R.E.M. - Disturbance At The Heron House Lyrics

Sounds to me like College radio late 80s Sunday night alternative MTV Taking Chances type music. And was here and then it was gone for five seconds like the Summer of Love

They tried to tell something we didn't know

Call-to-arms guitar creativity. Inspirational.

"Cocaine in the monument...in the heroin house"

Still sounds as good as ever ❤️❤️❤️

I saw them in 86 when this album came out. Back when Stipe had hair. He spun like a dervish. Tres Cool

The best song on Document

Stipe was known for being cryptic and mumbling the lyrics at this point in the band's history. I read an interview with him at the time, and the question about this came up. He replied that he's often cornered by fans who thank him for such meaningful words, and they quote lines from the songs--often not the correct lyrics. Stipe said the words they *think* they're hearing are usually a lot better than the actual lyrics.

Yep. That's why they called their first album Murmur.

Kaos out of control....love it

Berry Buck Mills Stipe

Who knows why, but yes!

Along with Cuyahoga and Laughing, one of the best album tracks of the IRS Era.

about populism and fascism.

they all excel at their craft individually in this song. bill's drums, peter's signature guitar sound, mike's background vocals and michael's vague yet spot on social commentary. in a time when few did, rem actually gave a shit about quality.

when feeding time has come and gone they'll lose their heart and head for home, sound like today's protests

Quite melodic stuff

Such an underrated drum track. BB absolutely destroys this song

Perfect

nice Get Smart referencing here

KAOS out of Control

cogs and grunts and hirelings

I enjoy REM's songs very much. But let's face it - they are mostly just a jumble of unrelated phrases, each one catchy, without any underlying overall meaning.
Still fun.

I used to believe that too. USED to.

You are an arsehole. They were political comments of the time still valid today. Down trump and Bojo.

Yes! Haven't heard this one in ages, thanks for uploading <3

1:31 I always thought I was hearing: "the cocaine man..."

Beating up the free and simple.....bad ass line.These guys saved rock n roll in the eighties,and they won't even admit to it.Saw them in 83,89,and 2003.They just kept getting better.....humble real,artists.

"meeting of the green and simple"

R.E.M. at their pinnacle !!!

I agree. They were an awesome band up to that time. And then big, corporate money killed another great band. Sniff sniff...

And I'm a junior in college again. 1987

Me, too! What gerat music!

AthLib666 oh yeah...

I was a sophomore at UMass

great times !!! univ. of tennessee. they played a bar on our strip end of july '84. my best friend, in clement dorm, heard a new band from athens was gonna play, & he went down & caught the show !! he said they were a really good band, so he bought their tape, reckoning, & turned me on to 'em over beer & "late nite w/ david letterman", in early october. they became my favorite band. loved that song "time after time" !!

@Matt W. Reckoning and Fables of the Reconstruction were monster albums too, as well as their debut album.

This is when they were good, they are total fucing shit now

They are not a band anymore now. They retired. D'oh

only the boilerheads caan help us after thru these trying times after 911

Does anyone else love this shit?

Man I'm sorry to tell you that it's very unlikely you'll find any REM fans here

@Brian to each their own

President Trump RULES! you commies SUCK! go fucking die

He barely governs. If he tries to rule, then we're really in trouble.

Did they credit Television's "Glory"?

Great hook

this whole album rules

You know it, man!

my opinion,,,,one of their top 3 songs they ever wrote. night swimming too

This song might be Stipe complaining about the idea of letting the insane and uneducated (the followers of chaos out of control) participate in the democratic process. In other words it's about american election 2016. This is suggested by the "everyone allowed" at the end of the song.

good coffee drinking song

Document. As relevant today in the times of Trump then ever before. If ever the world needed a voice as strong as REM, it's now. Let's rise up and re-engage.

yes! it's time to rearrange and exhume McCarthy.

I'm with you!  Lets go!

@Stoplight 25 Let's NOT. I don't think you realize that REM is a democratic band -- and that McCarthy was a paranoid asshole republican who ruined many lives and careers based on NOTHING. Or maybe you DO know...

This song brings me back to another time and place. And that's a good thing.

Way ahead of their time and look what is happening now

Cannot stop listening to this song. ‘The followers of chaos, out of control.’

Sometimes it is good.

This is one of the best songs ever written.

It is....it really is.

Can't agree more.

"The followers of chaos out of control"

He must have been talking about the criminal neocons...

absolutely. the whole song is about it. the whole album, in fact. :-)

tarheel8494 , oh yeah, Document is a brilliant album and this is the best song on it!

Really do prefer the MTV Unplugged version....much better melody.

I love how cryptic these lyrics are.  What does it all MEAN, man?

I always took it to be about interventionist US foreign policy in central america. But maybe that is also because of 'Welcome to the Occupation'.

I always took it to be a commentary specifically the way the press IDOLIZED the "Athens Scene" after REM got real big. It's hard to remember how in the late 80s, before "The Seattle Scene" rock journalists were tripping over each other in Athens, Georgia looking for the "Next REM". I love the other interpretations also.

@Earl Higgins The B52s were the original Athens band and helped REM in the early 80s. Love Tractor and Mitch Easter's Let's Active were Athens products too, so attention was brought to the Athens scene in the late 70s and early 80s. As a side note, this was when marketing experimented with a new classification that has long been forgotten: Country Punk. And REM was a part of that movement, but the classification did not stick.

Kevin Matthews you’re right- I knew it as Cow Punk

@Amy Right on! I remember that label as well. Jason and the Scorchers were a great C-Punk back then to, it comes to mind.

At early morrrrrrrrning predawn then the followwwwwwwwwwwers of chaoooooooooooos, out of controoooooooool