your skull
I'll be there
Climbing up the walls
It's always best when the light is off
It's always better on the outside
Fifteen blows to the back of your head
Fifteen blows to your mind
So lock the kids up safe tonight
Shut the eyes in the cupboard
I've got the smell of a local man
Who's got the loneliest feeling
That either way he turns
I'll be there
Open up your skull
I'll be there
Climbing up the walls
Climbing up the walls
Climbing up the walls
The lyrics to Radiohead's "Climbing up the Walls" are quite ominous and evoke a sense of unease. The song appears to be from the perspective of a disturbed protagonist who may be stalking or torturing someone, possibly a child. The line "I am the key to the lock in your house that keeps your toys in the basement" suggests that the singer has access to a locked area where they keep their victim's belongings. There is a sense of control and power in the singer's words, as they seem to enjoy playing games with their victim.
The idea of darkness and being hidden is repeated throughout the song, with the lyric "It's always best when the covers up" and "It's always best when the light is off." This could signify the singer's preference for secrecy and their desire to remain unseen. The line "Fifteen blows to the back of your head, fifteen blows to your mind" adds to the violent and disturbing undertones of the song.
The chorus, "And either way you turn, I'll be there, open up your skull, I'll be there, climbing up the walls" is particularly haunting. This could suggest that the singer not only has physical access to their victim but also has a psychological hold on them, to the point that they are always in their thoughts.
Overall, "Climbing up the Walls" is a dark and unsettling song that portrays a disturbed mind with violent tendencies.
Line by Line Meaning
I am the key to the lock in your house
I am the one who holds the power in this relationship and can control your actions.
That keeps your toys in the basement
I am the one who restricts your freedom and keeps you locked away like a child.
And if you get too far inside
If you try to challenge my control, you will be met with resistance.
You'll only see my reflection
Any attempts to assert yourself will only show you that I am the one in power.
It's always best when the covers up
It's better to keep this control and manipulation hidden and secret from the outside world.
I am the pick in the ice
I am the one who can break through your defenses and control your every move.
Do not cry out or hit the alarm
Any attempts to resist or draw attention to this situation will be met with further harm.
You know we're friends till we die
You are stuck with me until the very end and there is no escaping my grasp.
And either way you turn
No matter what you do or where you go, I will still be in control.
I'll be there
My presence and influence will always be felt.
Open up your skull
My influence and control goes beyond just your physical actions - I am in your mind too.
Climbing up the walls
This situation is causing you distress and making you feel trapped, like you're climbing the walls to escape.
It's always best when the light is off
It's easier to keep these dark and manipulative actions hidden in the darkness.
It's always better on the outside
You long for freedom and to escape this controlling situation.
Fifteen blows to the back of your head
You feel like you are being attacked and hurt repeatedly, even if it's just mentally and emotionally.
Fifteen blows to your mind
These experiences are taking a toll on your mental health and well-being.
So lock the kids up safe tonight
I will continue restricting your freedom and controlling your movements, even to the point of harming innocent children.
Shut the eyes in the cupboard
I am suffocating you to the point that you feel trapped, like you're locked away in a dark and scary closet.
I've got the smell of a local man
I am in control of your entire environment and even the people around you, making you feel trapped and helpless.
Who's got the loneliest feeling
Despite my efforts to control you and your surroundings, you still feel isolated and alone.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind