GREEN: YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING

Michael Stipe has often said that this song is more about childhood than anything else.  If there's one kid who knew a lot about traveling at a young age it was Stipe whose father was in the military and had to relocate occasionally.  This song is also one of the few times that Stipe uses an identifying pronoun with 'she.'  On most songs he is deliberately avoiding a label of male and female, but here he is straightforward which identifies the character as a child viewing a parental figure. 
  I used to have a t-shirt for this song from the tour.  The shirt was simply the R.E.M. and Green logos with 'You Are The Everything' in the center.  True to the band's form, the title of the song was upside down so when the wearer of the shirt looked down it was referring to them. 



YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING

Sometimes I feel like I can’t even sing
(Say, say, the light)
I’m very scared for this world
I’m very scared for me
(Say, say, the light)
Eviscerate your memory
Here’s a scene
You’re in the back seat laying down
(Say, say, the light)
The windows wrap around
To the sound of the travel and the engine
(Say, say, the light)
All you hear is time stand still in travel
You feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn’t end
But slowly drifts into sleep
The stars are the greatest thing you’ve ever seen
And they’re there for you
For you alone you are the everything

I think about this world a lot and I cry
(Say, say, the light)
And I’ve seen the films and the eyes
But I’m in this kitchen
(Say, say, the light)
Everything is beautiful
(Say, say, the light)
And she is so beautiful
She is so young and old
(Say, say, the light)
I look at her and I see the beauty
Of the light of music
The voices talking somewhere in the house
Late spring and you’re drifting off to sleep
With your teeth in your mouth
You are here with me
You are here with me
You have been here and you are everything

Sometimes I feel like I can’t even sing
(Say, say, the light)
I’m very scared for this world
I’m very scared for me
(Say, say, the light)
Eviscerate your memory
Here’s a scene
You’re in the back seat laying down
(Say, say, the light)
The windows wrap around
To the sound of the travel and the engine
(Say, say, the light)
All you hear is time stand still in travel
You feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn’t end
But slowly drifts into sleep
The greatest thing you’ve ever seen
And they’re there for you
For you alone you are the everything
For you alone you are the everything

  I'm not sure if Warner Bros. expected Peter Buck to put his electric down for their debut with a major label, but it makes sense.  The band was already feeling tied to their instruments.  Little did Buck know that this song was the beginning of tying him to the mandolin, and even though it is the next albums 'Losing My Religion' that really sets it off, this album boasts three mandolin driven tracks and background on a fourth.  This track has no guitar at all, but I have added chords.  It's fun to tune the 'b' string on the guitar down to 'a' and play the chords (with fingering alterations) above the 12th fret.  Sounds darn close to a mandolin.  When playing live, Mills would pick up an accordion, Berry the bass.
  In general, Buck strums the opening and first part of the verse, and picks the notes out more for the second part of the verse and chorus.

YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING

Intro/ Middle Bridge (Am)

e|-0---0-0-0-0---|

A|-0---0-0-0-0---|

D|-2---0-2-0-2---|

G|-5---0-5-0-5---|

Verse (G-D)

e|-3---5-3-2---|

A|-2---2-2-0---|

D|-0---0-0-0---|

G|-0---0-0-2---|

(C-G)

e|-0---3---|

A|-3---2---|

D|-2---0---|

G|-0---0---|

Bridge to Chorus

e|-0-1-0-0-0-|

A|-0-0-0-5-0-|

D|-----------|

G|-----------|

Chorus (D)

e|-5-5-5-3-5--0-1-0----|

A|-0-0-0-0-0-5-----5-0-|

D|---------------------|

G|---------------------|

End Am