Chance

I think it's a personal ad or a "missed connection" on Craigslist. The song is structured to go through the days of the week (Friday bank card, Saturday slump, Sunday walk, Monday, Tuesday bloom, Wednesday grocery, Thursday cab rush), so every day of the week, this guy is seeing this other person, and he's written this down as a clue so they will recognise him.<br /> <br /> The first line, "I loaned you a phone quarter", was my first clue. "Gave" and "loaned" have the same number of syllables, so both would musically work, but R.E.M. chose "loaned", showing listeners that the speaker intends to see this other person again and get their phone quarter back.<br /> <br /> "Our block": They live close together, but they keep running into each other in other places, like the grocery store at the corner of Vine or Weaver's Park.<br /> <br /> "Said, 'I'd read the ads'/Do you?" I'm imagining this person looking at the speaker after they've run into and acknowledged each other every day of the week in the same places and saying "You know, I'd read the ads" (unspoken: if you wanted to see me again, I'd read the ads) and then just walking away. It seems so mysterious and beautiful, you know?

I agree with Avacyn completely. Chance details a series of supposed "chance meetings" that lead to an on-going romance of sorts, or at least a number of hook-ups. Avacyn is right again, when he/she says the couple live close to one another, or are staying in nearby hotels while in town temporarily. There is subtle humour in this tale, as well as a sense of urgency in the narrator's passion for the other person.