The End Of The World
rem Lyrics


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That's great, it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid

Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs
Don't mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter
With a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And 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, trumped, tethered, cropped
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, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering 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 (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
I feel fine (I feel fine)

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

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 (time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)




It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

Overall Meaning

The song “It’s the end of the world as we know it” by R.E.M. is a fast-paced and chaotic song that speaks to the fear and anxiety of the modern world. The lyrics seem to be a stream-of-consciousness list of different events and emotions that are all crashing together in a rush towards an unknown future.


The opening lines set the scene with an earthquake, birds, snakes, and planes, while Lenny Bruce, a notorious comedian known for pushing boundaries, is unafraid. The lyrics then move to the eye of a hurricane, where the listener is told to “listen to yourself churn” as the world serves its own needs. The ladder starts to clatter, and fear of heights is mentioned as representing the fear that many people have of being exposed and vulnerable. The various events mentioned seem random and disconnected, but they all speak to the sense of chaos and confusion that many people feel.


The chorus – “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine” – seems to be a paradoxical statement. On the surface, it implies that the apocalypse is near and that everything is falling apart, but the singer is not afraid. Instead, they feel fine – which implies a kind of peace or acceptance. The rest of the lyrics reinforce this idea that while the world might seem to be ending, life will go on, and individuals must take care of themselves.


Line by Line Meaning

That's great, it starts with an earthquake
The world is collapsing, and everything is starting to shake.


Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
Even natural and man-made phenomena are failing.


And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Being unafraid in the face of adversity is a power to behold.


Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
The calm in the middle of disaster is deafening.


World serves its own needs
The world only cares about itself, and survival is every man's business.


Don't mis-serve your own needs
Do not neglect serving your own needs even if the situation is grave.


Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
Be fast-paced, growl like an animal, apply more power.


The ladder starts to clatter
The scramble to safety and survival has begun, and things are getting chaotic.


With a fear of height, down, height
Scared to face the dangers that lie ahead but have to face them regardless.


Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
Desperately trying to stay alive by playing life's game the best one can.


And a government for hire and a combat site
Even governments are using this disaster to their advantage.


Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry
Desertion is but one of the characteristics of human behavior during trying times.


With the Furies breathing down your neck
The concept of time becomes different when living in perilous times; every moment counts.


Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped
The media tries to keep up, but it is becoming overwhelming for everyone.


Look at that low plane, fine, then
Even the slightest hope can give some comfort in an otherwise hopeless situation.


Uh oh, overflow, population, common group
Huge waves of desperation instances spurn from large groups panicking together.


But it'll do, save yourself, serve yourself
Faced with survival, one is driven to do whatever it takes for self-preservation.


World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed
Even when everything is crumbling, one isn't free from the sound of their own beating heart.


Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right
When brought to the edge of extinction, what remains is what we hold the most dear and essential.


You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light
When all is said and done, you are left with a projection of yourself that is raw and authentic.


Feeling pretty psyched
Even in dire circumstances, someone can still have relatively positive outlook that can help them survive.


It's the end of the world as we know it
The current world is not sustainable and is coming to a close.


and I feel fine
Although the world is collapsing, there is still a personal sense of hope or peace.


Six o'clock, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower
Time is running out, and one must stay wary of incoming information.


Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
The noise of the world is cancelling everything else out, leaving one to their inner thoughts.


Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Desperation is leading to people making dangerous and irrational decisions, like locking up people and burning books.


Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
The results of desperation and irrationality start to become dangerous to the point of life-threatening.


Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
In the darkness, people start to depend on whatever light they can create and force of will to keep going.


Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
The dangers are so ever-present in one's life that everything becomes a hazard.


This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering clear
People become strong in their fear, evasive in their thoughts, and bold in their actions, as cowardice is not an option.


A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies
The battle for survival becomes a constant war of lies and falsehoods, as people are forced to be dishonest to survive.


Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline
There's no other way to fix the current state of demise and desperation, leaving one to just survive in whatever way they can.


The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide
Even in one's dreams, the turmoil and uncertainty of life is at the forefront of their mind.


Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
In the midst of disaster, even something as innocuous as a line of mountains takes on more significance.


Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Prominent figures of the past come to mind in times of crisis due to their groundbreaking actions.


Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
Even the most joyous occasions become clouded by the current state of misfortune.


You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right
The fight for survival includes a spectrum of emotions, including togetherness, loyalty to one's country, the urge to fight back, and the stubbornness that comes with it.




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Loki_K

[Lyrics]
That's great! It starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, an aeroplane
and Lenny Bruce is not afraid

Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs, don't mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no strength
The ladder starts to clatter with fear of height, down height
Wire in a fire, representing seven games
In a government for hire and a combat site
Left of west and 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 Food
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, bloodletting
Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a votive
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 time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
(It's time I had some time alone)
I feel fine

It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
(It's time I had some time alone)

The other night I tripped a nice
Continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line
Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev
Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly beans, boom!
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam, but neck, right? (Right!)

It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
(It's time I had some time alone)

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
(It's time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
(It's time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
(It's time I had some time alone)



All comments from YouTube:

@-NoneOfYourBusiness

For those here who care, this video shows a kid playing in his house that was torn apart by a tornado digging in the mess of random stuff all over the place making some sense of it and picking up what he might keep. He kept the dog and his skateboard. He's young, soon to be a man and full of hope and he will rebuild his future. This song isn't depressing and isn't about the end of the world. Its about change. The lyrics are a mess of random stuff that Humanity must make sense of, pick up what it might keep and go forward.

@sonysaju6838

Now, that actually makes sense. Thanks for that.

@Fxeye-ir9ck

Wow, thank you❤️

@freejubilant38

and i wouldn't even be interested if he didn't care about his dog

@kartolul4329

"Its the end of the world and I feel fine"

@Awolkmedia1990

Never in my life have I needed something so much and never known until i received it hahahaha

318 More Replies...

@autumndidact6148

Every time I think about how this song is from 1987 and not like 1993 it amazes me how R.E.M. nailed a sound that no one else was going to be doing for years.

@eboethrasher

that's only like 6 years, and considering how much REM influenced the sound of 1993, I totally understand it. Without REM, you have no Hootie and the Blowfish, no Pearl Jam, no any of those bands. REM helped forge the alternative/indie/college rock scene in the US. There were other bands but they helped break it through along with some of the other OGs. Husker Du, Replacements had the sound, Goo Goo Dolls existed but not like this, Soundgarden existed in 87, but mainly you had REM, 10,000 Maniacs, Replacements at the top of the US alt heap around that time period. I'm sure I'm forgetting others, but they were the top dogs. Pixies were not even there yet at 87. The Smiths were busy imploding over in the UK, The Cure were hitting it big in the US, likewise for Depeche Mode with Music for the Masses, Love and Rockets were getting ready to break wide open in the next couple of years. Jane's Addiction was ready to break out as well. People talk about Nirvana breaking it wide open but they ignore that The Cure and INXS and Depeche Mode and REM were having hits before Nirvana. Though Kurt himself would happily remind you about REM. He loved them. Moved next door to Peter Buck and that's where he took his own life.

@kevinlutz5994

I bought the cassette tape at a garage sale.

@vellabella1

Wow, I was born 1980 but did not hear this until mid 90's. Doesn't sound dated at all. Did not know this song came out in the 80's?. REM dominated college radio when I was a freshman in High School. Now my 16 yr old nephew knows this song. When asked how does he know this song, he says it is an old song😮 Well I guess so? 😅

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