If the future of funerals has a sound, this is it. In its organ driven glory, Motion Picture Soundtrack is actually one of the more put together songs and optimistic songs on the album, despite the grim lyrical matter. The song has quite an ethereal, heavenly feel about it, given by the choir and the cascading harp at the end. The final line, "I will see you in the next life", seems to agree with the "heavenly" part.
An early version of the song includes another final verse and then the chorus:
Beautiful angel
Pulled apart at birth
Limbless and helpless
I can't even recognise you
Motion Picture Soundtrack
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Help me get back to your arms
Cheap sex and sad films
Help me get where I belong
I think you're crazy, maybe
I think you're crazy, maybe
Letters always get burned
It's not like the movies
They fed us on little white lies
I think you're crazy, maybe
I think you're crazy, maybe
I will see you in the next life
"Motion Picture Soundtrack" is a hauntingly beautiful song by Radiohead that captures the essence of a lonesome and lost soul. The lyrics describe a person who is struggling to find their way back to the arms of someone they love. They try to numb their pain with red wine and sleeping pills, and they seek comfort in cheap sex and sad films. Despite their efforts, they cannot escape the feeling that they are crazy, but they still have hope that they will be reunited with their loved one in the next life.
The song's lyrics convey a sense of desperation and longing that are further amplified by the ethereal melody and Thom Yorke's haunting vocals. The imagery of letters that always get burned and the little white lies fed to us by movies adds to the feeling of futility and disillusionment. The refrain of "I think you're crazy, maybe" could be interpreted in two ways; it could either be the singer's own self-doubt or them questioning the sanity of their loved one for leaving them.
Overall, "Motion Picture Soundtrack" is a melancholy meditation on love, loss, and the human condition, told through poetic lyrics and haunting music.
Line by Line Meaning
Red wine and sleeping pills
Consuming alcohol and drugs as a way to cope with emotional pain and making it easier to return to a loved one.
Help me get back to your arms
Asking for assistance in being reunited with a significant other.
Cheap sex and sad films
A reference to meaningless physical encounters and the use of entertainment to distract from personal issues.
Help me get where I belong
Asking for help in finding one's place or purpose in life.
I think you're crazy, maybe
Uncertain thoughts regarding another person's mental state.
I think you're crazy, maybe
Reiterating the uncertainty of another's sanity.
Stop sending letters
Requesting an end to a form of communication that has not been effective.
Letters always get burned
Past experiences have resulted in a lack of trust in the intended recipient's handling of letters.
It's not like the movies
Real life does not always follow the expected and romanticized storyline presented in movies.
They fed us on little white lies
Society has promoted certain false expectations and beliefs via media that have not necessarily aligned with reality.
I think you're crazy, maybe
Still unsure about the other person's mental state.
I will see you in the next life
A message of hope that there will be a chance to reconnect and find peace in another life.
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