In 1988, Michael Stipe said that he thought this song was a "real simple narrative"! He also called it "violent and brutal" but so folded-in on itself that people would only pick this up as a general gut-feeling. Later he claimed that it was a rewriting of the "Anne Frank Diaries", though I'm not sure if that helps us understand the meaning.
Other band members seemed to think that a "harborcoat" was some sort of metaphorical, perhaps emotional, protection, but Peter Buck later admitted that he had no idea what the song was really about.
In 1988, Michael Stipe said that he thought this song was a "real simple narrative"! He also called it "violent and brutal" but so folded-in on itself that people would only pick this up as a general gut-feeling. Later he claimed that it was a rewriting of the "Anne Frank Diaries", though I'm not sure if that helps us understand the meaning.
Other band members seemed to think that a "harborcoat" was some sort of metaphorical, perhaps emotional, protection, but Peter Buck later admitted that he had no idea what the song was really about.