Skip Divided by Thom Yorke Lyrics Meaning – Exploring the Depths of Disconnection and Yearning

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Thom Yorke's Skip Divided at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

I’m in a skip divided, malfunction
I flap around and dive bomb
Frantically around your lie
Enveloped in a sad distraction
I’ve got your voice repeating endlessly
Could you guide me in
Could you smother me

I’d swoop around your head
But I never hit
I’m blinded by your daylight
Electric veins passed through me
I thought there was this big connection
I only got my name and I got this situation

I just need a number and location
Without appropriate papers or permissions
I’m no to buy tight situation
And then I head into your french windows
I thought there was this big connection
I only got my name
I only got my situation

I just need my number and location
The wall keeps telling me
Hey Hey, Hey Hey
Hey Hey, The devil may
Hey Hey, Hey Hey, Hey Hey

Yeah, you are a fool, you are a fool
For sticking round, for sticking round

Yeah, you are a fool, you are a fool
For sticking round, for sticking round

I’ve done every trick in the book
I tried to look at you
Every trick in the book
How come I look?

No more common dress or elliptical caress
Don’t look into your eyes cause you’re desperately in love, in love, in love

When you walk in a room everything disappears
When you walk in a room it’s a terrible mess
When you walk in a room I start to melt
When you walk in a room I follow you ’round
Like a dog I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a dog, I’m a lapdog
I’m your lapdog, yeah

I just got my number and location
I just need my number and location

In the labyrinthine depths of Thom Yorke’s solo discography lies ‘Skip Divided’, a track that exemplifies the Radiohead frontman’s knack for blending the abstract with the achingly personal. The song, hailing from his 2006 album ‘The Eraser’, serves as a vessel for Yorke’s musings on disconnection, yearning, and the intricate dances of modern relationships.

As the track warps with glitchy beats and haunting vocals, listeners are beckoned into a world that is simultaneously intimate and distant. Yorke crafts a narrative that is as much about the spaces in between as it is about the ties that bind, pushing us to ponder the paradoxical nature of human connections in the digital age.

Malfunctioning Affection: Diving into Yorke’s Emotional Abyss

The opening line, ‘I’m in a skip divided, malfunction,’ immediately positions us within the turmoil of a fragmented psyche. Yorke utilizes the imagery of diving and flapping around, emblematic of a chaotic inner struggle, as he navigates through layers of ‘sad distraction’. There is a sense of being ensnared within one’s own obsessive thoughts, a repetition that Yorke underscores with the mention of a voice echoing ‘endlessly’ in the mind’s caverns.

The overarching theme of malfunction is indicative of a relationship strained by miscommunication and unfulfilled expectations. Yorke’s portrayal of an individual in turmoil, requesting guidance and comfort (‘Could you guide me in? Could you smother me?’), underscores a desperate need for a sense of grounding within the disconnect.

The Quest for Connection: Seeking Solace in Numbers and Location

A central motif of ‘Skip Divided’ is the search for ‘a number and location,’ which emerges as a poignant symbol of the modern era’s inherent coldness. Yorke’s repeated plea reveals a longing not just for physical presence, but also for a sense of identity and belonging. This ties into contemporary anxieties surrounding the reduction of human interaction to mere data points.

In an age where ‘appropriate papers or permissions’ might dictate the legitimacy of one’s presence, the alienation becomes double-edged. There’s a tangible frustration in the realization that despite technology’s promise of connectivity, one can still remain disconcertingly isolated, reduced to a set of formalities and bureaucratic checkboxes.

Blinded by Daylight: The Paradox of Intimacy and Isolation

Illumination in ‘Skip Divided’ is not a means of seeing more clearly but is instead a blinding agent. Yorke’s reference to being ‘blinded by your daylight’ suggests an overwhelming presence, an other who shines so brilliantly that it obscures all else. It’s the embodiment of being close to someone to the point of invisibility — a metaphor for how intimacy can sometimes leave us feeling more alone.

The ‘electric veins’ could be read as a symbol of connectivity; the raw energy that exists in live, shared experiences. Yet for Yorke, this is a connection that ultimately falls flat, engendering not a deep, fulfilling union but a realization of profound loneliness with only a ‘name’ and a disconnected ‘situation’ to show for it.

The Devil May Care: Hidden Meanings Behind Deceptive Simplicity

Defying first impressions, the seemingly nonsensical chorus, ‘Hey Hey, The devil may,’ echoes the internalized conflict presented throughout the song. This cryptic mantra-like repetition could be deciphering the random nature of fate or the inherent chaos in seeking meaningful connections. Yorke challenges the listener to contemplate the devil within the details — or perhaps the randomness that governs our lives.

Moreover, Yorke’s allusion to ‘the devil’ invokes traditional notions of temptation and the inherent risks in revealing oneself completely in the pursuit of love and acceptance. The looming presence of ‘The devil may’ is a wild card, a reminder that for all of our attempts at control, much of the outcome remains in the hands of chance and the unknown.

Terrible Mess: The Memorable Lines That Define ‘Skip Divided’

When Thom Yorke sings, ‘When you walk in a room, it’s a terrible mess,’ he captures the disorienting impact of another’s presence — a motif that resonates with anyone who has ever been consumed by another person. This line is a stark contrast to the preceding lyrics where everything ‘disappears,’ emphasizing the binary chaos and focus brought upon by the object of his affection.

It’s in these contrasting images that Yorke conveys the core of ‘Skip Divided;’ the simultaneous capability of an individual to both clarify and complicate our existence. He encapsulates the bittersweet realization of a lover’s paradox: the more entangled you become, the more you lose yourself in the process. This is the poignant crux of the song, articulated through Yorke’s evocative poetry and the haunting soundscape that frames it.