R.E.M. – The Flowers of Guatemala
1986 – Lifes Rich Pageant
I took a picture that I’ll have to send
People here are friendly and content
People here are colorful and bright
The flowers often bloom at night
Amanita is the name
The flowers cover everything
The flowers cover everything
There’s something here I find hard to ignore
There’s something that I’ve never seen before
Amanita is the name they cover over everything
The flowers cover everything
They cover over everything (Amanita is the name)
The flowers cover everything
Don’t look into the sun
Don’t look into the sun
The flowers cover everything
They cover over everything
The flowers cover everything
They cover over everything
The flowers cover everything
There’s something that I’ve never seen before
The flowers often bloom at night
Amanita is the name they cover over everything
Duration : 0:3:58
[youtube QF7XJvR7DJY]
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
it is
it is
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
This is one of the …
This is one of the most beautiful songs R.E.M ever…
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
I was a hardcore …
I was a hardcore REM fan basically when I bought this album at age 13. I truly believe this is one of the greatest albums of all time, ever constructed, anywhere. It’s a perfect moment in musical history, at the height of the band’s freedom and youthful creativity. I loved them after this album, but by the time Green came out, I felt they had changed and become a famous band, rather than what they were during this album, which was visionaries.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Yes I definately do …
Yes I definately do know what this song is about ….. It is about discovering beauty ,,,,this song is about an awakening ”there’s something I’ve never seen before” a shamanistic spiritual experience inspired by a psychadelic trip { Amanita} ” Amanita is the name they cover over everything” Amanita is a halucinogen Not really ……….it’s about the political genecide that went on in Guatamala . And the flowers that covered the graves !
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
The “flowers” that …
The “flowers” that bloom at night. Wink- Wink
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Amanita Muscaria …
Amanita Muscaria Magic Mushrooms
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
do you know what …
do you know what this song is about? Think about it
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
i probably would’ve …
i probably would’ve quit guitar early on if peter buck hadn’t written some cool easy solos like this to make it fun back then…peter is waaay underrated though.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Agree w/ everyone …
Agree w/ everyone here that this is beautiful song, a perfect composition!…
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
love stipe when he …
love stipe when he croons, don’t like when he whines ! This is beautiful
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
R.E.M. is …
R.E.M. is considered one of the most important (if not *the* most important) founders of alternative/college/indie.
They came about in the age of post-punk (think early U2, Jesus and the Mary Chain). The original punk rock was on the decline and taking new forms. Certainly alternative has roots in punk rock, but it’s very different.
The 80s spawned a lot of musical styles, come to think of it.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Oh no? I always …
Oh no? I always thought it was. ^_^ But what genre is it then?
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
R.E.M. isn’t and …
R.E.M. isn’t and never was punk rock.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Just enjoy the …
Just enjoy the harmonies that REM are known for.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
I guess so. Because …
I guess so. Because R.E.M. is punk rock and punk is all about art’s social engagement.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Is this alluding , …
Is this alluding , however obliquely, to US pollitical intervention in Guatemala after the 1944 coup?
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
This is a great …
This is a great album, but very few albums by any band will eclips Murmur and Reckoning
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
totally agree. a …
totally agree. a masterpiece.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
良い曲だ。
良い曲だ。
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
R.E.M. living …
R.E.M. living legends
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
It probably has to …
It probably has to be the last one true early R.E.M. album that defined their early sound.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
I agree, the guitar …
I agree, the guitar solo after “don’t look into the sun” is so simple but so powerfully charged and bold… it does fit perfect.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
What a great song! …
What a great song! Thanks for posting it!
I had forgotten about this song, and it is good to hear it again. At home I have Life’s Rich Pageant, and will have to bring it out and listen to it.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
lifes rich pageant …
lifes rich pageant might possibly be the greatest album ever recorded.
June 19th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
My dad told me that …
My dad told me that long time ago, Amanitas were common in Guatemala. There was a mushroom cult long time ago among the mayas, they carved stones from mushrooms, and probably they used Amanita and many others as hallucinogens.
Poor girls, I think they had a bad time with the mushroom! Many ancient “shamans” and so, treated the substances with a lot of respect, so initiation rites were necessary, so people did no became crazy when trying the powerful substances.