The Apologist Lyrics

Lyric discussion by prozakruin 

Cover art for The Apologist lyrics by R.E.M.

I like this song, especially since I am kind of an "apologist". My friends threaten me everytime I say sorry b/c I say it so much.

@prozakruin An apologist isn't actually someone who apologises a lot; it's someone who tries to defend something — traditionally, religion — by means of (well, supposedly) logical arguments. "Apologia" in classical Greek (don't know any modern Greek, sorry) meant "verbal defence." Today the word "apologist" is more often used to mean trying to make excuses or rationalise (and not solely in reference to religion; for example, "a fascist apologist").

I'm not sure how it's intended in this song, though: they might well have made the same (not unreasonable) assumption that you did.