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There are barn doors
And there are revolving doors
Doors on the rudders of big ships
We are revolving doors
There are doors that open by themselves
There are sliding doors and there are secret doors
There are doors that lock and doors that don't
There are doors that let you in and out but never open
But they are trapdoors
That you can't come back from
We are revolving doors
There are doors that open by themselves
There are sliding doors and there are secret doors
There are doors that lock and doors that don't
There are doors that let you in and out but never open
But they are trapdoors
That you can't come back from
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Although the main focus of this song is the experimental sounds that shift and change, the lyrics themselves hold some meaning.
The sounds created put emphasis on the confusion of everyday life, how decisions and choices affect us, the revolving doors are a metaphor for the constant changes in direction and the feeling of spinning out of control. The point remains however, that all doors, no matter how daunting have an entrance and an exit, we just need to stop spinning and make a choice. The lyrics reflect this idea further with lines such as:
"There are barn doors"
This might suggest the bigger choices of your life
"Doors on the rudders of big ships"
The suggestion here is that there are very important decisions that you may have to make, to steer the direction of something big, such as a ship.
"We are revolving doors"
Yorke identifies the audience with the revolving confusion of life and talks about how we have to continue to make choice; continue to turn in our chosen direction.
"There are doors that open by themselves"
This could mean that some choices come naturally or are simply made for you by others.
"There are sliding doors and there are secret doors"
The idea that there are secret doors: hidden from the majority, possibly a shortcut or detour for our chosen path in life.
This might suggest the bigger choices of your life
"Doors on the rudders of big ships"
The suggestion here is that there are very important decisions that you may have to make, to steer the direction of something big, such as a ship.
"We are revolving doors"
Yorke identifies the audience with the revolving confusion of life and talks about how we have to continue to make choice; continue to turn in our chosen direction.
"There are doors that open by themselves"
This could mean that some choices come naturally or are simply made for you by others.
"There are sliding doors and there are secret doors"
The idea that there are secret doors: hidden from the majority, possibly a shortcut or detour for our chosen path in life.
"There are doors that lock and doors that don't"
This seems to be referring to a decision that you make could be undone, but other times, that choice is final.
"There are doors that let you in and out but never open"
I think this is just a reference to an archway. This line has riddle-like qualities as an archway never opens, since it has no door, but it is a choice that we have to make nonetheless throughout life. Possibly a choice with no repercussions, something you can go back on at will.
"But they are trapdoors
That you can't come back from"
This haunting final line suggests how everyone makes bad choices at times, and can't turn back on them, no matter how much they wish they could.
Overall, the song lyrics are not meant to be thought about too deeply, the intention of this song is to experiment with various sounds and noises. However, there is some level of meaning that Thom Yorke wanted to get across and his lyrics help to do that despite them being hard to figure out when you listen to the song.
