Let Down – English Lyrics

• By: Radiohead
• Album: Her

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Radiohead's "Let Down," a key track from *OK Computer* known for its intricate musicality and melancholic yet strangely hopeful tone. Learning the lyrics offers a window into grappling with modern alienation and the desire to break free, marked by unique production techniques like polyrhythms that make it a special piece of art-rock.

[English]

Transport

Motorways and tramlines

Starting and then stopping

Taking off and landing

The emptiest of feelings

Disappointed people

Clinging onto bottles

And when it comes it's so

so disappointing

Let down and hanging around

Crushed like a bug in the ground

Let down and hanging around

Shell smashed, juices flowing

Wings twitch legs are going

Don't get sentimental

It always ends up drivel

One day

I am gonna grow wings

A chemical reaction

Hysterical and useless

Hysterical and...

Let down and hanging around

Crushed like a bug in the ground

Let down and hanging around

Let down and hanging

Let down

Let down

You know, you know where you are with

You know where you are with

Floor collapsing, floating

Bouncing back and...

One day I am gonna grow wings

A chemical reaction

Hysterical and useless

Hysterical and...

Let down and hanging around

Crushed like a bug in the ground

Let down and hanging around

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
transport /ˈtræn.spɔːrt/ B1	noun - the movement of people or goods from one place to another
motorway /ˈməʊ.tə.weɪ/ B2	noun - a large, fast road for vehicles, especially in the UK
tramline /ˈtræm.laɪn/ C1	noun - the track or route on which a tram moves
feeling /ˈfiː.lɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
disappointed /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪn.tɪd/ B1	adjective - sad or displeased because something was not as good as expected
cling /klɪŋ/ B2	verb - to hold on tightly to something
bottle /ˈbɒt.əl/ A2	noun - a container, typically made of glass or plastic, for liquids
disappointing /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪn.tɪŋ/ B2	adjective - not as good as expected or hoped
let down /let daʊn/ B2	phrasal verb - to disappoint someone or cause someone to feel unhappy
hang /hæŋ/ B2	verb - to remain or stay in a place or position
crush /krʌʃ/ B2	verb - to press something so hard that it breaks or loses its shape
ground /ɡraʊnd/ A2	noun - the surface of the earth
chemical /ˈkem.ɪ.kəl/ B2	adjective - relating to chemistry or substances produced by chemistry noun - a substance used in or produced by chemistry
reaction /riˈæk.ʃən/ B2	noun - a response to something that happens
hysterical /hɪˈster.ɪ.kəl/ C2	adjective - emotionally out of control, very upset or excited
useless /ˈjuːs.ləs/ B1	adjective - not useful, without purpose
floor /flɔːr/ A2	noun - the surface on which one walks inside a building

Key Grammar Structures

• Transport, Motorways and tramlines

  ➔ Comma splice

  ➔ The commas are used to list items ('Transport', 'Motorways', 'tramlines') without conjunctions, a common poetic device.

• Starting and then stopping

  ➔ Present continuous

  ➔ The present continuous ('Starting', 'stopping') is used to describe actions happening around the time of speaking, creating a sense of ongoing movement.

• The emptiest of feelings

  ➔ Superlative degree

  ➔ 'Emptiest' is the superlative form of 'empty', emphasizing the intensity of the feeling.

• Disappointed people, Clinging onto bottles

  ➔ Present participle

  ➔ The present participle ('Clinging') is used to describe an ongoing action related to the subject ('people').

• Let down and hanging around

  ➔ Present participle with conjunction

  ➔ The present participles ('Let down', 'hanging') are connected by 'and' to show simultaneous actions.

• One day I am gonna grow wings

  ➔ Future with 'gonna'

  ➔ 'Gonna' is an informal contraction of 'going to', used to express a future intention.

• Hysterical and useless

  ➔ Coordination of adjectives

  ➔ The adjectives ('Hysterical', 'useless') are coordinated by 'and' to describe the same noun.

• You know, you know where you are with

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis

  ➔ The phrase 'You know' is repeated for emphasis, a common rhetorical device.