This is the place
Remember me?
I’m the face you always see
You’ve been stuck in a lift
We’ve been trying to reach you
This is the place
It won’t hurt, it will not hurt
A smell of recognition
A face you barely loved
Empty all your pockets
Cos it’s time to go home
Only one, only one
Only one, only one
Only one, only one
Only one (??)
You’ve been stuck in a lift
In a belly of a whale
At the bottom of the ocean
A smell of recognition
A face you barely loved
Empty all your pockets
Cos it’s time to go home
Only one, only one
Only one, only one
Only one, only one
Only one (??)
Original lyrics:
This is the place
Sit down, you’re safe now
You’ve been stuck in a lift
We’ve been trying to reach you, Thom
This is the place
It won’t hurt, it will not hurt
A smell of recognition
A face you barely loved
Empty all your pockets
Cos it’s time to go home
This is the place
Remembering all the things you always see
You’ve been stuck in a lift
In the belly of a whale
At the bottom of the ocean
A smell of recognition
A face you barely loved
Empty all your pockets
Cos it’s time to go home
A smell of recognition
A face you barely loved
Empty all your pockets
Cos it’s time to go home
Today is the first day of the rest of your days
So lighten up squirt
SONG INFORMATION
Released: Unreleased
Found on: N/A
Lift is a British term for elevator, and this song is about being stuck in one. “Lift” is also the first song in which Thom actually referred to himself by name, taking the voice of a person who is trying rescue “Thom.” Despite the rumors that this number would be an OK Computer single, Ed said that the band had never considered it. Played regularly in 1996, the song was identified by most reviewers as the best new song they had heard in sets that also included “I Promise” and “Electioneering.”
Thom had this to say about why “Lift” wasn’t rehearsed for Kid A:
“we havent lost the song. we played it too much in a certain way that didnt work in my opinion. it didnt feel right. so we need to approach it in a different way but at the time of OK Computer it was impossible to get into rearrAngeimng it becaose everyone had fixed ideas on what to play and wed all just got into a habit we couldnt break. like staRING TOo LONG AT STRANGERS know what i mean?”
On July 22, 2002 in Lisbon, Portugal, Radiohead surprised us all with a reworked version of “Lift” which had some lyric changes as well as a slower tempo.