Did R.E.M. the 90's band foretell the future?

"Lost in an image, in a dream
But there's no one there to wake her up
And the world is spinning, and she keeps on winning
But tell me what happens when it stops?"
Oh my freakin Gawd.......Britney spears has predicted the downfall of everyone who may be famous....lol. If you look hard enough... you will find any meaning in any lyrics!
Don't be a sucka.


[edit on 4-8-2007 by soulstealer2099]

something far more interesting about this song.........is trying to sing it. HAHAHAH

being a smoker makes it quite difficult.

reply to post by darkheartrising



It should also be known that the lyrics you've given are not the exact lyrics. In fact, Michael Stipe himself does not even recall the actual lyrics written to this song. The majority he knows, but there are some differences that I've seen all over the place. Here is the lyrics as I know them...as they were written in Guitar Magazine:

that's great it starts with an earthquake, birds, snakess and aeroplanes, lenny bruce is not afraid.

eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn, world serves its own needs, dummy server your own needs, speed it up a notch speak grunt no street the ladder starts to clatter with fear fight down heigt, wire in the fire represented seven games and the government for hire in a combat site. Nectar west a comin' in a hurry with the furies breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters donald trump jenny krupp look at that low plane, fine, then uh oh overflow population common proof a little deuce save yourself serve yourself world serves its own needs listen to your heart bleed dummy with the rapture and the reverend and right, right youth patriotic patriotic slam fight right might feelin' pretty psyched

it's the end bla bla bla

six o clock tv hour don't get cought in foreign tower slash and burn return listen to yourself churn, lock him in a uniform with book burning blood letting every motive escalate auto mode incinerate light a candle light a motor step down step down watch your heel crush crush uh oh this means no fear cavalier renagade steer clear a tournament a tournament a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions is to offer me alternatives and I decline

its the end bla bla bla

the other night I tripped in Oz, continental drift divide mountains sit in a line Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Breshnev Lenny bruce and lester bangs birthday party cheesecake jelly bean boom youth symbiotic patriotic slam the net, right? right!

etc...

The 3rd verse I'm a little fuzzy on, but I'm pretty sure I got most or all of the first 2 verses. They don't really seem to make a whole lot of sense, and Stipe himself has admitted to being "wordy" just for the sake of being "wordy". For example, in the song Leaving New York, he uses the line "Leaving was never my proud..." which is obviously incorrect english, but he did it just be weird.

Anyhoo, I love REM, they're my fav. band, but I don't think they can predict the future. At the very least, however, it's an interesting concept to ponder.

P.S.
R.E.M. Got their start in the 80's (if you REALLY wanna get technical, their first jam session as a band came in late December of '79), and the song we're talking about was on the 1987 CD "Document" (and later Eponymous, but that's beside the point). So yes, they were a 90's band, but this particular song came from the 80's. I'll shut up now.

[edit on 21-8-2007 by Jaruseleh]

[edit on 21-8-2007 by Jaruseleh]

reply to post by Jaruseleh


i had given up on this theory until i read what you mentioned about him not remembering what lyrics he wrote. I researched this and you're right, he even goes as far as writing down different versions trying to remember how the song went.
so it reminded me of auto writing could this be the case? just a thought...

reply to post by darkheartrising


I'm not really familiar with "auto writing"...what exactly is it, and maybe I can help ya with that theory.

I believe that R.E.M. just made a song that can directly relate itself to thousands of years of probability. they didn't predict it, becasue its just what happens on a daily basis unfortunately. Nice job pointing it out though I did enjoy your post!

Originally posted by blowfishdl
I believe that R.E.M. just made a song that can directly relate itself to thousands of years of probability. they didn't predict it, becasue its just what happens on a daily basis unfortunately. Nice job pointing it out though I did enjoy your post!

Michael Stipe is also notorious for writing lyrics about current events. Most likely he was writing about something that troubled him in the year 1986/87...He's also very liberal, so chances are Pres. Regan did something to provoke lyrics like these to come out...could be any number of things really....but from everything I've read about Stipe and R.E.M. I'm about 99.9% sure he wasn't trying to predict the future...enigmatic? yes. Prophetic? I don't think so.

Originally posted by darkheartrising
ok, bear with me on this one but its been bothering me for a while so here it goes, i typed in the lyrics with my summation above it in bold, tell me what you think..am i crazy or is there something there?

Tsunami,Bird flu,911?
That?s great, it starts with an earthquake,
birds and snakes, an aeroplane
Lenny Bruce is not afraid.

HURRICANE KATRINA DISASTER?
Eye of a hurricane,
listen to yourself churn -
world serves its own needs, don?t misserve your own needs.

Feed it up a knock,
speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height,
down height.

IRAQ/IRAN POSSIBLE NUCLEAR OUTCOME?
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games in a government for
hire and a combat site.
Left her, wasn?t coming in a hurry with the furies
breathing down your neck.
Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered
crop.

9-11?
Look at that low plane! Fine then. Uh oh, overflow, population,
common group, but it?ll do.

Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its
own needs, listen to your heart bleed.
Tell me with the rapture and the
reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

NEWS REPORTERS RELAYING THE WAR ON TV,TERRORIST ATTACK HOTELS?
Six o'clock - TV hour. Don?t get caught in foreign tower. Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn.

BRINGING BACK THE DRAFT? CAR BOMBS?
Lock him in uniform and book burning,
blood letting. Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate. Light a candle, light a motive. Step down, step down.
Watch a heel crush, crush. Uh oh,
this means no fear - cavalier. Renegade and steer clear!

GEORGE BUSH?
A tournament,
a tournament, a tournament of lies.
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.

ROCKY MOUNTAINS/CALIFORNIA TERRORIST ATTACK PENDING?
The other night I tripped a nice continental drift divide. Mountains sit in a line.
Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Breshnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs.
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom! You symbiotic, patriotic,
slam, but neck, right? Right.

just the chorus..nothing in it really
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine...fine...

(It's time I had some time alone) this is what darknight is doing?

well? leave a comment ..even if it is not a positive one.

Georgia on my mind came out in 1930.
A little warm tea and a FIOS connection should help.