Moving from one place to another, not seeing anything yet seeing everything.
In a 30 July, 1995 show, Michael said it's "about passage, it's about life...and part of life is death, and that's what this song is about."
Cheers
great song... really!
YAY ... so touring.
I should think more about my comments and avoid double-posting but... yes, about a band touring, everyone is young forever... and he gets carried away when on stage
Aye, touring. Apparently they flew from Singapore to San Sebastian (Spain) on the Monstor tour (via SLC it seems). When they arrived it was hailing and the Basque separatists were bombing the town and it was on fire in places, and the song references that chaos.
Gotta love that farfisa in the verses. Beautiful.
While I certainly agree with the common interpretation relating to travel and touring (given the context of the album and band comments) I also think there is an alternative reading possible here as well, it very well could be about a man Stipe had a crush on or relationship with...
"Here it comes" referring to the feeling of seeing him again after a long journey, this fits with the first verse.
The second verse is describing the man followed again by the chorus which describes the oncoming of the feeling Stipe gets and then the third verse is Michael talking directly to the lover.
It also sounds like in many of the live cuts of this song that Stipe changes the final chorus to "Here HE comes" but thats just my own observation
And of course a queer reading fits in with other noted homoerotic themes in REM's lyrics (see Kirk Read on Chronic Town) and the fact that Michael admitted to having multiple same sex relationships in his interview with Christopher Bollen (Interview Magazine). But then again who knows, it's Michael Stipe....he his the king of philosophical ambiguity....