The The — August & September
Album: Mind BombAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 539
Length: 5:39
Plays (last 30 days): 3
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Suddenly last summer
I started going out of my head
In a tiny hotel room
Lying naked on a bed
I knew what you were doing
And I knew what you'd done
Your life with me was ending
Your new life had begun
But I was cursing your name
And I was cursing that room
And I was praying for the strength to stop loving you
I started writing you the letter
Which turned into the book
I was gonna reach across the ocean
And force you to look
But what kind of man was I?
Who would sacrify you happiness to satisfy his pride
What kind of man was I?
Who would delay your destiny to appease his tiny mind
Then you came back to me
And I went down on one knee
With a glint in my eyes
And a rose between my teeth
And I pushed out my tongue for you to see
That I'd been dying of a thirst for your company
Then you quenched my loneliness with your tears
And our clothes fell away as we rolled back the years
But we could't deny it because we could not admit it
If our love was too strong to die
Or we were just too weak to kill it
Was our love too strong to die?
Or were we just too weak to kill it?
Every moment in that room
I closed my eyes in prayer
Every moment I awoke
I clenched my teeth in prayer
What kind of man was I?
Who would sacrify your happiness to satisfy his pride
What kind of man was I?
Who would delay your destiny to appease his tiny mind
Who could delay your destiny to appease his aching swollen pride
Who could delay your destiny to appease his screaming little mind
You're mine
I started going out of my head
In a tiny hotel room
Lying naked on a bed
I knew what you were doing
And I knew what you'd done
Your life with me was ending
Your new life had begun
But I was cursing your name
And I was cursing that room
And I was praying for the strength to stop loving you
I started writing you the letter
Which turned into the book
I was gonna reach across the ocean
And force you to look
But what kind of man was I?
Who would sacrify you happiness to satisfy his pride
What kind of man was I?
Who would delay your destiny to appease his tiny mind
Then you came back to me
And I went down on one knee
With a glint in my eyes
And a rose between my teeth
And I pushed out my tongue for you to see
That I'd been dying of a thirst for your company
Then you quenched my loneliness with your tears
And our clothes fell away as we rolled back the years
But we could't deny it because we could not admit it
If our love was too strong to die
Or we were just too weak to kill it
Was our love too strong to die?
Or were we just too weak to kill it?
Every moment in that room
I closed my eyes in prayer
Every moment I awoke
I clenched my teeth in prayer
What kind of man was I?
Who would sacrify your happiness to satisfy his pride
What kind of man was I?
Who would delay your destiny to appease his tiny mind
Who could delay your destiny to appease his aching swollen pride
Who could delay your destiny to appease his screaming little mind
You're mine
Comments (64)add comment
Wonderful that he is now/soon touring and has a new album to be released in September. Fortunate that I will finally be able to see him live this Fall in Chicago.
Many years ago I started dating a girl because she was pretty and listened to The The.
Neil66 wrote:
Completely agree! This whole album is incredible. And as poignant today as ever, unfortunately.
To all the naysayers, this is best listened to as part of listening to the whole album from start to finish… I rarely listen to a single The The track, got to listen to the whole album from start to finish. Matt’s early stuff up to Mind Bomb is 10/10 for me… but then I was there too at the time…
Completely agree! This whole album is incredible. And as poignant today as ever, unfortunately.
To all the naysayers, this is best listened to as part of listening to the whole album from start to finish… I rarely listen to a single The The track, got to listen to the whole album from start to finish. Matt’s early stuff up to Mind Bomb is 10/10 for me… but then I was there too at the time…
Excellent tune from an exceptional artist
westslope wrote:
LOL! Thanks for the chuckle.
Twas funny. It was a cut n paste 12 years ago to give people who don't know The The some background.
LOL! Thanks for the chuckle.
Paul_in_Australia wrote:
LOL! Thanks for the chuckle.
Glad to see SmackDaddy is fighting against the proliferation of paragraphs that threaten the very survival of our species. Rage on!
LOL! Thanks for the chuckle.
bigtwistee wrote:
The The?
Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
Thank you for this. Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
...somehow reminds me of billy corgan at his more-whimsical...
one from the vault! wow, only on RP.
bigtwistee wrote:
just made me like this song more!
The The?
Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
just made me like this song more!The The - August & September
Badly Drawn Boy - Logic Of A Friend
Gabriel Rios - Broad Daylight
minimalistic folk pop with pedestrian vocals.
Badly Drawn Boy - Logic Of A Friend
Gabriel Rios - Broad Daylight
minimalistic folk pop with pedestrian vocals.
bigtwistee wrote: 
The The?
Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
I think he's making what you technically call 'a meal of it'
Exceedimgly so.
crap.
bigtwistee wrote:
The The?
Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
I guess you have to "be there" to enjoy crap like this. There is nothing there. Ack.
burdell wrote:
Perfection. Not one thing could possibly improve this song. (Nearly a perfect album too).
Yes, you're totally right.
Btw: I wish it'd be August now...
Quircky little tune. Like the instrumentation. Not sure about the vocals yet. A 6 for now.
Perfection. Not one thing could possibly improve this song. (Nearly a perfect album too).
No momentum whatsoever.
bigtwistee
You're a stouge
You're a stouge bigtwistee wrote:
The The?
Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
Yeah, Uncertain Smile!!!!!!!!!
An absolutely great album.
Helps recall some parts of my past that I had forgotten - this is a good thing, most of the time.
The The?
Yes.
Yes?
No, The The.
Who?
No, not The Who, The The.
The what now?
I said The The.
Who?
Screw it, Its frikkin Robbie Robertson.
Wasn't he in The Band?
Which band?
THE Band.
Yes.
No, not Yes, The Band.
Do they sing August and September?
They sing all year round.
Isn't that a book by Ann Druit?
Yes.
Crypes, nevermind.
Nirvanna?
Whats on the radio?
TV.
heyjoe3577 wrote:
And yet you seem to have remarked on it....hmmmm.
ha! lol
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Thank you, Bill! 
Hannio wrote:
What a totally unremarkable song.
And yet you seem to have remarked on it....hmmmm.
What a totally unremarkable song.
Dragonfly_Launch wrote:
This song may have made my night.
By all means keep us posted.
This song may have made my night.
Although I hate this song as it Perfectly describes my current lovelife, at the same time I've had it in my head constantly for the past few days and love it indescribably. Hmmm... I feel the exact same way about a particular person
bob789 wrote:
Did you paste all that from someplace or just have too much coffee!!
It's a redacted paste from Matt Johnson's bio on www.thethe.com. Still, maybe the caffiene did it...
not too bad
Glad to see SmackDaddy is fighting against the proliferation of paragraphs that threaten the very survival of our species. Rage on!
SmackDaddy wrote:
It is often said that Matt Johnson's absences between projects are longer than most band's entire careers. It is probably true. Through line up changes, music business battles, phases of hedonism and madness, banned works, lost albums, relationship schisms and exile, Johnson has never shied from his vocation: testifying to the dark truths of our times and exploring the inner corridors of the heart. Not a single cheap shot or easy ride. After all this time, it's starting to make sense. A fan of Dylan, Lennon, and Hank Williams, a father and a seeker, Matt Johnson is a proper, living national treasure. Although he was a couple of years too young to be hit by the full impact of UK punk his urge to make music was more a matter of inner demons than surrounding scenes. The son of publicans who used to promote gigs at their pub and in dance halls across the East End of London he grew up with John Lee Hooker, The Kinks and The Small Faces, amongst others, dropping by his parent's hostelry. He began performing in his own band, Roadstar, at the age of 11. By 17, he had placed an advertisement in the NME to recruit members to his earliest version of The The, that read ; "Influences; The Residents, Syd Barrett, Throbbing Gristle, Velvet Underground." They made their debut as a prototype electronic duo at London's Africa Centre on May 11th 1979 and began playing shows with many of the most important bands of that era such as Cabaret Voltaire, The Birthday Party, Wire, This Heat, DAF, before clawing their way onto indie labels 4AD and Some Bizarre, the former releasing a 1981 debut "Burning Blue Soul" as Matt Johnson. Within two years, Matt's nom-de-studio, TheThe would release the most critically-acclaimed album of the year, 1983's synth-noir classic "Soul Mining"on CBS records. A further three years along Johnson's journey into the heart's darkness, he'd be risking death, strapped to a metal caged chair on top of a boat on the Amazon for "Infected"" the movie. Charting the limits of the soul within a pop career, while surrounded by big business and cynical 80's music, was never going to be a smooth ride, but Johnson had a dedication that bordered on insanity. Behind the crafted heart searching on the singles collection "45 rpm " lies an epic story. Studio psychosis in New York and Hunter Thompson-style road trips with manager Stevo lie behind the recording of early singles "Uncertain Smile" and "Perfect". The mammoth 1986 "Infected" album project- which led to The The breaking through commercially with singles like "Sweet Bird Of Truth" and "Heartland" and the duet with Neneh Cherry on "Slow Train To Dawn" also saw Johnson hanging with Tom Waits in New York, and heading for personal meltdown, filming the stunt-filled, groundbreaking long form video in South America. No phase of The The's progress has been without drama to match the intensity on record. By the time of the globally railing "Mind Bomb" album of 1989 - with its banned religious war-alerting single "Armageddon Days"- Johnson was pushing engineers and producers towards nervous breakdowns while mind-surfing on meditation, grape diets and magic mushroom tea. Controversially, he recruited Irish singer/songwriter Sinead O'Connor and The Smiths' guitar ace Johnny Marr to join the band and toured the world, topping off with three wild nights at London's Royal Albert Hall. The evolution of Johnson's writing is tightly bound with his personal odyssey. The beautiful singles from 93's UK No 2 hit album "Dusk" "Love Is Stronger Than Death" and "Slow Emotion Replay" are shaded by family bereavements. Having shipped out to New York, preferring to conduct from afar his ongoing tussle with the meaning of Britishness, he pulled off a vindicatory feat, covering Hank Williams songs on 1995's "Hanky Panky" (including 45's stomping "I Saw The Light" single). It was voted one of the country albums of the year in the US. The refusal to accept that politics, economics and religion are too heavy' for mere pop music has led to many a misperception about Johnson. His acerbic insight was regularly seen as presumptuous. However, against the recent tidal wave of music as blank noise '45rpm' reveals him as a precious, threatened species. After years of being regarded as overzealous due to the desire to talk about globalisation, environmentalism and religious extremism, (both in song and interview) Johnson has entered the new century with a back catalogue of lyrics more in tune with recent events than anyone. Concerns of country and planet do not, however, dominate on '45rpm'. There is as much there about sex and city, relationships from a woman's eye view ("DecemberSunlight"). Few who recall the song from the 80s, and many who will discover it in the 2000s, will be able to resist a soul-shiver as the words from This Is The Day' touch a shared raw nerve of hope and frustration: "This is the day your life will surely change/This is the day when things fall into place". Roger Morton
SmackDaddy wrote:
It is often said that Matt Johnson's absences between projects are longer than most band's entire careers. It is probably true. Through line up changes, music business battles, phases of hedonism and madness, banned works, lost albums, relationship schisms and exile, Johnson has never shied from his vocation: testifying to the dark truths of our times and exploring the inner corridors of the heart. Not a single cheap shot or easy ride. After all this time, it's starting to make sense. A fan of Dylan, Lennon, and Hank Williams, a father and a seeker, Matt Johnson is a proper, living national treasure. Although he was a couple of years too young to be hit by the full impact of UK punk his urge to make music was more a matter of inner demons than surrounding scenes. The son of publicans who used to promote gigs at their pub and in dance halls across the East End of London he grew up with John Lee Hooker, The Kinks and The Small Faces, amongst others, dropping by his parent's hostelry. He began performing in his own band, Roadstar, at the age of 11. By 17, he had placed an advertisement in the NME to recruit members to his earliest version of The The, that read ; "Influences; The Residents, Syd Barrett, Throbbing Gristle, Velvet Underground." They made their debut as a prototype electronic duo at London's Africa Centre on May 11th 1979 and began playing shows with many of the most important bands of that era such as Cabaret Voltaire, The Birthday Party, Wire, This Heat, DAF, before clawing their way onto indie labels 4AD and Some Bizarre, the former releasing a 1981 debut "Burning Blue Soul" as Matt Johnson. Within two years, Matt's nom-de-studio, TheThe would release the most critically-acclaimed album of the year, 1983's synth-noir classic "Soul Mining"on CBS records. A further three years along Johnson's journey into the heart's darkness, he'd be risking death, strapped to a metal caged chair on top of a boat on the Amazon for "Infected"" the movie. Charting the limits of the soul within a pop career, while surrounded by big business and cynical 80's music, was never going to be a smooth ride, but Johnson had a dedication that bordered on insanity. Behind the crafted heart searching on the singles collection "45 rpm " lies an epic story. Studio psychosis in New York and Hunter Thompson-style road trips with manager Stevo lie behind the recording of early singles "Uncertain Smile" and "Perfect". The mammoth 1986 "Infected" album project- which led to The The breaking through commercially with singles like "Sweet Bird Of Truth" and "Heartland" and the duet with Neneh Cherry on "Slow Train To Dawn" also saw Johnson hanging with Tom Waits in New York, and heading for personal meltdown, filming the stunt-filled, groundbreaking long form video in South America. No phase of The The's progress has been without drama to match the intensity on record. By the time of the globally railing "Mind Bomb" album of 1989 - with its banned religious war-alerting single "Armageddon Days"- Johnson was pushing engineers and producers towards nervous breakdowns while mind-surfing on meditation, grape diets and magic mushroom tea. Controversially, he recruited Irish singer/songwriter Sinead O'Connor and The Smiths' guitar ace Johnny Marr to join the band and toured the world, topping off with three wild nights at London's Royal Albert Hall. The evolution of Johnson's writing is tightly bound with his personal odyssey. The beautiful singles from 93's UK No 2 hit album "Dusk" "Love Is Stronger Than Death" and "Slow Emotion Replay" are shaded by family bereavements. Having shipped out to New York, preferring to conduct from afar his ongoing tussle with the meaning of Britishness, he pulled off a vindicatory feat, covering Hank Williams songs on 1995's "Hanky Panky" (including 45's stomping "I Saw The Light" single). It was voted one of the country albums of the year in the US. The refusal to accept that politics, economics and religion are too heavy' for mere pop music has led to many a misperception about Johnson. His acerbic insight was regularly seen as presumptuous. However, against the recent tidal wave of music as blank noise '45rpm' reveals him as a precious, threatened species. After years of being regarded as overzealous due to the desire to talk about globalisation, environmentalism and religious extremism, (both in song and interview) Johnson has entered the new century with a back catalogue of lyrics more in tune with recent events than anyone. Concerns of country and planet do not, however, dominate on '45rpm'. There is as much there about sex and city, relationships from a woman's eye view ("DecemberSunlight"). Few who recall the song from the 80s, and many who will discover it in the 2000s, will be able to resist a soul-shiver as the words from This Is The Day' touch a shared raw nerve of hope and frustration: "This is the day your life will surely change/This is the day when things fall into place". Roger Morton
Surely the longest post ever on RP? Does Smackdaddy really think we have time to read through all that? Does he even think we care?
Great song, amazing album. 10.
Like a lot of people I originally got into The The with Soul Mining. I've bought the rest of the albums, and each was totally different than the last. Mind Bomb was the first with Johnny Marr, who helped add a new dimension. I missed the Soul Mining sound (and will never tire of that album) but loved Mind Bomb almost more, but in a completely different way.
sounds like Happy Mondays a little bit... but much better :-)
SmackDaddy wrote:
It is often said .... frustration: "This is the day your life will surely change/This is the day when things fall into place". Roger Morton
Did you paste all that from someplace or just have too much coffee!!
It is often said that Matt Johnson's absences between projects are longer than most band's entire careers. It is probably true. Through line up changes, music business battles, phases of hedonism and madness, banned works, lost albums, relationship schisms and exile, Johnson has never shied from his vocation: testifying to the dark truths of our times and exploring the inner corridors of the heart. Not a single cheap shot or easy ride. After all this time, it's starting to make sense. A fan of Dylan, Lennon, and Hank Williams, a father and a seeker, Matt Johnson is a proper, living national treasure. Although he was a couple of years too young to be hit by the full impact of UK punk his urge to make music was more a matter of inner demons than surrounding scenes. The son of publicans who used to promote gigs at their pub and in dance halls across the East End of London he grew up with John Lee Hooker, The Kinks and The Small Faces, amongst others, dropping by his parent's hostelry. He began performing in his own band, Roadstar, at the age of 11. By 17, he had placed an advertisement in the NME to recruit members to his earliest version of The The, that read ; "Influences; The Residents, Syd Barrett, Throbbing Gristle, Velvet Underground." They made their debut as a prototype electronic duo at London's Africa Centre on May 11th 1979 and began playing shows with many of the most important bands of that era such as Cabaret Voltaire, The Birthday Party, Wire, This Heat, DAF, before clawing their way onto indie labels 4AD and Some Bizarre, the former releasing a 1981 debut "Burning Blue Soul" as Matt Johnson. Within two years, Matt's nom-de-studio, TheThe would release the most critically-acclaimed album of the year, 1983's synth-noir classic "Soul Mining"on CBS records. A further three years along Johnson's journey into the heart's darkness, he'd be risking death, strapped to a metal caged chair on top of a boat on the Amazon for "Infected"" the movie. Charting the limits of the soul within a pop career, while surrounded by big business and cynical 80's music, was never going to be a smooth ride, but Johnson had a dedication that bordered on insanity. Behind the crafted heart searching on the singles collection "45 rpm " lies an epic story. Studio psychosis in New York and Hunter Thompson-style road trips with manager Stevo lie behind the recording of early singles "Uncertain Smile" and "Perfect". The mammoth 1986 "Infected" album project- which led to The The breaking through commercially with singles like "Sweet Bird Of Truth" and "Heartland" and the duet with Neneh Cherry on "Slow Train To Dawn" also saw Johnson hanging with Tom Waits in New York, and heading for personal meltdown, filming the stunt-filled, groundbreaking long form video in South America. No phase of The The's progress has been without drama to match the intensity on record. By the time of the globally railing "Mind Bomb" album of 1989 - with its banned religious war-alerting single "Armageddon Days"- Johnson was pushing engineers and producers towards nervous breakdowns while mind-surfing on meditation, grape diets and magic mushroom tea. Controversially, he recruited Irish singer/songwriter Sinead O'Connor and The Smiths' guitar ace Johnny Marr to join the band and toured the world, topping off with three wild nights at London's Royal Albert Hall. The evolution of Johnson's writing is tightly bound with his personal odyssey. The beautiful singles from 93's UK No 2 hit album "Dusk" "Love Is Stronger Than Death" and "Slow Emotion Replay" are shaded by family bereavements. Having shipped out to New York, preferring to conduct from afar his ongoing tussle with the meaning of Britishness, he pulled off a vindicatory feat, covering Hank Williams songs on 1995's "Hanky Panky" (including 45's stomping "I Saw The Light" single). It was voted one of the country albums of the year in the US. The refusal to accept that politics, economics and religion are too heavy' for mere pop music has led to many a misperception about Johnson. His acerbic insight was regularly seen as presumptuous. However, against the recent tidal wave of music as blank noise '45rpm' reveals him as a precious, threatened species. After years of being regarded as overzealous due to the desire to talk about globalisation, environmentalism and religious extremism, (both in song and interview) Johnson has entered the new century with a back catalogue of lyrics more in tune with recent events than anyone. Concerns of country and planet do not, however, dominate on '45rpm'. There is as much there about sex and city, relationships from a woman's eye view ("DecemberSunlight"). Few who recall the song from the 80s, and many who will discover it in the 2000s, will be able to resist a soul-shiver as the words from This Is The Day' touch a shared raw nerve of hope and frustration: "This is the day your life will surely change/This is the day when things fall into place". Roger Morton
outstanding, remaind me my time in LA tks RP 
This song is too interesting to just brush off as trash. Although it's not a top-rater, it is very good--aand so are the comments from the zealous fans.
Well, off to Pluto...
Good memories, good times. Fantastic!
Wonderful !!!
i dunno if there is a perfect album for me, but this is as close as it gets. Everything on it is a solid 9 or 10.
It's $10 Tuesday and just after Bill made the plug to contribute, he played this song.
How could I not contribute?
Lyrics hit my soul like a fall from heaven AND and a leap out of hell. Extraordinary.
Whoa haven't heard this song since high school.
The The, that is Matt Johnson, is, in my humble opinion, one of THE (he, he) best song writers in current pop music. All of his stuff is really solid. Solid song writing, thoughtful lyrics and his later albums are very well produced. I admit that some of his earlier work is not as approachable (burning blue soul).
First got to know this band by listening to Soul Mining. I was in the right frame of mind in those teenage years, sitting on sunny, warm afternoons cranking this album out - I felt like the music really was "soul mining."
Seen them live once in a venue that was pretty much empty - too bad for the band, great for us!
Love The The, but this is not among their better songs.
Can never get enough of The The. Easily my favorite artist.
Very odd. Sounds like a mix between Lambchop and Nick Cave to me - in a good way, that is! :D
First part is different than mind bomb album, but in a second part (What kind of man...Was I...) there's no other way: Matt Johnson is genious singer/writer....
I love that song :)
Solid. One of my favorites from Mind Bomb, and there are many. Easy 10, and that's even with the rather creepy ending.
Was our love to strong to die
Or were we just too weak to kill it?
Here I was reading reviews of Nakedself. RP read my mind.
Wonderful that he is now/soon touring and has a new album to be released in September. Fortunate that I will finally be able to see him live this Fall in Chicago.
Agreed. I have tickets for October in Atlanta. It's been approx. 25 years since i saw him last, with Johnny Marr on guitar.