� Karma Police 4:23

 
Originally released: June 1997

Available on: OK Computer (album), Karma Police (single)

Alternative version: Fila Brazillia Club (mix)

 
Karma police, arrest this man
He talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge
He's like a detuned radio

Karma police, arrest this girl
Her Hitler hairdo is
Making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party

This is what you get
This is what you get
This is what you get when you mess with us

Karma Police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll

This is what you get
This is what you get
This is what you get when you mess with us

And for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself
And for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself

For for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself
For for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself
Phew, for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself


In the early version, the first verse went:

Karma police arrest this girl
She stares at me
As if she owns the world and
We have crashed her party

 

It was a band catchphrase for a while on tour - whenever someone was behaving in a particularly shitty way, we'd say, 'The karma police will catch up with him sooner or later,' says Jonny. It's not a revenge thing, just about being happy with your own behaviour. Thom laughs, This is a song against bosses, fuck middle management! Karma Police was debuted back in 1996 durning the Alanis Morissette tour. Thom sang the line This is what you'll get an octave higher than he does on the album, with brillant results. Ed was the one who originally suggested they do a song based on the catch-phrase.