Climbing Up the Walls I am the key to the lock in your house That keeps your toys in the basement And if you get too far inside You'll only see my reflection It's always best when the light is off I am the pick in the ice Do not cry out or hit the alarm You know we're friends till we die And either way you turn I'll be there Open up your skull I'll be there Climbing up the walls It's always best when the light is off It's always better on the outside Fifteen blows to the back of your head Fifteen blows to your mind So lock the kids up safe tonight Put the eyes in the cupboard I've got the smell of a local man Who's got the loneliest feeling That either way he turns I'll be there Open up your skull I'll be there Climbing up the walls Climbing up the walls Climbing up the walls

Originally released: June 1997 Found on: OK Computer Alternative version: Zero 7 Mix & Fila Brazilla Mix, both on Karma Police CD2 This is the first track in the band's repertoire to be described as "scary." It relies heavily on strings, but not in the conventional way. The string section, covered by Jonny alone, features 16 different violins playing quarter tones apart from each other. The audience's cue that the band is about to play this song live comes when Jonny pulls out a small radio and begins tuning it to different stations. During the band's sound checks, Jonny locates classical-music or news-oriented local radio stations, and uses these -never rock stations- to execute "Climbing Up the Walls." Thom : "This is about the unspeakable. Literally skull-crushing. I used to work in a mental hospital around the time that Care In The Community started, and we all just knew what was going to happen. And it's one of the scariest things to happen in this country, because a lot of them weren't just harmless... It was hailing violently when we recorded this. It seemed to add to the mood." "Some people can't sleep with the curtains open in case they see the eyes they imagine in their heads every night burning through the glass. Lots of people have panic buttons fitted in their bedrooms so they can reach over and set the alarm off without disturbing the intruder. This song is about the cupboard monster."

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