Genius Lyrics: Bloom, by Radiohead
Open your mouth wide
This song starts off surprisingly fast paced, with some high notes, very much awake, and slightly chaotic. It can be perceived as a slowly blooming flower on a busy street; people, cars, the world passing by in flashes. This line calls upon several imageries on different occasions. It can be seen as if Thom Yorke is feeding a child: “Open your mouth wide, let me feed you, let me teach you.”
A universal sigh
Universal sigh = yawn.
And while the ocean blooms
It’s what keeps me alive
This line is about the actual blooming of phytoplankton in the ocean. Phytoplankton produce 70% of the worlds oxygen. They sustain an amazing amount of life through their balance. Ecological systems make all human life possible.
So why does it still hurt?
Don’t blow your mind with whys
It still pains the narrator due to the fact that every time someone goes corrupt, a person turns out wrong, a flower grown crooked, it’s a dream shattered. Therefore, every new birth, every new hope, is seen as less hopeful, because when you observe what’s occurring, it’s all running down the drain. Why? You don’t want to know. The answer will only blow your mind. A harsh warning. Just try to do your best at repairing the damages. A pure feeling of desperation.
I’m moving out of orbit
(Turning in somersaults)
Turning in somersaults
(A giant turtle’s eyes)
A giant turtle’s eyes
(As jellyfish float by)
As jellyfish float by
Radiohead has a consistent tendency to perceive the world as an ocean, and humans as fish in the sea. The reference to eyes may reflect all those fish, all those people gazing out, helpless, in need, unguided. So many problems to solve, so many affairs that require attention. Turning in somersaults may be understood as attempting to respond, because the world needs help. Jellyfish, with their apathetic, directionless lives, float by, while you rush past. A stark contrast between seeing the world’s needs with apathy and with empathy.
-Excerpt adapted from the user-generated annotations which interpret the meaning for each line of lyrics from the song, “Bloom,” by Radiohead, courtesy of Genius.com: https://genius.com/1876914?