Knives Out
Radiohead Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want you to know
He's not coming back
Look into my mouth
I'm not coming back

So knives out
Cut him up
Don't look down
Shove it in your mouth

If you'd been a dog
They would have drowned you at birth
Look into my mouth
It's the only way you'll know I'm telling the truth

So knives out
Cut him up
Squash his head
Put him in the pot

I want you to know
He's not coming back
His blood is frozen
Still there is no point letting it go to waste

So knives out
Catch the mouse




Squash his head
Put him in the pot

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Knives Out" by Radiohead are dark and disturbing, painting a picture of violence and death. The singer is addressing someone who has done something unforgivable, someone who is not coming back. The imagery of knives and cutting is prevalent throughout the song, with the singer urging the listener to cut up the person responsible for the wrongdoing. The line, "If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth," suggests that the person being addressed is not worthy of being alive.


The singer implores the listener to look into their mouth, telling them that it's the only way to know that they're telling the truth. The final verse suggests that the person being addressed has already been killed, with the singer urging the listener not to let the blood go to waste. The final lines of the song are particularly disturbing, with the singer urging the listener to catch a mouse, squash its head, and put it in a pot.


Overall, the lyrics to "Knives Out" paint a vivid and unsettling picture of violent revenge.


Line by Line Meaning

I want you to know
I want to make it clear to you


He's not coming back
He will not return


Look into my mouth
Direct your view towards my opened mouth


I'm not coming back
I will not come back


So knives out
Bring out the knives


Cut him up
Cut him into pieces


Don't look down
Do not divert your gaze downward


Shove it in your mouth
Push the sliced pieces into your mouth


If you'd been a dog
If you were of canine species


They would have drowned you at birth
You would have been killed as an infant


It's the only way you'll know I'm telling the truth
Gazing into my mouth is the sole method to confirm my honesty


Squash his head
Crush his skull


Put him in the pot
Place his remains in the pot


His blood is frozen
The fluid circulates through his veins no longer


Still there is no point letting it go to waste
Despite this, it should not be disregarded


Catch the mouse
Trap the rodent




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, 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 comment from YouTube:

@jemmace2586

@@garno154 oh I've listened, over and over, trust me, yep definitely the best band of this generation and a lot more than they'll ever be credited for.

Music to minds that modern life just won't consider, everything is just flying in completely the wrong direction.
Like there's now way out of a tech based, Man made hell.
Definitely worth writing song's for, if you have the requisite skills this band obviously does, at least we can hear it, anyway.

Soz bit of a tailing off there...
Idioteque, maquiladora, polyethylene, trickster, Kid A and a plethora of other great song's, but to me at least, not just song's.

I was in a tribute band to Radiohead for around ten year's, considering the theme and narrative of the band, it was still the best musical day's I've experienced in my life.
There's a caring intellect to their music, parallelled by no one else, for me at least.



All comments from YouTube:

@doncaplays

The live versions of this song are insanely good

@jemmace2586

The best live recording of this song, bar none.

@garno154

Couldn’t agree more. It’s just fucking ridiculous how good they are live. Check out their live versions of Airbag and PA from Jools Holland 1997. I CANNOT understand why so few people like them the way I do. The compositions are every bit as good as The Beatles, they just never wanted to be “popular” in the same way I suppose.

@jemmace2586

@@garno154 oh I've listened, over and over, trust me, yep definitely the best band of this generation and a lot more than they'll ever be credited for.

Music to minds that modern life just won't consider, everything is just flying in completely the wrong direction.
Like there's now way out of a tech based, Man made hell.
Definitely worth writing song's for, if you have the requisite skills this band obviously does, at least we can hear it, anyway.

Soz bit of a tailing off there...
Idioteque, maquiladora, polyethylene, trickster, Kid A and a plethora of other great song's, but to me at least, not just song's.

I was in a tribute band to Radiohead for around ten year's, considering the theme and narrative of the band, it was still the best musical day's I've experienced in my life.
There's a caring intellect to their music, parallelled by no one else, for me at least.

@maaax2105

Oxford 2001 beats it for me but its still incredible

@user-lp5fy6ew2g

With the forks out and the spoons out and the knives out. Oh yeah we really got the knives out.

@user-uo6hn7vr5r

waoooouuu.even better take than the album❤

@nanikore1030

Best live version of the song 👌

@darrenringer9811

Damn, that's right up there beside the album version in every way. One take!

@dropchair5194

2001年でこんな前衛的な音楽...
2023年聞いても新しく感じる。

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