Album: “The Eraser” by Thom Yorke (2006)

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A self-fulfilling prophecy of endless possibility
You roll in reams across the street
In algebra, in algebra

The fences that you cannot climb
The sentences that do not rhyme
In all that you can ever change
The one you're looking for

It gets you down
It gets you down
There's no spark
No light in the dark
It gets you down
It gets you down
You traveled far
What have you found
That there's no time
There's no time
To analyse
To think things through
To make sense

Like cows in the city, they never looked so pretty
By power carts and blackouts
Sleeping like babies

It gets you down
It gets you down
You're just playing a part
You're just playing a part
You're playing a part
Playing a part
And there's no time
There's no time
To analyse
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The Clock

Time is running out for us
But you just move the hands upon the clock
You throw coins in the wishing well
For us
You just move your hands upon the wall

It comes to you begging you to stop
Wake up
But you just move your hands upon the clock
Throw coins in the wishing well
For us
You make believe that you are still in charge


and it rained all night

and it rained all night and washed the filth away
down new york airconditioned drains,
the click click clack of the heavy black trains,
a million engines in neutral.
the tick tock tick of a ticking time bomb
50 ft of concrete underground,
one little leak becomes a lake says the
tiny voice in my ear piece.
so i give in to the rhythm, the click click clack.
im too wasted to fight back
tick tock goes the pendulum on the old grandfather clock
i... i ca see but i can never reach you
and it rained all night and then all day,
the drops were the size of your hands and face,
the worms come out to see what's up.
we pull the car up from the river.
its relentless
invisible
indefatigable
indisputable
undeniable
so how come it looks so beautiful?
how come the moon falls from the sky?
can see you, but i can never reach you
i can see you but i can never reach you

Obscured lyrics that seem not to deal with global warming in a dedicated to the oncoming climatic change, as Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has stated. We post some lyrics that can be interpreted freely as having somewhat to do with human reactions facing oncoming troubles or disasters. We read in wikipedia about Thom Yorke’s statements for his debut solo work:

Thom Yorke said much of his songwriting on the album was personal, but also inspired by the issue of climate change. Yorke was a spokesman for Friends of the Earth's "The Big Ask" campaign to reduce carbon emissions, and Radiohead played the first gig of their 2006 tour at a benefit for the group (performing "Cymbal Rush" before the album was announced).

In describing his motivation for releasing the album, Yorke said, "I've been in the band since we left school and never dared do anything on my own, and it was like, 'This is getting stupid.' It was like, 'Man, I've got to find out what it feels like,' you know? And it was good. It was a really good time."

"Atoms for Peace" was the title of a speech given by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is also the motto of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Harrowdown Hill in Oxfordshire is notable for being the place where the body of biological warfare expert Dr David Kelly was found in 2003. His evidence had raised questions about Saddam Hussein's possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction — the official justification for the UK government's decision to invade Iraq. The homonymous song was written about David Kelly who, as a matter of some contention, committed suicide in 2003. However, there is speculation that he was murdered, as demonstrated in the song. Thom Yorke himself confirmed the song's meaning in several interviews.

The album's cover, a linocut by Stanley Donwood, depicts a figure in black hat and trenchcoat standing in imitation of King Canute, trying and failing to command the ocean. Around him are iconic London buildings that have been swept away by the Thames, including the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament and the Thames Barrier. Donwood included this picture and other images seen in The Eraser booklet in his art exhibition London Views, prior to the album's release. The images were inspired by a large flood Donwood and Yorke both witnessed in Cornwal in 2004.

The CD packaging of The Eraser is unusual for a high profile release in that it is made of cardboard but unlike a digipak, it does not contain any plastic. However, Yorke said in an interview that he did not have his CDs certified as carbon neutral.

You can hear many songs from this album in myspace where there is also the complete artwork of the album cover.

Also some videos in youtube
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Harrowdown Hill