No Surprises

The song No Surprises by Radiohead portrays the intense boredom and apathy that Holden feels towards the world in chapters 17 and 18. In these chapters Holden is living a life of "no alarms and no surprises" and attending a school that he hates, "a job that slowly kills [him]" because of the "phony" students around him and the lack of relevance he feels about his classes. Holden asks his date Sally to join him in the forest, stating that he would "take a quiet life" away from society and the phoniness of large cities like New York. Holden also brings up fairly often that he would like to commit suicide, or in the song, take "A handshake of carbon monoxide"

Thesis: The song No Surprises expresses Holden's loneliness and apathy towards life and the people around him as he progresses down a darkening path of depression and detachment from the real world.

Lyrics:

A heart that's full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal

You look so tired and unhappy
Bring down the government
They don't, they don't speak for us
I'll take a quiet life
A handshake of carbon monoxide

No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
Silent, silent

This is my final fit, my final bellyache with

No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises please

Such a pretty house, such a pretty garden

No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises (let me out of here)
No alarms and no surprises please (let me out of here)