I've Seen it All
Radiohead Lyrics


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I've seen it all, I have seen the trees
I've seen the willow leaves dancing in the breeze
I've seen a man killed by his best friend
And lives that were over before they were spent

I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be
I've seen it all, there is no more to see!


You haven't seen elephants, kings or Peru!
I'm happy to say I had better to do
What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great, if the roof doesn't fall!

And the man you will marry? The home you will share?
To be honest, I really don't care

You've never been to Niagara Falls?
I have seen water, it's water, that's all...

The Eiffel Tower, the Empire State?
My pulse was as high on my very first date!

Your grandson's hand as he plays with your hair?
To be honest, I really don't care...


I've seen it all, I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness in one little spark
I have seen what I choose and I've seen what I need
And that is enough, to want more would be greed
I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be
I've seen it all, there is no more to see!


You've seen it all and all you have seen
You can always review on your own little screen
The light and the dark, the big and the small
Just keep in mind you need no more at all





You've seen what you were and you know what you'll be
You've seen it all, there is no more to see!

Overall Meaning

The song "I've Seen It All" by Radiohead deals with the idea of experience and the limits of human perception. The singer speaks of having seen many things, from the beauty of nature to the darkness of human violence. In the chorus, they claim to have seen it all and that there is nothing more to see.


The verses challenge this claim, as the singer is asked if they've seen various landmarks and experiences, such as elephants and Niagara Falls. However, the singer dismisses these as unimportant and suggests that all that truly matters is what we choose to see and experience in our own lives.


The song seems to suggest that while our experiences shape who we are, ultimately it is up to us to determine what is valuable and important in our lives. We cannot see everything, but what we do see and experience is what defines us.


Line by Line Meaning

I've seen it all, I have seen the trees
The singer has observed everything in their lifetime, including ordinary things like trees.


I've seen the willow leaves dancing in the breeze
The singer has witnessed even the small movements of nature like the leaves of a willow tree dancing in the breeze.


I've seen a man killed by his best friend And lives that were over before they were spent
The singer has seen the contrast between a life that ended prematurely and a life that was taken by someone they trusted.


I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be I've seen it all, there is no more to see!
The artist has learned about themselves and has come to a realization that they have seen everything they need to see in their life.


I'm happy to say I had better to do
The artist expresses that they had more important things to do than see things like elephants, kings, or Peru.


All walls are great, if the roof doesn't fall!
The singer says that any wall can be great as long as its roof does not collapse, implying that every country or structure has its pros and cons.


To be honest, I really don't care
The singer thinks that the man they will marry or the home they will share are not important to them.


I have seen water, it's water, that's all...
The artist has seen Niagara Falls, but to them, it's just water - nothing significant.


My pulse was as high on my very first date!
The artist's excitement level for seeing something like the Eiffel Tower or Empire State Building is the same as their excitement during their first date.


To be honest, I really don't care...
Similar to the earlier line, the artist is disinterested in their grandson playing with their hair.


I've seen it all, I've seen the dark I've seen the brightness in one little spark I have seen what I choose and I've seen what I need And that is enough, to want more would be greed I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be I've seen it all, there is no more to see!
The singer has seen everything, even the good and bad. The experiences they have are enough to satisfy them, and desiring more would be considered greed.


You've seen it all and all you have seen You can always review on your own little screen The light and the dark, the big and the small Just keep in mind you need no more at all
The artist acknowledges that the listener may have also seen a lot and encourages them to reflect on their own experiences. They suggest that it's important to remember that there's no need to seek more beyond what they've already seen.


You've seen what you were and you know what you'll be You've seen it all, there is no more to see!
The singer reminds the listener that they too have seen everything they need to see in their lifetime and have learned about themselves throughout their experiences.




Contributed by Emma S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@Adyman182

I've seen it all, I have seen the trees,
I've seen the willow leaves dancing in the breeze
I've seen a man killed by his best friend,
And lives that were over before they were spent.
I've seen what I was - I know what I'll be
I've seen it all - there is no more to see!

You haven't seen elephants, kings or Peru!
I'm happy to say I had better to do
What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great, if the roof doesn't fall!

And the man you will marry?
The home you will share?
To be honest, I really don't care...

You've never been to Niagara Falls?
I have seen water, its water, that's all...
The Eiffel Tower, the Empire State?
My pulse was as high on my very first date!
Your grandson's hand as he plays with your hair?
To be honest, I really don't care...

I've seen it all, I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness in one little spark.
I've seen what I chose and I've seen what I need,
And that is enough, to want more would be greed.
I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be
I've seen it all - there is no more to see!

You've seen it all and all you have seen
You can always review on your own little screen
The light and the dark, the big and the small
Just keep in mind - you need no more at all
You've seen what you were and know what you'll be
You've seen it all - there is no more to see!



@northeywawa

[lyrics]

I've seen it all
I have seen the trees
I have seen the willow leaves
Dancing in the breeze

I've seen a man killed
By his best friend,
And lives that were over
Before they were spent.

I've seen what I was
And I know what I'll be
I've seen it all
There is no more to see

You haven't seen elephants
Kings or Peru
I'm happy to say
I had better to do

What about China?
Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great
If the roof doesn't fall

And the man you will marry
The home you will share
To be honest
I really don't care
[gibberish]

You've never been
To Niagara Falls
I have seen water
It's water, that's all
The Eiffel Tower
The Empire State

My pulse was as high
On my very first date
And your grandson's hand
As he plays with your hair
To be honest
I really don't care
[gibberish]

I've seen it all
I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness
In one little spark
I've seen what I chose
And I've seen what I need
And that is enough
To want more would be greed

I've seen what I was
And I know what I'll be
I've seen it all
There is no more to see

You've seen it all
And all you have seen
You can always review on
Your own little screen
The light and the dark
The big and the small
Just keep in mind
You need no more at all
You've seen what you were
And know what you'll be
You've seen it all
There is no more to see
[gibberish]



All comments from YouTube:

@futuristicity

These two are god's favorite children

@CancerLicker

no lies detected

@juliangiulio3147

haha, you mean talented? Aware, perhaps? All beings are incredibly, infinitely beautiful!

@niklas0000

The chosen ones

@nibyafternight1983

The ones created for blessing the ears of us mortals

@yeswiet

so true

3 More Replies...

@HombreAproximativo

The two best things containing ork since the fork.

@soundofominous4646

Underrated

@nottherealpaulsmith

best combination ending in "ork" since the spork

@darrenriccs

Totally better than New York

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