Swan Swan H
Lyrics
Swan, swan, hummingbird
Hurrah, we are all free now
What noisy cats are we
Girl and dog he bore his cross
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 in 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
Copyright © R.E.M./Athens Ltd.
No Official Releases named ‘Swan Swan H’
‘Swan Swan H’ is also available on
Lifes Rich Pageant (CD Album)UK –
released: unknown
- 1. Begin The Begin
- 2. These Days
- 3. Fall On Me
- 4. Cuyahoga
- 5. Hyena
- 6. Underneath The Bunker
- 7. The Flowers Of Guatemala
- 8. I Believe
- 9. What If We Give It Away
- 10. Just A Touch
- 11. Swan Swan H
- 12. Superman
Document / Lifes Rich Pageant (CD Album)released: unknown
- 1. Finest Worksong
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Strange
- 6. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 7. The One I Love
- 8. Fireplace
- 9. Lightnin’ Hopkins
- 10. King Of Birds
- 11. Oddfellows Local 151
- 12. Begin The Begin
- 13. These Days
- 14. Fall On Me
- 15. Cuyahoga
- 16. Hyena
- 17. Underneath The Bunker
- 18. The Flowers Of Guatemala
- 19. I Believe
- 20. What If We Give It Away
- 21. Just A Touch
- 22. Swan Swan H
- 23. Superman
Green Dreams (Bootleg LP)??
released: unknown
Recorded: Orlando Arena, Orlando FL 4/30/89
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Greendreams (Bootleg LP)VIGOTONE – THREE
released: unknown
Recorded: Orlando Arena, Orlando FL 4/30/89, w/ 2 fan club tracks
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 21. See No Evil
Fan Club Track - 22. Academy Fight Song
Fan Club Track
Harmonics In Eternity (Bootleg LP)RME 1
released: unknown
Recorded: 4/3/91 KCRW Snap
- 1. World Leader Pretend
- 2. Fretless
- 3. Smiling Faces
- 4. Tusk
- 5. Losing My Religion
- 6. Endgame
- 7. Jackson
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Spooky
- 10. Fall On Me
- 11. Radio Song
- 12. I Enjoy Being A Boy (In Love With You)
Mumble (Bootleg LP)PSA-101
released: unknown
Recorded: Various Locations(1986 Demos, 1984 BBC Broadcast)
- 1. Underneath The Bunker
LRP Demo - 2. Gardening At Night
live recorded at: 1984-11-21 in Nottingham - 3. 9-9
live recorded at: 1984-11-21 in Nottingham - 4. Windout
live recorded at: 1984-11-21 in Nottingham - 5. White Tornado
- 6. Pretty Persuasion
live recorded at: 1984-11-21 in Nottingham - 7. Bad Day
LRP Demo - 8. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
- 9. Swan Swan H
- 10. Auctioneer (Another Engine)
live recorded at: 1984-11-21 in Nottingham - 11. West Of The Fields
live recorded at: 1984-11-21 in Nottingham - 12. Cuyahoga
LRP Demo
Electric (Bootleg CD Album)released: unknown
Recorded at Pink Pop Festival, Landgraaf, Holland, 5/15/89
- 1. Exhuming McCarthy
- 2. Turn You Inside Out
- 3. Stand
- 4. Orange Crush
- 5. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 6. King Of Birds
- 7. World Leader Pretend
- 8. Underneath The Bunker
- 9. Pretty Persuasion
- 10. Get Up
- 11. Auctioneer (Another Engine)
- 12. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 13. Summertime
- 14. Swan Swan H
- 15. Finest Worksong
Acoustic 3CD Box (Bootleg CD Album)Luxemburg –
released: unknown
Contains Acoustic 1, Acoustic 2 and Electric
- 1. World Leader Pretend
- 2. Radio Song
- 3. Fall On Me
- 4. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 5. Half A World Away
- 6. Belong
- 7. Love Is All Around
- 8. Losing My Religion
- 9. Radio Song
- 10. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 11. Low
- 12. Swan Swan H
- 13. White Train
- 14. If You Go Away
- 15. Birdshead
- 16. My Youngest Son Came Home Today
- 17. Hello In There
- 18. Dark End Of The Street
- 19. Pop Song 89
- 20. Talk About The Passion
- 21. Exhuming McCarthy
- 22. Turn You Inside Out
- 23. Stand
- 24. Orange Crush
- 25. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 26. King Of Birds
- 27. World Leader Pretend
- 28. Underneath The Bunker
- 29. Pretty Persuasion
- 30. Get Up
- 31. Auctioneer (Another Engine)
- 32. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 33. Summertime
- 34. Swan Swan H
- 35. Finest Worksong
Acoustic Tour 1991 (Bootleg CD Album)released: unknown
Recorded: [1] Toronto, May 9, 1991 [2] Los Angeles (KCRW radio) 4/3/91, and [3] Charleston, WV (Mountain Stage program), May 4, 1991
- 1. World Leader Pretend
live recorded at: 1991-04-05 in Toronto - 2. Radio Song
live recorded at: 1991-04-05 in Toronto - 3. Love Is All Around
live recorded at: 1991-04-05 in Toronto - 4. Losing My Religion
live recorded at: 1991-04-05 in Toronto - 5. Fall On Me
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 6. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 7. Belong
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 8. Low
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 9. Endgame
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 10. Swan Swan H
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 11. Spooky
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 12. Disturbance At The Heron House
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 13. Fretless
live recorded at: 1991-04-03 in Santa Monica - 14. Dallas
live recorded at: 1991-04-28 in Charleston - 15. Losing My Religion
live recorded at: 1991-04-28 in Charleston - 16. World Leader Pretend
live recorded at: 1991-04-28 in Charleston
Begin The Begin (Bootleg CD Album)EU – CD 12033
released: unknown
Recorded: Westwood One, Orlando 1989
- 1. Turn You Inside Out
- 2. Begin The Begin
- 3. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 4. King Of Birds
- 5. Finest Worksong
- 6. I Believe
- 7. Crazy
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Pop Song 89
- 10. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 11. Welcome To The Occupation
- 12. Stand
- 13. Exhuming McCarthy
- 14. Perfect Circle
- 15. Get Up
The Dream: Green World Tour (Bootleg CD Album)RPCD 1028
released: unknown
Landgraaf, Holland 5/15/89, Milan, Italy, 6/15/89
- 1. Exhuming McCarthy
- 2. Turn You Inside Out
- 3. Stand
- 4. Orange Crush
- 5. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 6. King Of Birds
- 7. World Leader Pretend
- 8. Underneath The Bunker
- 9. Pretty Persuasion
- 10. Get Up
- 11. Auctioneer (Another Engine)
- 12. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 13. Summertime
- 14. Swan Swan H
- 15. Finest Worksong
- 16. Begin The Begin
- 17. Perfect Circle
- 18. Dark Globe
From The Borderline (Bootleg CD Album)France – RPCD 2038/2039
released: unknown
Recorded: The Borderline 3/15/91 and Shocking Club, Milan 3/22/91
- 1. World Leader Pretend
- 2. Half A World Away
- 3. Fretless
- 4. The One I Love
- 5. Hello In There
- 6. My Youngest Son Came Home Today
- 7. Jackson
- 8. Dallas
- 9. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 10. Belong
- 11. Low
- 12. Love Is All Around
- 13. You Are The Everything
- 14. Swan Swan H
- 15. Radio Song
- 16. Perfect Circle
- 17. Endgame
- 18. Pop Song 89
- 19. Losing My Religion
- 20. Fall On Me
- 21. Tom’s Diner
- 22. You Ain’t Goin Nowhere
- 23. Get Up
- 24. Moon River
- 25. Half A World Away
- 26. Swan Swan H
- 27. Driver 8
- 28. Low
- 29. Fretless
- 30. Losing My Religion
Gravity (Bootleg CD Album)LL 15447
released: unknown
Recorded: Westwood One Superstars In Concert Miami & Orlando 4/89
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
It’s The End Of The World … As We Know It (Bootleg CD Album)KTS 005
released: unknown
Recorded: Orlando 1989
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Perfect Circle (Bootleg CD Album)CB 53023
released: unknown
Recorded: 1989 “”Westwood One”" Orlando Green Tour concert.
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Half A World Away Part One (Bootleg CD Album)MONG CD007A
released: unknown
Recorded: (Tracks 1-19) 4/3/91 KCRW Snap, (Tracks 20-26) Christmas Singles.
- 1. World Leader Pretend
- 2. Half A World Away
- 3. Fretless
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Radio Song
- 6. Low
- 7. Love Is All Around
- 8. Academy Fight Song
- 9. Tusk
- 10. Dallas
- 11. Losing My Religion
- 12. Mary Tyler Moore Theme Song
- 13. Bandwagon
- 14. Endgame
- 15. Jackson
- 16. Swan Swan H
- 17. Spooky
- 18. Radio Free Ethiopia
- 19. Fall On Me
- 20. Deck The Halls
- 21. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
- 22. See No Evil
- 23. Good King Wenceslas
- 24. Academy Fight Song
- 25. Ghost Reindeer In The Sky
- 26. Summertime
Heroes Of Pop (Bootleg CD Album)GEMA H 8801 2
released: unknown
Recorded: Westwood One Superstars In Concert Miami & Orlando 4/89
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Life’s Rich Pageant & More (Bootleg CD Album)WAI 022
released: unknown
Recorded: (Tracks 1-14) Pageant Studio Demos, (Tracks 15-24) Recorded at Various Locations.
- 1. Theme From Two Steps Onward
- 2. Just A Touch
- 3. Mystery To Me
- 4. Wait
- 5. Begin The Begin
- 6. Cuyahoga
- 7. I Believe
- 8. Interim Medley (LRP Instrumental Demo)
- 9. Rotary Ten
- 10. These Days
- 11. Bad Day
- 12. Underneath The Bunker
- 13. Swan Swan H
- 14. The Flowers Of Guatemala
- 15. March
- 16. Theme From Two Steps Onward
- 17. California Dreaming
- 18. Mississippi Queen
- 19. Whole Lotta Love
- 20. Funtime
- 21. After Hours
- 22. Oddfellows Local 151
- 23. Born To Run
- 24. Eight Miles High
- 25. Roadrunner
- 26. When I Was Young
Live Collection (Bootleg CD Album)Italy – LLRCD 153
released: unknown
Recorded: (Tracks 1-5) Madison 1982, (Tracks 6-15) Orlando Westwood One Show, (Tracks 16-19) Nicky Campbell Show, BBC London 1991.
- 1. Gardening At Night
- 2. Radio Free Europe
- 3. White Tornado
- 4. West Of The Fields
- 5. There She Goes Again
- 6. Pop Song 89
- 7. Exhuming McCarthy
- 8. Turn You Inside Out
- 9. Orange Crush
- 10. Swan Swan H
- 11. Begin The Begin
- 12. Stand
- 13. Perfect Circle
- 14. Get Up
- 15. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Half A World Away
- 18. Radio Song
- 19. Love Is All Around
Losing My Religion Vol.3 Live in USA 1989 (Bootleg CD Album)BAN-042-C
released: unknown
Recorded: Westwood One Radio Show, Orlando 1989
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Losing My Religion Vol.4 Live in USA 1991 (Bootleg CD Album)BAN-042-D
released: unknown
Recorded: KCRW and SNL 1991.
- 1. World Leader Pretend
- 2. Half A World Away
- 3. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 4. Radio Song
- 5. Low
- 6. Love Is All Around
- 7. Tusk
- 8. Losing My Religion
- 9. Bandwagon
- 10. Endgame
- 11. Jackson
- 12. Swan Swan H
- 13. Spooky
- 14. Radio Free Ethiopia
- 15. Fall On Me
- 16. Losing My Religion
live recorded at: 1991-04-13 in New York - 17. Shiny Happy People
live recorded at: 1991-04-13 in New York
LOVE AND SQUALOR (Bootleg CD Album)CD 555-07
released: unknown
- 1. Pop Song 89
- 2. Exhuming McCarthy
- 3. Welcome To The Occupation
- 4. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 5. Turn You Inside Out
- 6. Orange Crush
- 7. Feeling Gravitys Pull
- 8. Swan Swan H
- 9. Begin The Begin
- 10. Pretty Persuasion
- 11. I Believe
- 12. King Of Birds
- 13. Crazy
- 14. Finest Worksong
- 15. You Are The Everything
- 16. Academy Fight Song
- 17. Stand
- 18. Perfect Circle
- 19. Get Up
- 20. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Low (Bootleg CD Album)Italy – TCD 28
released: unknown
Recorded: 3/22/91, Shocking Club, Milan, Italy
- 1. Disturbance At The Heron House
- 2. Half A World Away
- 3. Swan Swan H
- 4. Belong
- 5. Driver 8
- 6. Low
- 7. Fretless
- 8. Love Is All Around
- 9. Losing My Religion
- 10. Fall On Me
- 11. Get Up
Applaud (Bootleg EP)released: unknown
Recorded: MTV Unplugged 1991. and others. Borehole 1991 R.E.M. Fan Club UK 7″” boot.
- 1. Low
- 2. Get Up
- 3. Kohoutek
- 4. Swan Swan H
- 5. Endgame

(4.75 out of 5)