I will try not to breathe
I can hold my head still with my hands at my knees
These eyes are the eyes of the old, shiver and fold
I will try not to breathe
This decision is mine
I have lived a full life
And these are the eyes that I want you to remember, oh
I need something to fly over my grave again
I need something to breathe
I will try not to burden you
I can hold these inside
I will hold my breath
Until all these shivers subside
Just look in my eyes
I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me
I shudder to breathe
I want you to remember, oh (you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver? (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to breathe, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me
Don't dare me to breathe
I want you to remember oh (you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver now? (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
(I have seen things you will never see)
I want you to remember
I can hold my head still with my hands at my knees
These eyes are the eyes of the old, shiver and fold
I will try not to breathe
This decision is mine
I have lived a full life
And these are the eyes that I want you to remember, oh
I need something to fly over my grave again
I need something to breathe
I will try not to burden you
I can hold these inside
I will hold my breath
Until all these shivers subside
Just look in my eyes
I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me
I shudder to breathe
I want you to remember, oh (you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver? (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to breathe, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me
Don't dare me to breathe
I want you to remember oh (you will never see)
I need something to fly (something to fly)
Over my grave again (you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver now? (I will see things you will never see)
I need something to breathe (something to breathe)
(I have seen things you will never see)
I want you to remember
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Unlike most of the people who have already set down what they think this song is about, I do not see the speaker as being a woman- maybe because the singer is a male, I don't know. What I do know is that I do not see the song as being about suicide either. It's about someone dying of old age, lying on their deathebed, telling their family not to worry when they die because "I have lived a full life, I have seen things that you will never see." Basically, it's his/her time, and though the family is sad, they know he's content to die, which comforts them a bit.
"I have seen things that you will never see": I don't interpret this as terrible things, necessarily. To me this just reflects that since the speaker is older than the people she is addressing, she has lived parts of history that they will only read about and has had experiences that are no longer possible for the current generations because things have changed.
For some reason I also pictured the speaker as a woman; no idea why.
michael did write a song about him; it was on the follow up 'monster' one that's called 'let me in' if I can remember well.
and not that it matters so much to relate those 2 events together I beleive but Kurt killed himself on April 5th 94.
and adding to that regarding the humanity and beauty that vehiculates rem's music I don't think any song by this band could ever get a reasonably sone person to commit suicide....
so anyway this is a beautiful track, the melodies, and the words but as far as the things I've read here they seem pretty restricted in their analysis, just wanting to to see a song being about this r that. what''s the point? to me even if it could be just as plain and simple ( pointless) versions like those are just a lil too litteral
making straight depictions and simplifying the all thing to some chosen subject couldn't be the best way to look at a piece of 'poetical' lyrics.
even more so when it comes to lyrics like those.
espacially when you know Stipe usual tricky type of lyrics and used to play with many emotional images through words.
it's always easier then it seems, many lines taken apart and isolated from the rest may give this or that hint, but plain deduction to decide this is about suicide instead of trying to get the emotion behind, just a human thought, the desire to leave before the decay. to not make suffer anyne you love. (everybody hurts)
to reach for something beyond, and leave all pain and disapointements behind.