Man-Sized Wreath Lyrics
A pageantry of empty gestures all lined up for me - wow!
I'd have thought by now we would be ready to proceed
But a tearful hymn to tug the heart
And a man-sized wreath - ow!
Throw it in the air
Kick it out on the dance-floor like you just don't care, oh
Give me the sound
A motorcade up benign shows the people that you care - ow!
Nature abhors a vacuum but what's between your ears?
Your judgement clouded with fearful thoughts
A headlights and a deer - ow!
Throw it in the air
Kick it out on the dance-floor like you just don't care
Look at what I've found
Everybody look around
Everybody looking like they just don't care, oh
Give me the sound
But a tearful hymn to tug the heart
And a man-sized wreath-ow!
Throw it in the air
Kick it out on the dance-floor like you just don't care
Look at what I've found
Everybody look around
Everybody looking like they just don't care
Throw it in the air
Kick it out on the dance-floor like you just don't care, oh
Give me the sound
Give me the sound
Give me the sound
cool. 1st.
This song just mocks the sh*t out of George Bush. I think the reference of a "man-sized wreath" is akin to the floral arrangements found at a funeral. And ol' GW is surely has the personna of a dead-man walking threough the dying days of his final term.
Also, to this point, I thinkStipe's refrain of "owww" or "wowww" after each stanza is like someone putting down or making a joke at some one else's expense and then self-mockingly saying "OW" after each of his jokes/putdowns. It's friggin' awesome.
I really really think that Stipe has a ton of contempt for the hypocritical bastard and this entire song, along with several others off of accelerate, continuously hammer home this theme (including Living Well is the best revenge's line "you're nothing but a footnote."
You go Michael. We are indeed the children of the choir.
Well according to Q magazine its about the government blocking protests whilst MLKs widows was addressing a crowd. i take the first verse to mean that the state of things should have improved since the Reagan years and yet America still has a right wing regime. 'the empty gestures' are probably referring to Bush's appearance wth civil rights activists for example; he wants to be seen with them but otherwise has done nothing to try and improve the problems with poverty or racial inequality
You watch the new video for this song (look on Youtube), and you get a sense it has to do with everything wrong with this country today.
-The limos in the video: The government in general -Limos hitting people: The gov't doesn't care about you -Limos stopping in front of the guy: China, specifially the Tieneman Square Fiasco (And we still do everything with them) -Limos crashing through and destroying the forest, then the smokestacks: Destroy/pollute the environment, the feds (republicans mainly) support it, w/ the oil industry -"Kick it out on the dancefloor like you just don't care": We don't care/are too ignorant to notice any of this -Camera w/ "You're being watched" sign in the video: The federal wiretapping and spying in general -The limos crashing into the guy and getting blown up: We gotta stop all of this crap
That's what I get from the video anyhow, and how it relates to the song. I could be wrong w/ any of this though
I forgot one thing:
The three block-figures w/ suits and ties in the video on the screens: Top Corporate/Government people "getting rid" of the issues at hand, mainly the oil industry again, since it shows the block-guys dancing in front of oil wells at the end
I agree with Peace Frog, but I think the Man-Sized Wreath represents all of the brave soldiers who have died for this country and how they attempt to distract attention.