I look up, when do you see? All of you and all of me Fluorescent starry Some of them, they surprise
The bus drive, I went to write this, 4:00 a.m. This letter A field of poppies, little pearls All the boys and all the girls sweet-toothed Each and every one a little scary I said your name
I wore it like a badge of teenage film stars Hash bars, cherry mash and tinfoil tiaras Dreaming of Maria Callas Whoever she is This fame thing, I don't get it I wrap my hand in plastic to try to look through it Maybelline eyes and girl-as-boy moves I can take you far This star thing, I don't get it
I'll take you over, there I'll take you over, there Aluminum, tastes like fear Adrenaline, it pulls us near
I'll take you over It tastes like fear, there I'll take you over
Will you live to 83? Will you ever welcome me? Will you show me something that nobody else has seen? Smoke it, drink Here comes the flood Anything to thin the blood These corrosives do their magic slowly and sweet Phone, eat it, drink Just another chink Cuts and dents, they catch the light Aluminum, the weakest link
Well I don't want to disappoint you I'm not here to anoint you I would lick your feet But is that the sickest move? I wear my own crown and sadness and sorrow And who'd have thought tomorrow could be so strange? My loss, and here we go again
I'll take you over, there I'll take you over, there Aluminum, tastes like fear Adrenaline, it pulls us near
I'll take you over It tastes like fear, there I'll take you over
I Look up, and what do you see? All of you and all of me Fluorescent starry Some of them, they surprise
Well I can't look you in the eyes Seconal, spanish fly, absinthe, kerosene Cherry-flavored neck and collar I can smell the sorrow on your breath The sweat, the victory and sorrow The smell of fear, I got it
I'll take you over, there I'll take you over, there Aluminum, tastes like fear Adrenaline, it pulls us near
I'll take you over It tastes like fear, there I'll take you over
Pulls us near Tastes like fear..
Nearer, nearer over, over, over, over Yeah, look over I'll take you there, oh, yeah I'll take you there Oh, over I'll take you there Over, let me I'll take you there.. There, there, baby, yeah
I distinctly remember the November 1975 issue of Creem magazine. Someone had left a copy in study hall under a chair. And I remember it had a picture of Patti Smith, and she was terrifying-looking. She looked like Morticia Addams. And I think it was Lester Bangs or Lisa Robinson writing about punk-rock in New York and how all the other music was like watching colour movies, but this is like watching staticky black-and-white TV. And that made incredible sense to me. The PAtti Smith record, Horses came out shortly after that. And then Marquee Moon, by Television came out. And I bought the first Wire album. Those were the big influences. Their whole Zeitgeist was that anybody could do it. And I took that very literally. I read that in an interview with Patti Smith, and I thought, 'If she can sing, I can sing.' No one's ever really tied in how much I've lifted from her as a performer. Michael Stipe 1992
I think it's one of the best things I've ever written. I feel it plumbs something inside of me that I wish I could... I wanted this record to have heart. And that song maybe comes as close as anything on the record to being really real. Michael Stipe 1996
Musically, it's a folk-rock dirge. Peter Buck 1996
Have you ever been really afraid? You get a taste in your mouth - it tasted like chewing on aluminium foil. Adrenalin tastes like aluminium, and when you're really afraid, you taste it in your mouth. It's when the creature part of us completely takes over human, rational everything. Your eyes dilate. Your nuts creep up inside of you. You start breaking through your mouth. Your mouth tastes like aluminium. That's what fear tastes like. Michael Stipe 1996
Quotes collected from 'R.E.M. - In Their Own Words' by Peter Hogan
Lyrics are based on fans interpretations and are not official.
All R.E.M. originals written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.
By crazy cat (Carolin)
Besides 'Country Feedback' (live from Wiesbaden) on cd 2 'E-Bow the Letter' is my favorite on 'In Time'. 'E-Bow' is one of the best they've ever written and Patti was the perfect choice to perform this song with R.E.M.
By crazy cat (Carolin)
This is my favorite R.E.M. song after Country Feedback,and almost tying (they are quite similar). It's also one of my favorite songs ever. It's beautiful, haunting, addictive...
Thom Yorke did backing vocals live before... I almost cried then too. I cry way too much when it comes to REM.
I just can't say enough about this stellar song.
By PBS
Beautiful, intense, michael stipes lyrics- raw and phylisophical during the verse, haunting mills backing during chorus, a work of art, with a vast spectrums of emotions painted- takes your feelings on a ride confusing and conclusive- life?
By the awesomeness is upon us
I experienced the pleasure of seeing Michael and Patti perform this live...just feet away from me at a small venue in Atlanta. It was one of the most moving and meaningful concert moments of my life...wish I could have freeze-framed those few moments to pull out and experience again. I shared this experience with a dear friend who has since passed away. This song and this memory are precious to me.
