I think the opening line - "When you greet a stranger, look at his shoes. Put your money in your shoes, put your trouble behind." - is one of the best lyrics not only on this album, not only by R.E.M., but ever written. The whole song is haunting yet strangely beautiful, along with many of the other tracks on this album. I think of it as the real conclusion to the Fables album, with "Wendell Gee" being the epilogue. What a great, great song. I wish R.E.M. still wrote songs this good. They'll never be able to top their peak again, and as far as songwriting goes, Fables was their peak. That being said, I still think Murmur was their best overall, but my favorite changes constantly. I love early R.E.M. The R.E.M. that existed between the years of 1980 and 1987 was the best band ever, in my opinion. Suck it, Beatles.
I think the opening line - "When you greet a stranger, look at his shoes. Put your money in your shoes, put your trouble behind." - is one of the best lyrics not only on this album, not only by R.E.M., but ever written. The whole song is haunting yet strangely beautiful, along with many of the other tracks on this album. I think of it as the real conclusion to the Fables album, with "Wendell Gee" being the epilogue. What a great, great song. I wish R.E.M. still wrote songs this good. They'll never be able to top their peak again, and as far as songwriting goes, Fables was their peak. That being said, I still think Murmur was their best overall, but my favorite changes constantly. I love early R.E.M. The R.E.M. that existed between the years of 1980 and 1987 was the best band ever, in my opinion. Suck it, Beatles.