Buried near the end of an album that itself is often buried in REM's discography, is what I feel is one of their purest songs. Best song? Nah, but a simple, pure song. I remember hearing years ago an early version of this tune on a vinyl bootleg. At the time it was an uptempo country ditty called, "Why Don't They Get On Their Way". The shift from a Southern lament to a call to self-sacrifice is part of the purity.
Musically, the verses end with a nice lift that send you right into the airy chorus. Lyrically, it's vintage Stipe: emotional, personal, slightly unaccessible, yet comfortingly familiar. Here's the last verse:
Here's the trailer Tom
A year has come and gone
We're not moving, was it right?
Take the order, sew it on your tie
We couldn't follow, couldn't try.
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I agree with the pure-ity. It has so many classic REM elements.
two things i love about this song are the bridge: a quick lift that expands the song perfectly (counter-acting the stalls at each chorus)
and the ending: the postlude-ish tamborine jam and the still-frame final chord.
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