So. Central Rain Lyrics
These rivers of suggestion are driving me away
The trees will bend, the cities wash away
The city on the river there is a girl without a dream
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
The wise man built his words upon the rocks
But I'm not bound to follow suit
The trees will bend, the conversation's dimmed
Go build yourself another home, this choice isn't mine
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
These rivers of suggestion are driving me away
The ocean sang, the conversation's dimmed
Go build yourself another dream, this choice isn't mine
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
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driver08uk is spot on. It is about waiting for a phone call which is not coming because - unknown to the singer - a flood has washed the phone lines away so as the singer waits for the call he wonders why she is not calling and mentally pulls apart the relationship they have.
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This song reeks strongly of regret, this huge chance passed and the narrator couldn't stop it from doing so. or maybe he regrets taking action on it, and quite literally feels sorry to the other for not having the guts to take the chance. on a more personal note, it just sounds so big and haunting, even for a little pop song. rem at their fucking finest.
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So...I've read these ideas and I see where you guys are coming from, but they all fail to make much sense to me. This is a song again about losing his religion...It is a song about religious oppression. He waited for God, for a calling. The rain washes into the river, leads to the sea.. Eastern to mountain...to Ararat for a third party call from Yaweh, the words placed upon the stones. Commandments which he will not follow...Nor will he follow the Muslim faith, the oppression of women, in cites along the Tigris, I suspect...Desert cities are all on rivers.. Religious oppression, the singing ocean dimming conversations....and for all of it he expresses sorrow... Pretty straight forward and ever sentence makes sense...The other versions leave large parts of the song shrouded in mystery. The Israelite home and dream, not his choice, all there. But what do I know?
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South Central Africa is known for infrequent rain -- sorry to plant a crop that will never grow -- did not ever call the farm department for agricultural data -- building of home/dream altered due to drought.
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This is the song that started it all for me with R.E.M. when it came out back in the day. :) I LOVE this song and I always will.
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A relationship that never really started but the protagonist wished had......she is going to "Go build yourself another dream, this choice isn't mine"
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this is one of my five favorite songs of all time
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i don't think it's about anything so specific...just about feeling guilty for things that were never in your hands to begin with...or not having the foresight to see an opportunity pass until there's no turning back...
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"The wise man built his words upon the rocks But I'm not bound to follow suit " One of my favourite lyrics ever... I think the song could be about a relationship where two people want different things... he is restless and wants to live and take risks, whereas she wants to settle down - "a girl without a dream". He says I'm sorry, I love you but I've got to move on.
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A man (Stipe) waiting for a phone call from a loved one, who was trying to get in touch but "the lines were down" due to the rain.