R.E.M. – Nightswimming

"Nightswimming" as written by and Peter Buck Bill Berry....
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago
Turned around backwards so the windshield shows
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse
Still, it's so much clearer
I forgot my shirt at the water's edge
The moon is low tonight

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night
I'm not sure all these people understand
It's not like years ago
The fear of getting caught
Of recklessness and water
They cannot see me naked
These things, they go away
Replaced by everyday

Nightswimming, remembering that night
September's coming soon
I'm pining for the moon
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming

You, I thought I knew you
You I cannot judge
You, I thought you knew me
This one laughing quietly underneath my breath
Nightswimming

The photograph reflects, every streetlight a reminder
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night, deserves a quiet night


Lyrics submitted by Novartza

"Nightswimming" as written by Peter Buck Bill Berry

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group

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Nightswimming song meanings
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82 Comments

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  • +6
    My InterpretationThis song is about memories, lost love, lost youth, shadows and light, warmth and water on a moonlit night. Water is where we came from. To go back to it, naked, at night, is like going home. Many are the reckless kids who have gone skinny dipping. The lyrics remind us of risks taken and perhaps regrets of some actions we didn't take. Simply a gorgeous song, quite sad, but also a reminder about how beautiful (and fleeting) life is.
    almondgirrlon March 27, 2012   Link
  • +5
    General CommentSportcarder I think you're definitely reading into that too much. I think its way simpler than that. It's just describing a summer night, swimming with friends and treasuring that night together, looking back at the memories. September coming soon means summer is almost over and soon school will start. It might even be referring to college, in which case they'd be saying goodbye soon.
    narsilon April 17, 2002   Link
  • +4
    General CommentThis song is wicked beautiful. What I get out of the song is that there's someone who is driving around and is reflecting upon his growing up, and the nightswimming, which represents that innocence. The photograph is a reminder of that innocence in that sense. And the streetlights keep flashing, showing the picture. Kind of like how the mind works. I think the person is also reflecting upon a friend or so, whom might be in the picture with him and the person thinks that maybe they really didn't know each other. But what do I know?
    TasChiBandGirlon October 06, 2002   Link
  • +4
    General CommentI used to listen to this song driving around as a little kid with my dad all the time. its funny that now i listen to this song and think about those times While this song is about reflecting on the past in a sence.
    ralph2869on October 13, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General CommentRalph, I had to look at your profile after you said "as a little kid". It just doesn't seem that long ago to me. But I went to my first REM concert the year you were born. :)
    SMUSER17000412on October 16, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Commenti miss you all so damn much
    Dead$yon June 10, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Commenti may be way off here but i think this song is about michaels homosexuality,nightswimming being the term he uses for "cruising".Several people have mentioned skinny dipping but take this as a metaphor for unprotected sex add that to the discovery of aids in the 80s and the line "it's not like years ago,the fear of getting caught " makes alot more sense.
    People need to give Stipe more credit than just saying its about a nice warm night going skinny dipping,he's way cleverer than that.
    blue_meanieon June 16, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Commentblue_meanie I agree it's a wistful rememberance of cruising in his youth, and "I forgot my shirt" and "recklessness" a reference to unprotected sex in the era before AIDS. It's why 'nightswimming' deserves a quiet night, somewhere away from the crowds for "fear of getting caught". The photo on the dashboard, illiminated by streetligts, shows him his younger self, causing him to remember his youth; "september's coming soon" is an acknowledgement that he's approaching middle-age.
    Paegaon August 24, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General CommentWell, sportcarder said it:

    Nightswimming, remembering that night.
    September's coming soon.
    I'm pining for the moon.
    And what if there were two
    Side by side in orbit
    Around the fairest sun?
    That bright, tight forever drum
    could not describe nightswimming.

    Tragedy of Orion (the Hunter): killed by his lover Artemus when she couldn't see him swimming at night.

    September is coming soon (moon is in Virgo, August), time for tradedy of Orion.

    Japanese version of Orion is a constellation that forms a drum....the bright, tight forever drum.

    So while this song has to do with a sadness of an innocence of summer nightswimming lost, it cannot compare to the tragedy of Orion (e.g., it could not describe Nightswimming).

    Check out .gol.com/users/stever/… for the Japanese take on Orion as a drum.
    marcevanon November 20, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General CommentNightswimming deserves a quiet night.
    I'm not sure all these people understand.
    It's not like years ago,
    The fear of getting caught,
    of recklessness and water.
    They cannot see me naked.
    These things, they go away,
    replaced by everyday Nightswimming,

    I always thought this was talking about how nightswimming/sex used to be meaningful, rare and exciting. something you only did with someone you really trusted. But now everyone does it with everybody and noone really cares who sees them or knows about it. He's sort of lamenting how something that was so precious to him now seems commonplace.
    smallgirlon June 24, 2008   Link

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