Yorke formed Radiohead with schoolmates at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. Their 1992 debut single, "Creep", made Yorke a celebrity, and Radiohead went on to achieve critical acclaim and sales of over 30 million albums. Yorke's early influences included alternative rock acts such as Pixies and R.E.M. With Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A, Yorke moved into electronic music, influenced by Warp acts such as Aphex Twin. With the artist Stanley Donwood, Yorke creates artwork for Radiohead albums and his other projects. He often incorporates "erratic" dancing into his performances.
Yorke's solo work comprises mainly electronic music. His debut solo album, The Eraser, was released in 2006. To perform it live, in 2009, he formed a new band, Atoms for Peace, with musicians including the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and the Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. They released an album, [album artist=Atoms for Peace Amok[/album], in 2013. Yorke's second solo album, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, was released in 2014, followed by Anima in 2019. In 2021, Yorke debuted a new band, the Smile, with the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and the jazz drummer Tom Skinner. Yorke has collaborated with artists including PJ Harvey, Björk, Flying Lotus and Modeselektor, and has composed for film and theatre. His first feature film soundtrack, Suspiria, was released in October 2018.
Yorke is an activist on behalf of human rights, animal rights, environmental and anti-war causes, and his lyrics incorporate political themes. He has been critical of the music industry, particularly of major labels and streaming services such as Spotify. With Radiohead and his solo work, he has employed alternative release platforms such as pay-what-you-want and BitTorrent. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Radiohead in 2019.
01 harrowdown hill
Thom Yorke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will be dispensed with
When you've become
Inconvenient
Up on harrowdown hill
Near where you used to go to school
This where I, this where I am lying down
Did I fall or was I pushed
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it all right
So dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it.
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it.
So don't ask me ask the ministry
So don't ask me ask the ministry
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us
Oh you can't count
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us
Oh you can't count
Can you see me when I'm running
Can you see me when I'm running
Away from there
Away from there
I can't take the pressure
No one cares if you live or die
They just want me gone
They want me gone
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it all right
So dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
We think the same things at the same time
There are too many of us so you can't
There are too many of us so you can't count!
It was walking to the back down Harrowdown Hill
It was walking to the back down Harrowdown Hill
It was a slippery slippery slippery slope
It was a slippery slippery slippery slope
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me
The lyrics of "Harrowdown Hill" are ripe with political commentary and social critique. Thom Yorke's reference to Harrowdown Hill points to questionable, possibly illegal actions taken during the Iraq War, particularly in reference to the death of David Kelly, a UK weapons inspector. The first verse's suggestion of a disposable nature hints at the government's disregard for whistleblowers and those who are potentially harmful to their interests, particularly in light of Kelly's suicide. The second verse unpacks the idea that "we just can't do anything about it." The singer recognizes that they are a part of a vast complacent majority, and feels the crushing weight of knowing that their thoughts and feelings about the political climate will never be enough to effect change. This sense of powerlessness only amplifies their sense of isolation and desperation, as hinted at in the repeated line, "I'm coming home, I'm coming home to make it all right / so dry your eyes."
Additionally, the chorus offers a glimmer of hope in the form of collective consciousness. The singer affirms the feeling of being one of many, and while it doesn't result in concrete change, at least there is comfort in knowing that they are not alone. The question of whether the singer fell or was pushed further emphasizes the idea of powerlessness, as if their own agency has been stripped from them. The final words of the song, "I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness," add a haunting layer to the song - it's as if the singer is slowly losing their grip on reality, but is determined to come home and "make it all right."
Line by Line Meaning
Don't walk the plank like I did
Don't make the same mistakes I did and put yourself in danger.
You will be dispensed with
You'll be discarded or disposed of if you become inconvenient.
When you've become inconvenient
When you are no longer useful or beneficial.
Up on harrowdown hill
Referring to a location, possibly a place where a tragic event occurred.
Near where you used to go to school
The location mentioned earlier is near a place where you used to attend school.
This where I, this where I am lying down
The singer is currently lying down or possibly deceased at the location mentioned earlier.
Did I fall or was I pushed
Uncertainty about whether their death was an accident or a deliberate act.
Then wheres the blood?
Questioning the lack of physical evidence to support a theory about the cause of death.
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
The artist will return home to make everything right or to bring justice to their situation.
To make it all right
To fix whatever has gone wrong or to set things straight.
So dry your eyes
Don't cry or worry, things will be resolved soon.
We think the same things at the same time
We have similar thoughts or beliefs but are unable to act on them together.
We just can't do anything about it
We are powerless to change the situation.
So don't ask me ask the ministry
The singer is not the one to go to for answers, it is the government or authorities who should be questioned.
There are so many of us
There are many people who have similar thoughts or beliefs.
Oh you can't count
There are too many of us to be accurately calculated or accounted for.
Can you see me when I'm running
Asking if anyone is paying attention to them or if they are alone in their struggles.
Away from there
Trying to escape from a specific location or situation.
I can't take the pressure
Feeling overwhelmed or unable to handle the stress of the situation.
No one cares if you live or die
Feeling neglected or unimportant to others.
They just want me gone
Others want the artist to leave or disappear, possibly because they are a nuisance or inconvenience.
It was walking to the back down Harrowdown Hill
Repeating the location where the artist is situated, possibly to imply that it is significant to the story.
It was a slippery slippery slippery slope
The situation was dangerous and difficult to manage, possibly leading to the singer's untimely end.
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
The artist is losing and regaining consciousness, possibly due to injury or illness.
I feel me
The singer is expressing their own awareness of their current state or feelings.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: THOMAS EDWARD YORKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Valerio Baro
Don't walk the plank like I did
You will be dispensed with
When you've become
Inconvenient
Up on harrowdown hill
Near where you used to go to school
This where I, this where I am lying down
Did I fall or was I pushed
Then wheres the blood?
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it all right
So dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it.
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it.
So don't ask me ask the ministry
So don't ask me ask the ministry
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us
Oh you can't count
We think the same things at the same time
There are so many of us
Oh you can't count
Can you see me when I'm running
Can you see me when I'm running
Away from there
Away from there
I can't take the pressure
No one cares if you live or die
They just want me gone
They want me gone
But I'm coming home, I'm coming home
To make it all right
So dry your eyes
We think the same things at the same time
We just can't do anything about it
We think the same things at the same time
There are too many of us so you can't
There are too many of us so you can't count!
It was walking to the back down Harrowdown Hill
It was walking to the back down Harrowdown Hill
It was a slippery slippery slippery slope
It was a slippery slippery slippery slope
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me slipping in and out of consciousness
I feel me
Andrew B
Thom yorke is by far one of the most talented musicians out there
Autodidact University
Nigel, too!
Edgar Villagme
@Autodidact University how about me?
Javier Diosófocles
I remember this comment
Daniel Trejo
Si exelente musico
Ozy Mandias
Water is wet
Protest Songs
"It's the most angry song I've ever written in my life", Thom Yorke told Craig McLean in an interview in The Guardian in June 2006. The content of the song perfectly expresses the anger and despair millions of people in the US and Europe felt when the invasion in Iraq started in March 2003, justified with clear lies by the American and British governments about the 'evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq'. David Kelly was a British government expert and former UN weapons inspector in Iraq who disputed the 'evidence' and told a BBC-reporter. This resulted in a critical BBC-report in May 2003 about the UK government and severe government questioning of David Kelly in July 2003 as the supposed source. He was found dead on Harrowdown Hill two days later.
Oregons
+Protest Songs we are many... V
Protest Songs
+Tim H-Smith Indeed, there are spooky elements about this story. The fact that David Kelly died (no matter how) is very sad. The way the UK government tried to divert attention from their own lies in justifying the invasion in Iraq, towards a row about who leaked information about it to the press (accusing David Kelly), is quite vicious in my opinion.
TheMrMediocre
Mull historical society's 'death of a scientist' deals with the same issue.