Undertow
Lyrics
I know what I wanted.
I know what I wanted.
I know how I wanted this to be.
you go down to the water,
drink down of the water,
walk up off the water,
leave it be.
This is not my dream, sister
it is cold in heaven.
and I’m not sprouting wings.
I’m turning, me.
I’m drowning, me.
brother, can you see those birds?
they don’t look to heaven.
they don’t need religion,
they can see.
they go down to the water,
drink down of the water,
fly up off the water,
leave it be
This is not my time, sister
It is cold in heaven.
but no-one’s coming after me.
I’m drowning, me.
I’m drowning, me.
you know I am tired.
cold and bony tired.
nothing is going to save me,
I can see.
I can’t say I’m fearful.
I can’t say I’m not afraid.
I am not resisting,
I can see.
That I don’t need a heaven.
I don’t need religion.
I am in the place where I should be.
I am breathing water.
I am breathing water.
you know a body’s got to breathe.
I’m drowning, me.
I’m drowning, me.
Copyright © R.E.M./Athens Ltd.
No Official Releases named ‘Undertow’
‘Undertow’ is also available on
2nd Strike At the Bowl (Bootleg CD Album)ISR –
released: unknown
Tracks 1 – 25 Recorded at Milton Keynes 7/30/95 plus 7 Out of Time Outtakes
- 1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 2. Crush With Eyeliner
- 3. Drive
- 4. Turn You Inside Out
- 5. Try Not To Breathe
- 6. I Took Your Name
- 7. Undertow
- 8. Bang And Blame
- 9. I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
- 10. Strange Currencies
- 11. Revolution
- 12. Tongue
- 13. Man On The Moon
- 14. Country Feedback
- 15. Half A World Away
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Pop Song 89
- 18. Finest Worksong
- 19. Get Up
- 20. Star 69
- 21. Let Me In
- 22. Everybody Hurts
- 23. Fall On Me
- 24. Departure
- 25. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 26. Night Swim
- 27. Fretless
- 28. Kerouac No. 4 (Organ Song)
- 29. It’s A Free World Baby
- 30. Unknown
- 31. Untitled OOT Instrumental
- 32. Shiny Happy People
Adhesion (Bootleg CD Album)KTS 471-72
released: unknown
Milton Keynes 7/30/95
- 1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 2. Crush With Eyeliner
- 3. Drive
- 4. Turn You Inside Out
- 5. Try Not To Breathe
- 6. I Took Your Name
- 7. Undertow
- 8. Bang And Blame
- 9. I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
- 10. Strange Currencies
- 11. Revolution
- 12. Tongue
- 13. Man On The Moon
- 14. Country Feedback
- 15. Half A World Away
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Pop Song 89
- 18. Finest Worksong
- 19. Get Up
- 20. Star 69
- 21. Let Me In
- 22. Everybody Hurts
- 23. Fall On Me
- 24. Departure
- 25. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Aural Pleasure (Bootleg CD Album)MOONTUNES 13/14
released: unknown
Recorded: Milton Keynes 7/30/95 + 7/29/95 and 1/16/95 , Tracks 10-14 on disc 2 are from July 29th, and 15-17 are from the
- 1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 2. Crush With Eyeliner
- 3. Drive
- 4. Turn You Inside Out
- 5. Try Not To Breathe
- 6. I Took Your Name
- 7. Undertow
- 8. Bang And Blame
- 9. I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
- 10. Strange Currencies
- 11. Revolution
- 12. Tongue
- 13. Man On The Moon
- 14. Country Feedback
- 15. Half A World Away
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Pop Song 89
- 18. Finest Worksong
- 19. Get Up
- 20. Star 69
- 21. Let Me In
- 22. Everybody Hurts
- 23. Fall On Me
- 24. Departure
- 25. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 26. Circus Envy
live recorded at: 1995-07-29 in Milton Keynes - 27. Orange Crush
live recorded at: 1995-07-29 in Milton Keynes - 28. Welcome To The Occupation
live recorded at: 1995-07-29 in Milton Keynes - 29. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
live recorded at: 1995-07-29 in Milton Keynes - 30. King Of Comedy
live recorded at: 1995-01-16 in Adelaide - 31. Me In Honey
live recorded at: 1995-01-16 in Adelaide - 32. Disturbance At The Heron House
live recorded at: 1995-01-16 in Adelaide
Freak Marmalade (Bootleg CD Album)KRCD 12
released: unknown
Recorded: Recorded: Track 1 – MTV Music Awards 9/7/95, Track 2-4 – Milton Keynes, London 7/29/95, Track 5-7 – Saturday Night Live 11/12/94, Track 8-12 – Greenpeace benefit 11/19/92, Track 13 – Milton Keynes, London 7/29/95, Track 14-16 – Milano 1995
- 1. The Wake-Up Bomb
- 2. Undertow
- 3. Revolution
- 4. Departure
- 5. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 6. Bang And Blame
- 7. I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
- 8. Everybody Hurts
- 9. Losing My Religion
- 10. Me In Honey
- 11. Drive
- 12. Funtime
- 13. Radio Free Europe
- 14. Half A World Away
- 15. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
- 16. Country Feedback
- 17. Man On The Moon
Heal Heal Rock N Roll (Bootleg CD Album)OCT 104/105
released: unknown
Recorded: 7/30/95 – National Bowl – Milton Keynes, England
- 1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 2. Crush With Eyeliner
- 3. Drive
- 4. Turn You Inside Out
- 5. Try Not To Breathe
- 6. I Took Your Name
- 7. Undertow
- 8. Bang And Blame
- 9. I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
- 10. Strange Currencies
- 11. Revolution
- 12. Tongue
- 13. Man On The Moon
- 14. Country Feedback
- 15. Half A World Away
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Pop Song 89
- 18. Finest Worksong
- 19. Get Up
- 20. Star 69
- 21. Let Me In
- 22. Everybody Hurts
- 23. Fall On Me
- 24. Departure
- 25. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Monster At Milton Keynes (Bootleg CD Album)FFCD 09/10
released: unknown
Recorded: 7/30/95, Milton Keynes
- 1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 2. Crush With Eyeliner
- 3. Drive
- 4. Turn You Inside Out
- 5. Try Not To Breathe
- 6. I Took Your Name
- 7. Undertow
- 8. Bang And Blame
- 9. I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
- 10. Strange Currencies
- 11. Revolution
- 12. Tongue
- 13. Man On The Moon
- 14. Country Feedback
- 15. Half A World Away
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Pop Song 89
- 18. Finest Worksong
- 19. Get Up
- 20. Star 69
- 21. Let Me In
- 22. Everybody Hurts
- 23. Fall On Me
- 24. Departure
- 25. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Monster Radio (Bootleg CD Album)MOONRAKER 023/024
released: unknown
Recorded: 8/1/05, Berlin, Germany.
- 1. I Took Your Name
- 2. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 3. Crush With Eyeliner
- 4. Me In Honey
- 5. Bang And Blame
- 6. Near Wild Heaven
- 7. Undertow
- 8. Welcome To The Occupation
- 9. You
- 10. Strange Currencies
- 11. Revolution
- 12. Tongue
- 13. Man On The Moon
- 14. Country Feedback
- 15. Star Me Kitten
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Pop Song 89
- 18. Finest Worksong
- 19. Get Up
- 20. Star 69
- 21. Let Me In
- 22. Everybody Hurts
- 23. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
- 24. Departure
- 25. Tusk
- 26. Ghost Riders In The Sky
- 27. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 28. The Wake-Up Bomb
From MTV Music Video Awards
Monster Radio ’95 (Bootleg CD Album)PD 075/076
released: unknown
Recorded: 7/30/95, Milton Keynes: + 10 Early Tracks
- 1. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
- 2. Crush With Eyeliner
- 3. Drive
- 4. Turn You Inside Out
- 5. Try Not To Breathe
- 6. I Took Your Name
- 7. Undertow
- 8. Bang And Blame
- 9. I Don’t Sleep, I Dream
- 10. Strange Currencies
- 11. Revolution
- 12. Tongue
- 13. Man On The Moon
- 14. Country Feedback
- 15. Half A World Away
- 16. Losing My Religion
- 17. Pop Song 89
- 18. Finest Worksong
- 19. Get Up
- 20. Star 69
- 21. Let Me In
- 22. Everybody Hurts
- 23. Fall On Me
- 24. Departure
- 25. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
- 26. West Of The Fields
- 27. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
- 28. Auctioneer (Another Engine)
- 29. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
- 30. Sitting Still
- 31. Driver 8
- 32. 9-9
- 33. Windout
- 34. Pretty Persuasion
- 35. Radio Free Europe

(4.75 out of 5)