Catalog catalog
Optimistic Lyrics by Radiohead
At a glance
Optimistic quick summary
- Recording: “Optimistic” is credited to Radiohead.
- Released: Feb 6, 2001 on “GRAMMY Nominees 2001”.
- Length: The recording runs 4:53.
- Genre: Filed under Alternative.
- Lyrics: This page has 36 lyric lines and 40 timed cues.
- Chart: No dated chart rank is attached yet.
- Karaoke: Timed playback is ready on this page.
- Written by: Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Philip Selway, Thom Yorke.
Direct answers
Questions about “Optimistic” by Radiohead
Who performs “Optimistic”?
The recording on this page is credited to Radiohead.
Can I follow the lyrics in time with the song?
Yes. This page has 40 timed cues connected to its selected video, so the active lyric line can follow playback.
Which recording version does this page describe?
The stored release association is “GRAMMY Nominees 2001”, dated 2001-02-06, with a duration of 4:53.
Optimistic lyrics by Radiohead
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0:42Flies are buzzing around my head
0:45Vultures circling the dead
0:48Picking up every last crumb
0:54The big fish eat the little ones
0:57The big fish eat the little ones
1:00Not my problem, give me some
1:06You can try the best you can
1:09You can try the best you can
1:13The best you can is good enough
1:18You can try the best you can
1:21You can try the best you can
1:25The best you can is good enough
1:32♪
1:43This one's optimistic
1:46This one went to market
1:49This one just came out of the swamp
1:55This one drops a playload
1:59Fodder for the animals
2:02Living on animal farm
2:07You can try the best you can
2:10You can try the best you can
2:14The best you can is good enough
2:19You can try the best you can
2:22You can try the best you can
2:26The best you can is good enough
2:32♪
2:56I'd really like to help you, man
2:59I'd really like to help you, man
3:08Nervous messed up marionette
3:11Floating around on a prinson ship
3:15♪
3:20You can try the best you can
3:23You can try the best you can
3:27The best you can is good enough
3:32You can try the best you can
3:35You can try the best you can
3:39Dinosaurs roaming the Earth
3:45Dinosaurs roaming the Earth
3:51Dinosaurs roaming the Earth
3:57♪
Lyric accuracy
Community notes
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About this track
Optimistic song profile
“Optimistic” is a recording credited to Radiohead. This record joins its available release fields, dated chart position and lyric timing. Continue with more Radiohead lyrics and songs, or compare this recording with other Alternative song lyrics.
- Feb 6, 2001Released
- 4:53Length
- 36Lyric lines
- 40Timed cues
- 195sTimed span
- Lyric record matched as “Optimistic” by Radiohead
- 40 ordered lyric timestamps verified
- Karaoke follow-along playback enabled
Full recording & lyric breakdown
Release record
The release record places this version on “GRAMMY Nominees 2001.” The earliest source-linked release date stored for this version is 2001-02-06. The identified recording runs 4:53. Stored songwriter information names Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Philip Selway, Thom Yorke.
Lyric structure
AskLyrics counted 36 lyric lines in 13 visible text sections. Its 40 lyric timestamps cover roughly 195 seconds of the matched recording. There are 5 repeated line patterns, which helps the player identify recurring passages without guessing at meaning. The YouTube player reads those timestamps continuously, while the saved offset aligns video time with the matched recording.
Source and version check
The stored lyric record identifies this as “Optimistic” credited to Radiohead. AskLyrics parsed 40 chronological cues before enabling follow-along display. The follow-along player requires this reviewed video-and-timestamp pairing.
Read the words in context with our guide to reading song lyrics closely, then use the verse, chorus and bridge guide to map this recording’s structure. See how synchronized lyric timing follows a recording.
- Album / release
- GRAMMY Nominees 2001
- Released
- 2001-02-06
- Length
- 4:53
- Written by
- Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Philip Selway, Thom Yorke
- Recording source
- MusicBrainz record ↗
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