Wednesday, May 30, 2007

It's the End of the World

I just heard this song on the radio, which revived memories of my college days. Actually, REM, INXS, and 10,000 Maniacs were the background music for the my college years.

As for this particular phrase, freshman year Andy Rosenberg stood on a bench in the middle of Quad 2 and bellowed, “It’s the end of the world as we know it.” Why? There was a gush of wind and a storm was acoming. (A little over the top proclamation, methinks)

Then, a month later he swung open my dorm room door and announced “it's the end of the world as we know it!” It was Oct 19, 1987 and the stock market just crashed. This time, we all drew our breaths. But, we all continued going to classes and enjoying our freshman year.

I personally had other moments in college when I thought it was the end of the world. Specifically, there were:
- the MacroEconomics final exam results
- George Bush Sr. getting elected. We had cheered on Dukakis so actively, and my roommate E and I could only look sadly at the TV.
- 1989 US invasion of Panama. Should have realized this was going to be a new trend in US History.
- the Persian Gulf War. My roommate L and I were wondering if our friends would get drafted. Then we giggled hysterically imagining our geeky friends with guns.
- the Valentine’s Day I wore black and other broken heart moments
However, if you come out of college with one piece of knowledge it's that life does keep going on. Actually, I used to think marriage was going to be the end of the world. When it didn't and life actually got better, I was surprised...
And I feel fine!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Title: R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World lyrics
Artist: REM

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane and Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn - world serves its own needs, dummy serve your own needs. Feed it off an aux speak, grunt, no, strength, the Ladder start to clatter with fear fight down height. Wire in a fire, representing seven games, and a government for hire at a combat site. Left of west and coming in a hurry with the furys breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters baffled, trumped, tethered cropped. Look at that low playing. Fine, then. Uh oh, overflow, population, common food, but it'll do to Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed dummy with the rapture and the revered and the right, right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign towers. Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn. Lock it in, uniforming, book burning, blood letting. Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate. Light a candle, light a motive. Step down, step down. Watch your heel crush, crushed, uh-oh, this means no fear cavalier. Renegade steer clear! A tournament, tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

The other night I dreamt of knives, continental drift divide. Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs. Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom! You symbiotic, patriotic, slam bug net, right? Right.

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine...fine...

3 comments:

ZenDenizen said...

I was on a conference call last year with about 15 people and every time this annoying guy from our Data Analytics team spoke, I'd start blasting End of the World and no one ever figured out who it was :)

Anonymous said...

OMG! I wish I could do that on some of my calls. Actually, a lot of calls sound like we have a bunch of teachers from Charlie Brown movies on -
WonWon WonWon Wonwon..

:-)

Anonymous said...

Now people say "Dukakis who?" It's sad.