Swan Swan H
R.E.M. · Life's Rich Pageant [1986]
Hurrah, we are all free now
What noisy cats are we
Girl and dog he bore his cross
Swan, swan, hummingbird
Hurrah, we are all free now
A long, low time ago, people talk to me
Johnny Reb what's the price of fans?
Forty a piece or three for one dollar?
Hey captain don't you want to buy
Some bone chains and toothpicks?
Night wings, her hair chains,
Here's your wooden greenback, sing
Wooden beams and dovetail sweep
I struck that picture ninety times,
I walked that path a hundred ninety,
Long, low time ago, people talk to me
A pistol hot cup of rhyme
The whiskey is water, the water is wine
Marching feet, Johnny Reb, what's the price of heroes?
Six and one half dozen the other,
Tell that to the captain's mother,
Hey captain don't you want to buy,
Some bone chains and toothpicks?
Night wings, her hair chains
Swan, swan, hummingbird
Hurrah, we are all free now
What noisy cats are we
Long, low time ago, people talk to me
A pistol hot cup of rhyme,
The whiskey is water, the water is wine.
Swan Swan H
Recorded in 1986, Swan Swan H stands as a pivotal track on R.E.M.'s Life's Rich Pageant, marking a significant shift in the band's sonic landscape. While the group had previously defined themselves through jangly pop-rock, this recording introduces a darker, more atmospheric texture that would characterize their subsequent work. The song features a distinctive, haunting vocal delivery by Michael Stipe, layered over a brooding arrangement that blends folk elements with emerging post-punk sensibilities. It serves as a crucial bridge in the band's evolution, foreshadowing the heavier, more introspective direction seen on Out of Time. Swan Swan H remains a celebrated example of R.E.M.'s ability to explore emotional depth and atmospheric complexity, influencing countless artists who followed in the alternative rock genre.