Well, I was 17 when this song was released and hit the Top 40. I have ALWAYS heard it was a "hate" song. In particular, Stipe was singing it to a former (male) lover.
Imagine that the chorus has the unspoken lines "Ready, Aim..." before he sings "Fire!"
The song is about being tormented by a duplicitous ex-lover who you wished you could see at the receiving end of a firing line. Alanis Morrisette eat your heart out.
Well, I was 17 when this song was released and hit the Top 40. I have ALWAYS heard it was a "hate" song. In particular, Stipe was singing it to a former (male) lover. Imagine that the chorus has the unspoken lines "Ready, Aim..." before he sings "Fire!" The song is about being tormented by a duplicitous ex-lover who you wished you could see at the receiving end of a firing line. Alanis Morrisette eat your heart out.