R.E.M. – Ignoreland

"Ignoreland" as written by and Peter Buck Bill Berry....
These bastards stole their power
From the victims of the Us v Them years
Wrecking all things virtuous and true
The undermining social democratic downhill slide into abysmal
Lost lamb off the precipice into the trickle down runoff pool
They hypnotized the summer, ninteen-seventy-nine
Marched into the capital brooding duplicitous
Wicked and able, media-ready
Heartless, and labeled
Super US citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing, relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah

The information nation took their
Clues from all the sound-bite gluttons
1980, eighty four, eighty eight, ninety two too, too
How to be what you can be
Jump jam junking your energies
How to walk in dignity with throw up on your shoes
They amplified the autumn, ninteen-seventy-nine
Calculate the capital
Up the republic my skinny ass
TV tells a million lies
The paper's terrified to report
Anything that isn't handed on a presidential spoon
I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this
So, fuck you, man (fuck 'em)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland

If they weren't there we would have created them
Maybe, it's true
But I'm resentful all the same
Someone's got to take the blame
I know that this is vitriol
No solution, spleen-venting
But I feel better having screamed
Don't you?
They desecrated winter, ninteen-seventy-nine
Capital collateral
Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready
Heartless, and labeled

Super US citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing, relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland

Yeah, yeah, yeah
I did not do the revolution
Thank you


Lyrics submitted by shut, edited by daniel1105

"Ignoreland" as written by Peter Buck Bill Berry

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

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Ignoreland song meanings
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19 Comments

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  • +1
    General CommentTrue, it's an anti-Republican song. Musically, it almost sounds like something off Billy Joel's _The Nylon Curtain_. Also, I may note that this album (_Automatic for the People_) was released on October 6, 1992, before the presidential election; Stipe didn't know that Bush would lose a month later.
    suckmykisson September 21, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI love this song. It's such an underrated track. Whenever I'm pissed, I throw on this CD and sing all the words at the top of my lungs... because really... can't all of our problems be blamed on the goverment, in the end? :3
    themopo976on August 02, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI'm surprised. This is NOT an anti-republican song. "the undermining social democratic slide into abysmal..." is a clear reference to trotskyist ideology (many trotskyists/ex trotskyists supported reagan in the neoconservative movement).

    This song is about neoconservatism taking a hold of the USA. "1992 too" shows that they also regard clinton as a neoconservative, perhaps accurately.
    DeanFSon February 21, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Commentdon't overreach on this one people: this is as obvious an anti-military, anti-republican, anti-hater song if there ever was one. And when you sing it, shout it. Yell it. Scream it. This song, more so than just about any other song in the REM catalogue, (perhaps Circus Envy) is as angry and as defiant as ANY protest song ever written by ANY band. Not about Reagan/Republicanism/GOP? Are you kidding me? THAT"S WHAT IT IS EXACTLY ABOUT!

    I succinctly remember, as if it were yesterday, driving in my car to the local polling station the night of the 1992 pUS presidential election (Bush I, Clinton and Perot.) At the time I was a bit of a fence sitter and hadn't yet really decided who I was going to vote for. And I swear, as I drove in my car, listening to Automatic For the People and this song, I knew exactly which candidate I would NOT be voting for that evening. Yeah! Yeah! yeah! Yeah! ignoreland!
    peacefrogxon October 09, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General CommentThis song is a big "fuck you" to propaganda and media trying to create revolutions. I like it a lot.
    Low Feedbackon September 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General CommentIt's about how people mindlessly follow propoganda in the media, and how the Republicans manipulated the media so people would all like Ronald Reagan.
    Relinquo1on April 17, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General CommentIf they weren't there we would have created them. Maybe, it's true,
    but I'm resentful all the same. Someone's got to take the blame.
    I know that this is vitriol. No solution, spleen-venting,
    But I feel better having screamed. Don't you?

    Doesn't that all just sum it up?

    Once again, still relevant today. The amazing part is that we keep letting the stupid people in America vote, and as long as we do that, we're going to keep seeing this crap happen again and again. Of course, I suppose one could argue that if we didn't, it wouldn't be a democracy. Ah well...

    Can we at least do an intelligence test for our elected officials? Prevent them from running? Or make Clinton king?
    ncc74656mon January 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI never knew the lyrics to this until I read it. He says everything so quickly. Now I always listen for the line with "presidential spoon." I don't know why but there is something about that line that stands out to me.
    drew29on February 05, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentHonestly, this song may not have as much importance to me as it does others, because I'm a child of the 90's...however, I was actually under the impression that atleast part of the song was referring to the hostage crisis in Tehran in 1979. But again, I could be missing the whole meaning of the song due to my age and not having experienced that political climate first hand. Either way, I still love the song. ^^
    rhithedwarfon March 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment-"victims of the us v. them years"=the "Reagan Democrats" who were supposedly turned off by the activism of the 60's and 70's.
    -I always felt like the "defense" repetitions were reminiscent of a crowd chant at a sporting event. Stipe is saying that we now treat politics as a game or a sport rather than take it as seriously as we should.
    -"throw up on your shoes"=GHW Bush throwing up on the Japanese prime minister.
    dontkillwhiteyon May 09, 2007   Link

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