Radiohead: Codex Meaning

Codex Lyrics

Sleight of hand,
Jump off the end.
Into a clear lake,
No one around.

Just dragonflies,
Flying to the side.
No one gets hurt,
You're doing nothing wrong.

Slide your hand,
Jump off the end.
The water's clear and innocent.
The water's...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Feb 18th 2012 report

   I thinks its about guy who has hurt people in the past with his tricks/lies "sleight of hand" he feels horrible about it so now he wants to commit suicide to never hurt anyone again, in a clear lake, to purify his sins
2. anonymous

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   Jun 17th 2020 report

   Codex's name is fitting, given it is a difficult song to decode. Most people try to find the light in Codex, often citing the line "Just dragonflies, fantasized" as a way to prove that the song is about something more innocent. I'm here to say that I think Codex is a very dark song. Looking at the lines "Jump of the end, into a clear lake, no one around" seems to suggest that the narrator has a dilemma and jumping into the lake fixes said dilemma. The narrator also adds in the last bit about "no one around," suggesting that they don't want anyone to be around when they do this. The lines "no one gets hurt, you've done nothing wrong" further reinforce the idea that the narrator's dilemma has nothing to do with anyone else, and they don't want it to have to do with anyone else. The very next line, "slide your hand" is a play on the first line of the song, "sleight of hand." This next part may be a bit of a stretch, so bear with me here. At this point we can speculate that the narrator is attempting suicide with references to tying a noose, "sleight of hand," jumping off of a bridge, "jump of the end, the water's clear," and slitting their wrists, "slid your hand." It is now clear that the narrator is attempting suicide due to clinical depression, in which they have no reason to be depressed.
   
   And that's Codex, decoded.
3. anonymous

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   Sep 23rd 2019 report

   Its about the passing of his wife and her slow departure struggling with cancer. He tells her she's doing nothing wrong, letting her know its ok for her to let go and end her suffering, most likely because shes afraid of leaving him to grieve. He seems to also be letting go knowing she will be at peace.
4. anonymous

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   Jul 26th 2016 report

   I think the song is about being a younger person who is masterbating and/or indulging in sexual fantasies and who is trying to feel ok with it. The singer is advising his younger self that they've done nothing wrong and aren't hurting anyone and that they shouldn't feel guilty about those sexual impulses.

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