R.E.M. - At My Most Beautiful

I’ve found a way…to make you,

I’ve found a way,

A way…to make you smile.

I read bad poetry

Into your machine.

I save your messages

Just to hear your voice.

You always listen carefully

To awkward rhymes.

You always say your name,

Like I wouldn’t know it’s you.

At your most beautiful.

I’ve found a way to make you,

I’ve found a way…

A way to make you smile.

At my most beautiful.

I count your eyelashes, secretly.

With every one, whisper, “I love you”.

I let you sleep.

I know your closed eye watching me

Listening,

I thought I saw a smile.

I’ve found a way to make you,

I’ve found a way,

A way to make you smile.

R.E.M. - Hope

You want to go out Friday
And you want to go forever
You know that it sounds childish
That you dreamt of alligators
You hope that we are with you
And you hope you're recognized
You want to go forever
You see it in my eyes
I'm lost in the confusion
And it doesn't seem to matter
You really can't believe it
And you hope it's getting better

You want to trust the doctors
Their procedure is the best
But the last try was a failure
And the intern was a mess
And they did the same to Matthew
And he bled 'til Sunday night
They're saying don't be frightened
But you're weakened by the sight of it
You lock into a pattern
And you know that it's the last ditch
You're trying to see through it
And it doesn't make sense
But they're saying don't be frightened
And they're killing alligators
And they're hog-tied
And accepting of the struggle

You want to trust religion
And you know it's allegory
But the people who are followers
Have written their own story
So you look up to the heavens
And you hope that it's a spaceship
And it's something from your childhood
You're thinking don't be frightened

You want to climb the ladder
You want to see forever
You want to go out Friday
And you want to go forever
And you want to cross your DNA
To cross your DNA with something reptile

And you're questioning the sciences
And questioning religion
You're looking like an idiot
And you no longer care
And you want to bridge the schism,
A built-in mechanism to protect you
And you're looking for salvation
And you're looking for deliverance
You're looking like an idiot
And you no longer care
'Cause you want to climb the ladder
You want to go forever
And you want to go out Friday
You want to go forever

R.E.M. - Walk Unafraid

As the sun comes up, as the moon goes down
These heavy notions creep around
It makes me think, long ago
I was brought into this life a little lamb
A little lamb
Courageous, stumbling
Fearless was my middle name.
But somewhere there I lost my way
Everyone walks the same
Expecting me to step
The narrow path they've laid
They claim to
Walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love or leave me high.

Say "keep within the boundaries if you want to play."
Say "contradiction only makes it harder."
How can I be
What I want To be?
When all I want to do is strip away
These stilled constraints
And crush this charade
Shred this sad masquerade
I don't need no persuading
I'll trip, fall, pick myself up and
Walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love or leave me high.

If I have a bag of rocks to carry as I go
I just want to hold my head up high
I don't care what I have to step over
I'm prepared to look you in the eye
Look me in the eye
And if you see familiarity
Then celebrate the contradiction
Help me when I fall to
Walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love or leave me high.
Walk unafraid
I'll be clumsy instead
Hold my love or leave me high.

R.E.M. - Why Not Smile

The concrete broke your fall
To hear you speak of it
I'd have done anything
I would do anything
I feel like a cartoon brick wall
To hear you speak of it
You've been so sad
It makes me worry
Why not smile?
You've been sad for a while.
Why not smile?

I would do anything
To hear you speak of it.
Why not smile?
You've been sad for a while.
You've been sad for a while.