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R.E.M. - Document Album Lyrics



R.E.M. - Document Lyrics






Finest Worksong

The time to rise has been engaged
You're better best to rearrange
I'm talkin' here to me alone
I listen to the finest worksong

Your finest hour
Your finest hour

Another chance has been engaged
To throw Thoreau and rearrange
You are following this time
I beg you not, beg to rhyme

(Oh) Your finest hour
(Oh) Your finest hour

Take your instinct by the reins
You're better best to rearrange
What we want and what we need
Has been confused, been confused

(Oh) Your finest hour
(Oh) Your finest hour

Take your instinct by the reins
Better best to rearrange
What we want and what we need
Has been confused, been confused

(Oh) Your finest hour
(Oh) Your finest hour
(Oh) Your finest hour
(Oh) Your finest hour
[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, William Berry, Michael Mills
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group




Welcome To The Occupation

Hang your collar up inside
Hang your dollar on me
Listen to the water still
Listen to the cause where you are
Fed and educated,
Primitive and wild
Welcome to the occupation

Here we stand and here we fight
All your fallen heroes
Held and dyed and skinned alive
Listen to the Congress fire
Offering the educated
primitive and loyal
Welcome to the occupation

Hang your collar up inside
Hang your freedom higher
Listen to the buyer still
Listen to the Congress
Where we propagate confusion
Primitive and wild
Fire on the hemisphere below

Sugar cane and coffee cup
Copper, steel and cattle
An annotated history
The forest for the fire
Where we open up the floodgates
Freedom reigns supreme
Fire on the hemisphere below
Listen to me
Listen to me
Listen to me
Listen to me


[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group




Exhuming McCarthy

You're beautiful more beautiful than me
You're honorable more honorable than me
Loyal to the Bank of America

It's a sign of the times
It's a sign of the times

You're sharpening stones, walking on coals
To improve your business acumen.
Sharpening stones, walking on coals,
To improve your business acumen.

Vested interest united ties, landed gentry rationalize
Look who bought the myth, by jingo, buy America

It's a sign of the times
It's a sign of the times

You're sharpening stones, walking on coals
To improve your business acumen.
Sharpening stones, walking on coals,
To improve your business acumen.

Enemy sighted, enemy met, I'm addressing the realpolitik
Look who bought the myth, by jingo, buy America

"Let us not assassinate this man further Senator,
You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir?
At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"

You're sharpening stones, walking on coals
To improve your business acumen.
Sharpening stones, walking on coals,
To improve your business acumen.

Enemy sighted, enemy met, I'm addressing the realpolitik
You've seen start and you've seen quit
(I'm addressing the table of content)
I always thought of you as quick
Exhuming McCarthy
(Meet me at the book burning)
Exhuming McCarthy
(Meet me at the book burning)


[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group




Disturbance At The Heron House

"They're going wild," the call came in
At early morning pre-dawn, then
"The followers of chaos out of control
They're numbering the monkeys
The monkeys and the monkeys,"
The followers of chaos out of control

"They're meeting at the monument,"
The call came in the monument
To liberty and honor under the honor roll
"They've gathered up the cages the cages and courageous,"
The followers of chaos out of control

The call came in to Party Central
"Meeting of the green and simple,"
Try to tell us something we don't know

"Disturbance at the Heron House"
A stampede at the monument
To liberty and honor under the honor roll
The gathering of grunts and greens
Cogs and grunts and hirelings
A meeting of a mean idea to hold
"When feeding time has come and gone
They'll lose the heart and head for home
Try to tell us something we don't know"

Everyone allowed, Everyone allowed

[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group




Strange

There's something strange going on tonight
There's something going on that's not quite right
Michael's nervous and the lights are bright
There's something going on that's not quite right

There's something going on that wasn't here before
Keep your eyes glued to the floor
There's something strange going on tonight
There's something going on that's not quite right

There's something going on that wasn't here before
Keep your eyes glued to the floor
No one's going to say goodnight
There's something going on that's not quite right

[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bruce Gilbert, C Newman, Graham Lewis, Robert Gotobed
Copyright: Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC




Its The End Of The World As We Know It / And I Feel Fine

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane -
Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn -
world serves its own needs, regardless of your own needs. Feed it up a knock,
speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height,
down height. 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. 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.

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.

Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign tower. Slash and burn,
return, listen to yourself churn. 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! A tournament,
a tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives
and I decline.

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.

The other night I tripped a nice continental drift divide. Mount St. Edelite.
Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Breshnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs.
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom! You symbiotic, patriotic,
slam, but neck, right? Right.

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)
[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: John Michael Stipe, Michael E. Mills, Peter Lawrence Buck, William Thomas Berry
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group




The One I Love

This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I've left behind
A simple prop, to occupy my time
This one goes out to the one I love

Fire
Fire

This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I've left behind
A simple prop, to occupy my time
This one goes out to the one I love

Fire
(She's comin' down on her own, now)
Fire
(She's comin' down on her own, now)

This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I've left behind
Another prop has occupied my time
This one goes out to the one I love

Fire
(She's comin' down on her own, now)
Fire
(She's comin' down on her own, now)
Fire
(She's comin' down on her own, now)
Fire
(She's comin' down on her own, now)
[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael E. Mills, John Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group




Fireplace

Crazy crazy world crazy crazy times
Crazy crazy world crazy crazy times
Hang up your chairs to better sweep
Clear the floor to dance
Shake the rug into the fireplace

Crazy crazy world crazy crazy times
Crazy crazy world crazy crazy times
Hang up your chairs to better sweep
Clear the floor to dance
Sweep the floor into the fireplace

Hang up your chairs to better sweep
Clear the floor to dance
Throw the chairs into the fireplace

Hang up your chairs to better sweep
Clear the floor to dance
Throw the walls into the fireplace

[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group




Lightnin Hopkins

When I lay myself to sleep pray that I don't go too deep
Lightnin' won Lightnin' won
Because it's cold down gold down there, crow!

Flat lands low lands on the track
Shows the water pan the track
Lightnin' won lightnin' won
Close up hands to silhouette, crow!

Lightnin' won, lightnin' won

Hound bark on the track
Hound crow hold onto your hat
Lightnin' won lightnin' won
Low lands timberlands bad lands bird lands


[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group




King Of Birds

A thumbnail sketch, a jeweller's stone
A mean idea to call my own
Old man don't lay so still you're not yet young
There's time to teach, point to point,
Point observation, children carry reservations
Standing on the shoulders of giants leaves me cold, leaves me cold.
A mean idea to call my own, a hundred million birds fly

Singer sing me a given, singer sing me a song
Standing on the shoulders of giants everybody's looking on
(Old don't lay so still you're not yet young,
There's time to teach, point to point,
point observation, children carry reservations).
Standing on the shoulders of giants leaves me cold
A mean idea to call my own, a hundred million birds fly away, away.

I am king of all I see, my kingdom for a voice
Old man don't lay so still, you're not yet young
There's time to teach, point to point
Point observation, children carry reservations
Standing on the shoulders of giants leaves me cold
A mean idea to call my own, a hundred million birds fly away

Everybody hit the ground. Everybody hit the ground.

[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group




Oddfellows Local 151

Oddfellows local 151 behind the firehouse
Where Peewee sits to prove a sage to teach
Peewee gathered up his proof
Reached up and scratched his head
Fell down and hit the ground again

Firehouse. Firehouse.

Why do the heathens rage behind the firehouse
Where Peewee sits upon the wall to preach?
This boy and girl that gather pearls
Of wisdom falling from his mouth
Wash off the blood, wash off the rum

Firehouse. Firehouse.

Oddfellows local 151 behind the firehouse
Where Peewee sits upon the wall to preach.
This boy and girl that gather pearls
Of wisdom falling from his mouth
Wash off the blood, wash off the 151.

Firehouse. Firehouse.
Firehouse. Firehouse

[ Correct these Lyrics ]

Writer: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group




Back to: R.E.M.


Document is the fifth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released on August 31, 1987, by I.R.S. Records. It was the first album by the band to be produced by Scott Litt.

Continuing in the vein of their previous album Lifes Rich Pageant, Document features more audible lyrics and a harder rock sound in comparison to the band's earlier releases. The album became R.E.M.'s greatest success at the time, giving the band their first top 10 hit ("The One I Love") and album, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard 200.
Performed By: R.E.M.
Genre(s): Alternative rock, jangle pop
Producer(s): Scott Litt, R.E.M.
Released: August 31st, 1987
Year: 1987

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