the bends

By Kip

The Bends is a powerful, complex songs, dealing with feelings of abandonment and loss. The author is uncertain and worried about many things:

"Where do we go from here?"
"The words are coming out all wierd,"
"I'd be scared that there's nothing underneath,"
not having any real friends
not knowing where someone is when you need them.

It also considers the tradional Radiohead theme of questioning and scrutinizing our modern corporate world (Let Down, Fake Plastic Trees): being alone on a plane, and "the planet is a gunboat in a sea of fear".

The songs is similar to My Iron Lung in that Yorke holds it together with an ambiguous, cynical remark. Instead of "a total waste of time: my iron lung", a sort of questioning of technological advancment, he repeats "baby's got the bends, we don't have any real friends" a patently pessimistic outlook.

The first verse introduces these themes in a familiar way.

The second verse considers a theme of humility and redemption. The author begins with a plea for scrutiny and cleansing, and then contradicts himself with a fear that it would reveal the author's hallow nature. This compels him to question his real friends - have they all got "the bends", Yorke's term for modern corruption implies a sympathy for the victim. He finishes by questioning the total nature of his humility - "am I really sinking this low?"

The "lying in the bar" refrain is a humble plea for a return to innocence, promoting the simple virtues of a "girlfriend", the "sixties", and happiness.

The third verse shows Thom returning to his fear - he ties the anti-modern society theme with its powerful images of "gun boat"/sea of fear/CIA/tanks/marines with Johnny's electric guitar to convey utter desperation.

The second "I wanna live" refrain is the converse of the preceeding verse. He is now utterly optimistic, hopeful. The author is now determined for success rather than dreading failure - and Johnny's guitar reaches its pinnacle.

The song, quieting down into mild depression, ends with an amendment to the first verse: "When I need you". No longer is the author merely concerned about his welfare, but implying that a real need is not being met by this person in his life.

by bilbo999@gateway.net

i think this song is about the author growing tired of their life. they look around them and see no one is happy. everyone seems to be depressed, "...have they all go the bends?" then the author is asking himself if it is worth it, living a life that is so destitude and pitiful. no one he knows seems to have anything positive to say, and they are all really down. he keeps asking himslef if it is worth being around these people, "am i really sinking this low?" then he is also coming to the realization that whenever he feels lonesome no one is there, "where are you now, when i need you?" the author is coming to grips with how bitter and tiresome life really is.
By Jordan

although it seems to me that much of this song is merely thom's drunken musings, there is one line that always struck me as it's centerpiece was " lying in the bar with my dripfeed on, talking to my girlfriend waiting for something to happen"

this line is the an perfect example of the British grin-and-bear-it mindset. The whole song is a jest on depression and feeling sorry for one's self, and is obviously not meant to be taken seriously. But this one line implies that the narrator is simply content to get drunk, wait around with someone he's close to and hope that life doesn't pass him by. quite a sad statement really.
By SK

The bends - decompression sickness.

I always thought that this song was about coming up too fast, a rise to fame.

What if everyone you met wanted something from you?
What would you do if you didn't have to do anything?

People born into wealth are raised to know how to deal with having more than most. People that gain sudden wealth have to learn.
By Kevin Newcombe

The Bends is literally a serious (and sometimes fatal) medical condition that happens to people when they come up out of the water too fast. I think the The Bends meant as a metaphor for the band instantly becoming rock stars without a chance to adjust to fame. Something in the lines of "My Iron Lung" the Bends is a song that speaks about the instant fame Radiohead acquired when they released Pablo Honey, and the world discovered Creep.

"Where do we go from here?" Imagine all your life you wanted to be a rock star and have fans and tour the world. Once it happens, and you achieve that goal, what else is there to do? "Alone on an aeroplane / Falling asleep against the window pane" This line is about the exhaustive nature of touring. For a two hours a night it's standing in front of a screaming crowd of tens of thousands of fans, playing rock music, but the rest of the time it's just sitting on tour buses or in airports, or waiting for sound checks etc.

"I need to wash myself again / To hide all the dirt and pain / I'd be scared, that there's nothing underneath." It gives the image of the tortured artist, something Thom was perceived as after Creep hit, writing about their pain to relieve themselves of it. "I'd be scared that there's nothing underneath" could be taken as meaning that the pain and melancholy is all there is to their songs, and that maybe the artist can't write about being happy and in love, only about being in pain.

"Who are my real friends? / Have the all got the bends?" The author is asking himself, who are the people who like the real him and who are the people that just like him for being a celebrity. The people that are his real friends, are the people who understand what he's going through, who also have "the bends." In other words, his real friends are the other guys in the band.

"My baby's got the bends / We don't have any real friends" Refers back to the previous line, about people wanting to be his friends because he's famous. "I'm just lying in a bar... I wish that something would happen" refers back to the first line, that once you've 'done it all,' traveled the world, performed to massive crowds, etc., going back home and trying to be a regular person again, hanging out at bars, doesn't really have the same feel.

"I want to live / breath / I want to be part of the human race." This line is talking about how being a celebrity is totally different than being a normal person. Being a celebrity means being this 24 hour public relations machine that has to be nice to everyone they meet and never do anything wrong, in case someone's watching them (celebrities are role models after all)
By Philip

I'm not too sure, But I think THE BENDS is about knowing who are you real friends are. The part "Lying in a Bar" talking to someone about something, But lying in the process to gain their friendship. "I wish it was the sixties" when everyone was into Free Love, and Peace etc. "I was I could be Happy" speaks for it self. But some parts I'm still working on.
By Mike

I think the bends is about how some of your friends can trick you into thinking that they are really deep, but in truth are very shallow. if such a friend should expose oneself in a shocking way, they have surfaced too quickly and therefore have the bends.
By Danny Prestwich

I know it doesn't fit throughout the whole song but I always suspected that The Bends was about a man (or woman) dying of AIDS or some other diesese. I think the begining (where do we go from here....) is when the person has just broken the news to their signifigant other and they have ditched them. The person is on his/her way out of town after being rejected from society. The "who are my real friends" part is about how everyone is now regarding them differently and they feel rejected. The chorus takes place after the boyfriend/girlfriend has discovered that they have it too and has also been rejected by their friends. "Lying in a bar with my drip feed on, talking to my girlfriend waiting for something to happen" is about approaching death, the narrorator is becoming sicker. "wish it was the 60's" is their longing for times of fre love, before STDs were a big deal. Also, I think the part about "tanks and the whole marines to blow me away" is about the feeling of being singled out. Everyone is pointing fingers at the narrorator and blaming him for what happened. And the last part about living and breathing and being part of the human race is the narrorators longing for things to be like they were before, no diesese and comfy place in society.
By Andrew

The Bends can be interpreted in two obvious manners. Firstly, The Bends seems to depict the rapid corruption of the modern first world. The speaker is confused and scared by all the rapid changes surrounding him. Helplessly, he yearns for things to go back to the way they used be, to cling to something solid, comforting and familiar "I wish it was the sixties, I wish we could be happy..." He no longer finds the people he is used to, but just the corrupted shells of souls. "Where are you now, when I need you?" He feels isolation "Alone on an aeroplane, fallin' asleep against the window pane" He suspects that he, himself, has also been corrupted "...I'd be scared, that there's nothing underneath..."
Secondly, the Bends cpuld be a metaphor for the sickness of nitrogen bubbles in one's brain, often resulting from from rapid decompression (aka: Rising out of the water too quickly) When one gains fame or social status, one often finds one's self to be in a superficial universe ("who are my real friends? Have they all got the bends?")