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Houston Lyrics

If the storm doesn't kill me the government will
I've got to get that out of my head
It's a new day today and the coffee is strong
I've finally got some rest

So a man's put to task and challenges
I was taught to hold my head high
Collect what is mine,
Make the best of what today has

Houston is filled with promise
Laredo is a beautiful place
Galveston sings like that song that I loved
Its meaning has not been erased

And so there are claims forgiven
And so there are things that are gone

Houston is filled with promise
Laredo is a beautiful place
Galveston sings like that song that I loved
Its meaning has not been erased

And some things, they fall to the wayside
Their memory is yet to be still
Belief has not filled me
And so I am put to the test
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Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

Katrina

Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

I know Stipe said at the gigs from round this era that it's to do with Katrina and how he's sick of politicians telling him what to fear when he should be the one to decide.

However, I've always viewed this song as one which puts aside politicial beliefs to focus on the disaster and the help dished out to save people.

"If the storm doesn't kill me, the government will, I've got to get that out of my head" is like someone who thinks the government is conspiring against them but decides to leave it be when they see what is being done for them in terms of aid. Sort of 'maybe the government isn't that bad after all'.

"And so there are claims forgiven, and so there are things that are gone" - first line seems to put aside differences in political opinion, second line seems to acknowledge Hurricane Katrina has destroyed the landscape.

Also, "and some things fall to the wayside" could have that same political bent to them.

So it's not necessarily a 'I forgive the government' song but perhaps a song where political opinion is put to the side and how people can come together in times of harrowing disaster like this. After that it's back to the different ideals clashing.

Simon :)

Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

Yup, pretty evident right from the first line.

Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

yes its about hurricane katrina; the last verse perhaps suggesting that it is the memory of the disaster that has fallen by the wayside, or maybe simply the rebiuilding of new orleans itself.

Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

It is interesting they mention Galveston (TX) because it too suffered a devastating Hurricane on September 8, 1900. Over 6000 men women and children died in the storm, but the island rebuilt.

Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

They actually mentioned at the show that they talked to a few survivors of Katrina for "more detail" with this song when they played on friday.

Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

its even crazier now that Galveston was obliterated a few months back. and even parts of Houston.

Not Valid
Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

I like to think of this as a song about the land that Houston inhabits... I imagine a city that is born from the wake of Houston's storm-picked bones, built to last, wrought from stone and vertically ascending amidst the old live oaks that belong in the dirt of the bayous. Music bounces around the varied angles of its highly graffiti'd towers, muffled by the humid gardens in which fat stray cats roam, and quiet corners can be found to watch the grey clouds laden with moisture and violet energy. Houston may be a shit town, but it is also a beautiful place.

Cover art for Houston lyrics by R.E.M.

I think Tribett and Tonéx are two of the most innovative voices on the scene today–regardless of genre. Tribett’s joyous and multi-faceted Life is just a wonder to listen to, as is J Moss’s own project. The J Moss Project, is so good, in fact, so surprisingly good, that it really took me by surprise. Moss demonstrates a range as an artist that threatens to dwarf his incredible production and songwriting skills. The album is a well-built collection in the old school sense of an album being a complete work and not just a bunch of songs tossed together without much thought. It earns a high rank as an album that truly deserves to be called an "album" rather than what we tend to call albums these days.

KEVIN

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