Songwriters: Greenwood, Colin Charles; Greenwood, Jonathan Richa; O'brien, Edward John; Selway, Philip James; Yorke, Thomas Edward
I do not
Understand
What it is
I've done wrong
Full of holes
Check for pulse
Blink your eyes
One for yes
Two for no
I have no idea what I am talking about
I'm trapped in this body and can't get out
Ooooohhhh
Make a sound
Move back home
Pale imitation
With the edges
Sawn off
I have no idea what you are talking about
I'm trapped in this body and can't get out
Ooooohhhh
Has the light gone out for you?
Because the light's gone for me
It is the 21st century
It is the 21st century
You can fight it like a dog
And they brought me to my knees
They got scared and they put me in
They got scared and they put me in
All the lies run around my face
All the lies run around my face
And for anybody else to see
And for anybody else to see
I'm alive...
oh no no no no no no no no no no no no ma ma. (X3)
I think it's called Bodysnatchers primarily because it should make your body want to escape your control and wiggle around wildly. If it doesn't, you're a joyless communist. Go ahead, rock out. This is one time you should ignore specific meaning and instead let the words be like emotional brushstrokes on a painting.
I believe the song title refers to the 1950's movie invasion of the body snatchers in which alien pod creatures take over human bodies turning them into emotionless beings. The humans' bodies are taken over when they fall asleep, or when as thom puts it, the "lights go out". The main character, a doctor, discovers an unusual dead body with no lines on its face, an outline of a man but not yet completed, a "pale imitation with the edges sawn off". He checks it's pulse. None. Later a woman sees the body blink and goes hysterical. Just a few things I noticed in the song that relate to events in the movie which help interpret the lyrics.
i think the song is about someone going into a coma, and then coming out of it years later. the singer does not understand wat they have done wrong. maybe they werent doing anything wrong but were present at the time of a shooting or crossfire. If they were, then they might end up full of holes from gun shots, making the rest of the first part of the song about the person going into the coma. years later, the person wakes up (make a sound) and goes home (move back home). but since the person was in a coma for years (it is the twenty first century), and dont understand wats going on around them, they fall into despair (the light's gone out for me). They got scared and they put me in probably refers to going to the hospital. All the lies all around my face probably refers to the person not being able to deal with the fact tht they have been asleep tht long, and for anybody else to see, im alive probably refers to the person coming out of the hospital and going home.