Thom Yorke’s The Eraser was released in 2006, to impressive sales and generally warm reviews. The legions of Radiohead fans flocked to it, since it was the first new material from Thom since 2003. Thom himself explained that many of the songs on the album were inspired by issues surrounding climate change. However, last year, I ended up in a discussion about one particular song (“Atoms For Peace”, if it matters) and realized that I saw a whole different narrative running throughout the album. Looking at the lyrics across the album, in the order they are presented, I noticed that all the songs dealt with a disintegrating relationship. I immediately began to imagine characters in this grand narrative, particularly our questionable protagonist, who I refer to as “Tom” here. This week, I’m going to do a close lyrical reading of The Eraser, focusing on this story that I hear in the album. It’s important to remember that this is not what I believe Thom intended to be heard in his songs, but is just a personal reflection on the album. Enjoy!
“The Eraser”
Please excuse me but I got to ask
Are you only being nice
Because you want something?
From the word go, we know something is wrong. Our main character, Tom, is immediately questioning his partner about her (or his, for that matter) motives. Deceit and duplicity appear again and again over the course of the album, often in increasingly paranoid terms. Tom has hit a wall in frustration and he is demanding honesty.
My fairy tale arrow pierces
Be careful how you respond
'Cause you'd not end up in this song
The “fairy tale arrow” line seems to have a double-meaning to me. On one hand, it acknowledges the pettiness of the metaphorical arrows Tom and his partner are shooting at each other. However, it could also be an arrow aimed at the heart of the fairy tale, the myth of content domestic happiness.
I never gave you an encouragement
And it's doing me in, doing me in
Doing me in, doing me in
What makes Tom’s story so interesting to me is that he doesn’t just point fingers at others. He switches back and forth between lashing at others and turning his anger inwards, pointing out all his own flaws and mistakes. Here, he understands how his own actions have led to where things are now.
The more you try to erase me
The more, the more, the more that I appear
Oh the more, the more
The more you try the eraser
The more, the more, the more that you appear
This chorus summarizes what this first song wants us to know. In Tom’s relationship, denial and avoidance are exposing everything. Every time his partner tries to avoid the problems he or she has with Tom, it only makes the problems worse. Thom also begins to see more and more of his partner’s true personality as he or she tries to eradicate the problems in their relationship. They are both starting to know each other a bit too well and with that comes the realization that, perhaps, they’re incompatible.
You know the answer so why do you ask
I am only being nice
Because I want someone, something
Now, Tom reverses the roles. After suspecting that his partner is using him, he turns that accusatory eye on himself and realizes that he’s been doing the exact same thing, manipulating emotions for his own gain. He's oddly cold about this, saying that it's only natural that he'd be doing the exact same thing as his partner.
You're like a kitten with a ball of yarn
And it's doing me in, doing me in
Doing me in, doing me in
This is another particularly icy line, with Tom painting his partner as a force that’s just toying with him, bouncing him from paw to paw for entertainment. However, there could be another way to look at this line. What if Tom is the one holding the ball of yarn, taunting his unsuspecting partner with it and marveling at how easy it is to manipulate him or her? It could very well be both. Either way, Tom has realized that this dynamic isn’t good and it’s “doing me in.”
The more you try to erase me
The more, the more, the more that I appear
Oh the more, the more
The more I try to erase you
The more, the more, the more that you appear
The chorus is repeated here, with a slight change. Tom is now directly accusing himself of the same crimes, saying that he’s trying to “erase” their problems as well. It’s clearly not working well for him either, as more and more truths seem to come to the light when he tries to bury them.
No, you're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong, you're wrong
You're wrong
The song ends with this flailing accusatory statement, which could be directed inward, but is probably aimed at Tom’s partner instead. All the years of avoidance and assumed happiness have led to this. The problems have become too much to handle and the couple is hurtling towards disaster. All Tom knows for sure, though, is that all of this is just “wrong.”
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