Radiohead – Burn the Witch Meaning

In this article, we’ll explore the meaning of Burn the Witch by Radiohead. As of this writing, Burn the Witch is ranked 21.

Radiohead’s “Burn the Witch” is a warning about how fear and suspicion can make people turn against each other, sometimes with dangerous results.

The song feels creepy and tense, like something bad might happen at any moment. Its theme is about how people can be scared into acting mean or unfair to others.

The chorus chants, “Burn the witch, we know where you live,” almost like a mob shouting together, which makes us feel the pressure to join in or be left out. When we hear lines like “Stay in the shadows” and “Abandon all reason,” it sounds like everyone’s hiding and afraid to speak up, just following along so they don’t get in trouble too. There’s this old-timey image of red crosses on doors and witches being hunted, but really, it’s telling us that blaming others is easy when everyone else is scared too—like passing a note in class that nobody wants to admit they wrote.

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Radiohead shines a spotlight on how panic spreads through groups until nobody feels safe or brave enough to stop it. Suddenly, we realize the real danger isn’t witches at all—it’s what happens when we let fear decide who belongs and who doesn’t.