in a beautiful world /
we are melting /
and go running /
nailed down //
somewhere lurking /
form a line /
falling over /
zip tied //
foreign spies //
in a beautiful world /
paved with gold /
by who's counting /
way up there //
and they're grabbing /
kitchen knives /
every time our /
backs are turned //
foreign spies //
it's a beautiful world
The title phrase 'Foreign Spies', along with references to '15 Step' and 'A Rat's Nest', can be seen in this sketch from the 'scrapbook' section of radiohead.com (circa 2004/2005):
The main melody of 'Foreign Spies' is shared with Jonny's piece Horror vacui, in particular the section 'K16 (Granular Stretch)'. It was performed september 10th 2019 at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the BBC Proms:
'Foreign Spies' was first played at the soundcheck for a show in Luxembourg on June 27th 2022:
