DOCUMENT: WELCOME TO THE OCCUPATION

This was always one of my favorites.  I've always felt that the second song on an R.E.M. album is the most important in the terms of bridging the opening song to the rest of the album.  Occupation builds the theme of work on the album and introduces fire to the mix.  There are a couple of lyric inconsistencies throughout the years.  Here I have put what is heard on the album.  First, is " ... the causeway run." This has often been interpreted as "Cars where you are," or "Cause where you are," in fact, on the demo he seems to be singing the latter and the same in later live versions.  However, on Document he seems to say 'causeway run' which makes more sense contextually.  We listen to the water still and then the causeway which is a train track or road leading over a body of water or an elevated structure.  Second we have 'Bad and educated' here which live sometimes becomes 'Mad and educated."  Last is 'Congress Spire' which is sometimes interpreted as 'Congress fire' and I suppose could be 'Congress pyre' but it's mos def a 'p' sound.

Great link to the Monster tour version:
http://youtu.be/eb6gsv3F3Ek

WELCOME TO THE OCCUPATION

Hang your collar up inside
Hang your dollar on me
Listen to the water still
Listen to the cause where you are

Bad and educated
Primitive and wild
Welcome to the occupation

Here we stand and here we fight
All your fallen heroes
Held and dyed and skinned alive
Listen to the congress spire

Offering the educated
primitive and loyal
Welcome to the occupation

Hang your collar up inside
Hang your freedom higher
Listen to the buyer still
Listen to the Congress where we

Propagate confusion
Primitive and wild
Fire on the hemisphere below

Sugar cane and coffee cup
Copper, steel and cattle
An annotated history
The forest for the fire

Where we open up the floodgates
Freedom reigns supreme
Fire on the hemisphere below

Listen to me
Listen to me
Listen to me
Listen to me
Listen to me
Listen to me
Listen to me


A fun little song to play.  Live, Peter Buck pretty much strums the whole thing which requires completing the chords in some places.  However this is the main line on the album.  Also, love the ending ...

WELCOME TO THE OCCUPATION

Intro

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Verse

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Chorus

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Middle Bridge

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End

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