Music great confusion in the history of the REM, enlightened by Michael Stipe 38 years old testisops almost four decades of mystery, the lead singer finally reveals the right letter of his frantic classic, shocking fans and letters from the writing

38 years ago, the world was presented to “It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I Feel Fine)”a timeless classic of REM which became synonymous with catharsis and hope amid chaos. Released on the album Document (1987), the song stands out for its lyrics in the rhythm of machine gun, delivered with the singular diction of Michael Stipewhich for years has generated confusion and debate among fans.

Own Stipe decided to end the mystery. In a post on the social network Blueskyhe shared a meme of Simpsons where Homer claims to be able to sing the whole lyrics of the song, and Stipe Sutting the image with a simple and categorical “I can.” Then the musician went further, correcting two of the most iconic phrases and, until then, interpreted in a misinterpretation.

The first line, commonly found on letters of letters such as Genius as “LEFT HER AND WASN’T COMING IN A HURRY WITH THE FURIES”was clarified by Stipe as being, in fact, “Left of West and Coming in a Hurry with the Furies Breathing Down Your Neck” (To the left of the west and reaching in a hurry, with the furies blowing on the back of his neck). The second sentence, “Team by Team, Reporters Baffled, Trump, Tethered, Crop / Look at That Low Plane, Fine, then”was corrected to “Team by Team Reporters, Baffled, Trimped, Tethered, Cropped / Look at That Low Playing, Fine, then” (TIME for team, confused reporters, defeated, tied, cut / look at that low game, that’s fine, so).

Revelation not only corrects a longtime misconception, but also illuminates the enigmatic and poetic nature of the composition of Stipe. For a long time, the band chose not to include the lyrics of their songs in the albums of the albums, adding an extra layer of obscurity that only increased the mystique around their work. The singer himself confessed to past interviews that already sang the wrong versions he found on the internet, showing that confusion was a universal phenomenon.

In addition to the corrections, the history of the song intertwines with the dream world of Stipe. He revealed that the idea for music came from a dream in which he was at a party surrounded by people whose initials were “Lb”how Lester Bangs, Lenny Bruce and Leonard Bernstein.

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