The Butcher
Radiohead Lyrics
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Spare the gory details
Give them gift wrap for the man with everything
Though I lived a lonely life
I was confused
I'm butcher
Feel nothing
The position of the worms
Up, up, through my heart
Into my brain
I'm the big slack basic combination
Cut out
Chop, liver on the block
My heart still pumping
My heart still pumping
He's a warrior, warrior
He's a little bitch coming out of him
He's a warrior, warrior
He's a little bitch coming out of him
Coming out of him
Radiohead's song The Butcher is a dark and brooding piece that portrays the theme of beauty as a destructive force. The opening line, "Beauty will destroy your mind," seems to suggest that an over-fixation on aesthetic appeal can lead to a form of mental and emotional deterioration. The singer urges that "Spare the gory details" of this phenomenon, which might be a reference to the hidden dangers of beauty that people often neglect or fail to recognize. The next line, "Give them gift wrap for the man with everything," can be interpreted as a commentary on how our society tends to prioritize materialism and superficiality over deeper human values.
The following lines in The Butcher appears to switch to the first-person point of view, where the singer reveals his own struggles with loneliness and confusion. The phrase "I'm butcher" could suggest that the singer views himself as a perpetrator of violence or as someone who inflicts pain upon others. The lines that follow, "Feel nothing / As it closes up my arms / The position of the worms / Up, up, through my heart / Into my brain," are particularly grisly and seem to portray a self-destructive tendency in the singer. The final lines with the repetition of "He's a warrior, warrior / He's a little bitch coming out of him" appears to suggest that the singer is fighting an internal battle against their own darkness or demons.
Line by Line Meaning
Beauty will destroy your mind
Being exposed to beauty in excess can have adverse effects on your psychological well-being.
Spare the gory details
Omit the gruesome specifics and provide only the essentials.
Give them gift wrap for the man with everything
Wrap it up nicely for the individual who has everything, as they already possess all material things.
Though I lived a lonely life
Despite a life of solitude,
I was confused
I was perplexed and unsure of what to do.
I'm a butcher
I am a person who slaughters animals and prepares their meat for consumption.
Feel nothing
I am numb and emotionless.
As it closes up my arms
As my skin is pierced and my arms are cut.
The position of the worms
The location of the worms within my body.
Up, up, through my heart
Ascending through my heart muscle.
Into my brain
Penetrating my brain tissue.
I'm the big slack basic combination
I am a mixture of loose, basic elements.
Cut out
Removed or detached.
Chop, liver on the block
Slices of liver are being prepared for cooking or sale.
My heart still pumping
My heart is still beating.
He's a warrior, warrior
He is strong and formidable.
He's a little bitch coming out of him
However, he also displays traits associated with weakness or cowardice.
Coming out of him
Being exhibited or expressed by him.
Lyrics © 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
Saoirse Rosenstock
Beauty will destroy your mind
Spare the gory details
Give them gift wrap for the man with everything
Though I lived a lonely life
I was confused
I'm butcher
Feel nothing
As it closes up my arms
The position of the worms
Up, up, through my heart
Into my brain
I'm the big slack basic combination
Cut out
Chop, liver on the block
My heart still pumping
My heart still pumping
He's a warrior, warrior
He's a little bitch coming out of him
He's a warrior, warrior
He's a little bitch coming out of him
Coming out of him
Iman Shahid
Radiohead is never boring. Even the monotony is amazing.
Craig St. Cyr
MonoThomy*
Iman Shahid
@Craig St. Cyr thank you for commenting on a comment I don't remember posting because I was cute and 17 and falling in love with radiohead. 😭 Still love em just as intensely.
Gon
@Iman Shahidwas? Still are! :)
Dani Thomas
I always wonder how differently TKOL would be remembered if Supercollider, The Butcher, Staircase and The Daily Mail had been included
Amin Camus
Exacly
Paul john pinky Bennett
They blend like a jigsaw, masterpiece bud.
Alvi Fadhollah
For real
Vin Ellis
And These Are My Twisted Words is from the same era
Liad Cohen
It's funny you say that. After Hail to the Thief, Thom posted somewhere an abridged tracklist that would've made that record so much tighter and it probably would be talked about as one of their best the way OKC, Kid A, and In Rainbows are. I think they started leaning towards tighter records after that. I know these tracks where left off because they weren't done, but it's ironic that people look at the tightest record they made as incomplete, and Thom looked back at the loosest as too much.