This is an incredibly moving tune. I figure it may be about wishing your life away, or finding yourself suddenly an adult with responsibilities when seemingly only yesterday you felt like a child still. "Standing too soon"? Or perhaps a loss of innocence before being mature enough to make that step.
Apparently, Michael Stipe said it's just a song about an ex-girlfriend. Peter Buck claims they were on tour in '81, and staying in a motel. He was stood at the door of his cabin during twilight and watching a group of kids play touch-football. According to Mr Buck he was so moved by it that he cried for hours, and asked Michael to capture that emotion.
Mike Mills said the feeling he wanted to capture in the song was when you're staying in a strange hotel room and it's late at night, and somewhere in the far distance, you here a train go past.
And after I heard ALL those interpretations, on VH-1 Storytellers in 1999, Michael Stipe said it was actually written by former drummer Bill Berry!!!
This is an incredibly moving tune. I figure it may be about wishing your life away, or finding yourself suddenly an adult with responsibilities when seemingly only yesterday you felt like a child still. "Standing too soon"? Or perhaps a loss of innocence before being mature enough to make that step.
Apparently, Michael Stipe said it's just a song about an ex-girlfriend. Peter Buck claims they were on tour in '81, and staying in a motel. He was stood at the door of his cabin during twilight and watching a group of kids play touch-football. According to Mr Buck he was so moved by it that he cried for hours, and asked Michael to capture that emotion.
Mike Mills said the feeling he wanted to capture in the song was when you're staying in a strange hotel room and it's late at night, and somewhere in the far distance, you here a train go past.
And after I heard ALL those interpretations, on VH-1 Storytellers in 1999, Michael Stipe said it was actually written by former drummer Bill Berry!!!
...So who knows?
@driver08uk thanks so much for telling us about the touch football game, it really helps to know this point ;););)
@driver08uk thanks so much for telling us about the touch football game, it really helps to know this point ;););)