R.E.M. — Final Straw
Album: Around The SunAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 722
Length: 4:03
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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As I raise my head to broadcast my objection
As your latest triumph draws the final straw
Who died and lifted you up to perfection?
And what silenced me is written into law.
I can't believe where circumstance has thrown me
And I turn my head away
If I look I'm not sure that I could face you.
Not again. not today. not today.
If hatred makes a play on me tomorrow
And forgiveness takes a back seat to revenge
There's a hurt down deep that has not been corrected.
There's a voice in me that says you will not win.
And if I ignore the voice inside,
Raise a half glass to my home.
But it's there that I am most afraid,
And forgetting doesn't hold. it doesn't hold.
Now I don't believe and I never did
That two wrongs make a right.
If the world were filled with the likes of you
Then I'm putting up a fight. I'm putting up a fight.
Putting up a fight. make it right. make it right.
Now love cannot be called into question.
Forgiveness is the only hope I hold.
And love- love will be my strongest weapon.
I do believe that I am not alone.
For this fear will not destroy me.
And the tears that have been shed
It's knowing now where I am weakest
And the voice in my head. in my head.
Then I raise my voice up higher
And I look you in the eye
And I offer love with one condition.
With conviction, tell me why.
Tell me why.
Tell me why.
Look me in the eye.
Tell me why.
As your latest triumph draws the final straw
Who died and lifted you up to perfection?
And what silenced me is written into law.
I can't believe where circumstance has thrown me
And I turn my head away
If I look I'm not sure that I could face you.
Not again. not today. not today.
If hatred makes a play on me tomorrow
And forgiveness takes a back seat to revenge
There's a hurt down deep that has not been corrected.
There's a voice in me that says you will not win.
And if I ignore the voice inside,
Raise a half glass to my home.
But it's there that I am most afraid,
And forgetting doesn't hold. it doesn't hold.
Now I don't believe and I never did
That two wrongs make a right.
If the world were filled with the likes of you
Then I'm putting up a fight. I'm putting up a fight.
Putting up a fight. make it right. make it right.
Now love cannot be called into question.
Forgiveness is the only hope I hold.
And love- love will be my strongest weapon.
I do believe that I am not alone.
For this fear will not destroy me.
And the tears that have been shed
It's knowing now where I am weakest
And the voice in my head. in my head.
Then I raise my voice up higher
And I look you in the eye
And I offer love with one condition.
With conviction, tell me why.
Tell me why.
Tell me why.
Look me in the eye.
Tell me why.
Comments (23)add comment
To be honest I don't like REM and I think there are lots of new bands out there which are more worth to listen to.
But hey - thanks again for the Skip-Button.
But hey - thanks again for the Skip-Button.
aspicer wrote:
Agree with you, two years later.
Today, right now, 10:45 CST, 3/3/2022, this song resonates in a way Mr. Stipe couldn't have imagined in 2004. Wow.
Peace,
c.
WOW - can't believe I've never heard this till now...?! Totally missed this album. Powerful tune and certainly a great message for our mess today.
Today, right now, 10:45 CST, 3/3/2022, this song resonates in a way Mr. Stipe couldn't have imagined in 2004. Wow.
Peace,
c.
tinypriest wrote:
Clearly you are unnecessarily overthinking this.
How about just enjoying the music?
Man, this is the problem with R.E.M. Drama larded over a piano book of "5 Easy Pieces". Have they ever played a minor-7th?
I've always imagined a self-made man looking at them as posers and asking them, "What are you really all about"?, and getting no response.
Extrospection without an inner life.
Conviction without constituency.
Belief without commitment.
R.E.M.
Clearly you are unnecessarily overthinking this.
How about just enjoying the music?
Man, this is the problem with R.E.M. Drama larded over a piano book of "5 Easy Pieces". Have they ever played a minor-7th?
I've always imagined a self-made man looking at them as posers and asking them, "What are you really all about"?, and getting no response.
Extrospection without an inner life.
Conviction without constituency.
Belief without commitment.
R.E.M.
I've always imagined a self-made man looking at them as posers and asking them, "What are you really all about"?, and getting no response.
Extrospection without an inner life.
Conviction without constituency.
Belief without commitment.
R.E.M.
Reviews of this album are not very good. However I find it most enjoyable. Less sugar coated than much of their stuff. And it really grows on you... kinda like long fuzzy beards do.
WOW - can't believe I've never heard this till now...?! Totally missed this album. Powerful tune and certainly a great message for our mess today.
Fat_Man_Flo wrote:
gotta love that feelin', a few i got that off of that i can remember so clearly are lou reed - perfect day, dave matthews - gravedigger, and low and behold REM's 'everybody hurts'
nice set btw. nick drake - radiohead - REM. they work well together IMHO (edit: and then into brother in arms. love this place 
That's incredible!
If Bill actually goes into DS...
I was thinking this sounds like DS--creepy, in a cool way!
EDIT:
Yup, he did, and it does.
*bow*
Ahhh, REM as they should sound. Quality stuff.
Currently an 8, but potential to grow to 9
wpalladin wrote:
By some horrible stroke of fate, I'd not heard "Final Straw" until now.
It gave me that wonderful shivery feeling that I rarely experience.
gotta love that feelin', a few i got that off of that i can remember so clearly are lou reed - perfect day, dave matthews - gravedigger, and low and behold REM's 'everybody hurts'
nice set btw. nick drake - radiohead - REM. they work well together IMHO (edit: and then into brother in arms. love this place
Dig it. I like this CD much better than other's they've put out, like Monster.
By some horrible stroke of fate, I'd not heard "Final Straw" until now.
It gave me that wonderful shivery feeling that I rarely experience.
The version downloadable from the R.E.M. headquarter site about a year ago (or more? please correct me ...) was quite a bit better -- more voluminal depth. Still, I like it and I was disappointed that R.E.M. didn't ever (ok, once!) play it on their 2004 Europe tour.
Rickvee wrote:
Listening to this song makes me wish Stipe's vocals were still as unintelligible as they were on Murmur. Having grown up on R.E.M. it just sounds strange to me to hear Stipe enunciate this clearly.
He is making a very big point in this song. When they play it live they even have a screen with the words appearing as they are sung - I think the message is extremely important - so long may he enunciate these words!
Listening to this song makes me wish Stipe's vocals were still as unintelligible as they were on Murmur. Having grown up on R.E.M. it just sounds strange to me to hear Stipe enunciate this clearly.
geavis wrote:
Best REM song I've heard in a while. Sounds like he's ripping on Dumbya for acting in his holier-than-thou manner.
that's just what he's doin' and more power to him! :o
zaknafein wrote:
More than sounds like -- it is.
One of the better songs off the album.
Overall, a disappointing album. However, this is a great song.
geavis wrote:
Best REM song I've heard in a while. Sounds like he's ripping on Dumbya for acting in his holier-than-thou manner.
More than sounds like -- it is.
One of the better songs off the album.
Dais wrote:
I kinda like it...
Yes, that was exactly what I was thinking.
Best REM song I've heard in a while. Sounds like he's ripping on Dumbya for acting in his holier-than-thou manner.
I kinda like it...
Ooh! Ooh! First comment!.....................................
I got nuthin'
Prescient